Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: neilep on 03/08/2011 12:45:48
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Dearest Alcys,
Is this Chemistry ?
Stop your whining !...ewe’ve got good weather ain’t cha ?..sheesh !
As a sheepy I know sod all about wine because I am a tea-totaller and no mistake !
Look, here's some stuff called red and white wine !
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Some red and white wine earlier today.
So....ewe can imagine my surprise when I found out that white wine does not need to be left to ‘ breathe’ like red wine does ! Shock horror !!...and then I thought to myself..”I don't even know what this so-called ‘ breathing ‘ is sheeposed to do anyway !"..yep..that's what I thunk !
So, please to be accommodating me....
One question*
Why Does Red Wine Need To Breathe and Not White ?
and...What Is This ‘Breathing’ Anyway ?
Thank ewe for your kind consideration in this matter.
Hugs & Sober Shmishes
mwah mwah
Neil
You’re My Beshtest Friend ...hic !
* I lied ...it’s two questions
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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From Hagar the Horrible, one of the best I have come across
(I do not know how to locate the actual comic, so you will have to imagine the graphics, and my wording will not be exact)
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(Opens Bottle of wine)
They say that this wine has to breathe
(Ear to Bottle)
It's not breathing!
Quick! Mouth to mouth!
(Bottoms up)
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You don't have to let red wine breathe, but it helps if you do. Even some white wines can benefit from a breath of fresh air. Older red wines are best decanted and drunk within 30 minutes or so, as they can go beyond the breathing and go off in a short space of time.
During fermentation, oxygen is consummed by the yeast. Once fermentation is complete, the wine will be bottled and corked. There is no further contact with oxygen. The addition of oxygen during the breathing proccess helps to mellow the tannin in red wine, thus improving the flavour.
Now, if'n you'll 'scuse me..... (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Fsmileys%2Fsmiley-eatdrink060.gif&hash=2892b9abcad1d7d83e1c488cacc71215) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
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Yep! 100% agree with Don. Take care when decanting old wines with a sediment though many wines, even now with some vintage, are filtered and free of sediment. Best to have the bottle stand upright for a while before opening, then decanting with care to leave the bits behind.
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Did you drink your '97 Meursault that you had put away for a rainy day?
(spot the dangerously unhealthy interest in wine)
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You don't have to let red wine breathe, but it helps if you do.
What! You mean you don't have one of these http://vinturi.com/ ???
It will only set you back about fifty quid [:D]
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You don't have to let red wine breathe, but it helps if you do.
What! You mean you don't have one of these http://vinturi.com/ ???
It will only set you back about fifty quid [:D]
if I did drink... would my wife look like the girly drinking the wine after a bottle ?
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Thank ewe all for your responses by the way !
Does it really really taste better when wine is ' breathed ' ?..or just does it taste different ?
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Did you drink your '97 Meursault that you had put away for a rainy day?
(spot the dangerously unhealthy interest in wine)
I still have it. Awaiting a special occasion - though I may just decide I fancy opening it at some point [;D]
Thank ewe all for your responses by the way !
Does it really really taste better when wine is ' breathed ' ?..or just does it taste different ?
Depends on the wine, its vintage and your own taste preferences. If you have a few bottles, try to see what you prefer. Generally, if a red wine is a few years old then it can benefit from a breath of air. Care is needed with very old wines where you may be interested in the ephemeral tastes which can disappear quickly when exposed to air. With young wines, it may not matter one way or the other.
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You don't have to let red wine breathe, but it helps if you do.
What! You mean you don't have one of these http://vinturi.com/ ???
It will only set you back about fifty quid [:D]
What a waste of money! I would think if you can't wait 10 - 20 minutes for your wine to breathe, or can't be bothered to decant it, you're such a drunken ol' bum, you probably wouldn't give a **** what the wine tastes like anyway. Fine wines are not for such people, they should try Greek Domestos (http://www.domestos.co.uk/?WT.srch=1) Domestica wine.
if I did drink... would my wife look like the girly drinking the wine after a bottle ?
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fdrinking%2F18.gif&hash=8f9ccf7fedfd8269b3d6c603a376dfa1) Oh! The times I made that mistake.
Does it really really taste better when wine is ' breathed ' ?..
Yes, it really does make a difference. The tannin can be quite harsh and spoil the taste. Allowing the wine to breathe does mellow the tannin and gives, to my mind, a 'creamy' property to the wine.
I have two bottles of Pomerol (1976 & 1978) which I have tucked away for a special occasion. One such occasion is on the horizon. My first grandchild is due in November. I think this will be best decanted and drunk within a short space of time.
The wine, that is, not the grandchild!!!(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Flol%2F4.gif&hash=dc0017defb1737ae43c0ff6efcb35b2a)
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"Allowing the wine to breathe does mellow the tannin"
This is a science website so I'm sure you realised that statement would be challenged.
The tannins were in the wine from the outset. They had a fair bit of access to air while the grapes were growing, they had an even better chance to react with air while the grapes were crushed and pressed.
Why did they wait until you opened the bottle?
Also, do you have any direct evidence to back up the assertion?
Have you done a double blind trial?
Has anyone else done so and reported the results?
(and congratulations BTW)
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Is ' Decanting ' the same as ' Breathing ' ?
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Is ' Decanting ' the same as ' Breathing ' ?
I'm no poncy wine aficionado, but I think the general idea about decanting is that you leave all the muck that precipitated at the bottom of the bottle behind when you transfer the wine to a decanter.
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Have you done a double blind trial?
Would blind drunk count?
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Is ' Decanting ' the same as ' Breathing ' ?
I'm no poncy wine aficionado, but I think the general idea about decanting is that you leave all the muck that precipitated at the bottom of the bottle behind when you transfer the wine to a decanter.
It's mainly that, but the flow of the wine during decanting also allows better aeration than just leaving a square inch of wine being exposed to the air.
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Is ' Decanting ' the same as ' Breathing ' ?
I'm no poncy wine aficionado, but I think the general idea about decanting is that you leave all the muck that precipitated at the bottom of the bottle behind when you transfer the wine to a decanter.
It's mainly that, but the flow of the wine during decanting also allows better aeration than just leaving a square inch of wine being exposed to the air.
Much as I hate to actually agree with Bored Chemist ([;D]), I'm inclined to think all this breathing stuff could be a complete load of bollocks a teensy bit suspect. Personally, I always give my '96 Chateau Lafitte Rothschild Pauillac a right good shake before popping the cork, and that seems to do the trick.
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Geezer's point of view seems reasonable, since I'd hate to have to agree wiyth him. Perhaps he would be happier agreeing with this bit of what WIKI has to say about it
"Blind tasting
To ensure impartial judgment of a wine, it should be served blind — that is, without the taster(s) having seen the label or bottle shape. Blind tasting may also involve serving the wine from a black wine glass to mask the color of the wine. A taster's judgment can be prejudiced by knowing details of a wine, such as geographic origin, price, reputation, color, or other considerations.
Scientific research has long demonstrated the power of suggestion in perception as well as the strong effects of expectancies. For example, people expect more expensive wine to have more desirable characteristics than less expensive wine. When given wine that they are falsely told is expensive they virtually always report it as tasting better than the very same wine when they are told that it is inexpensive. French researcher Frédéric Brochet "submitted a mid-range Bordeaux in two different bottles, one labeled as a cheap table wine, the other bearing a grand cru etiquette" and obtained predictable results. Tasters described the supposed grand cru as "woody, complex, and round" and the supposed cheap wine as "short, light, and faulty."[4]
Similarly, people have expectations about wines because of their geographic origin, producer, vintage, color, and many other factors. For example, when Brochet served a white wine he received all the usual descriptions: "fresh, dry, honeyed, lively." Later he served the same wine dyed red and received the usual red terms: "intense, spicy, supple, deep."[5]
One of the most famous instances of blind testing is known as the Judgment of Paris, a wine competition held in 1976 where French judges blind-tested wines from France and California. Against all expectations, California wines bested French wines according to the judges, a result which would have been unlikely in a non-blind contest. This event was depicted in the 2008 movie Bottle Shock."
The improtant thing to remember s that there are 2 sorts of wine; they stuff you like drinking, and the stuff you don't.
All the rest is window dressing.
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White wine contains less tannin. Tannin can be found in the skin, seeds and stems of the grapes. In white wine less exterior skin is used than in red wines. In red wines it is needed for the coloring, as both red and white grapes are white on the inside. The more exterior skin is used, the more tannin the mixture will contain.