Vine Lines — Sonoma Chard, Pinot are silky delights

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/11/2017 (2875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Smooth. Supple. Soft.

When I talk to wine fans, that’s usually — not always, but usually — what they say they want in a wine — something that’s easy to drink, with no bitterness, no edge and no mouth-puckering acidity.

And I can relate. I love it when a wine slips easily around my mouth, caresses my taste buds and glides down my throat. And luckily for me, I’ve been able to enjoy a lot of those lately.

But for the most part, those sorts of well-balanced and wonderfully crafted wines don’t come cheap. Or if they do, they’re often sweet. And it’s been proven that many people don’t think they drink and enjoy sweet wines when in fact they really do. If you wonder about your favourite brands, hop on the internet and see how much residual sugar is in some of the top-selling ones. It’s measured in grams per litre, or g/l. And while that’s not really the issue, if you’re counting calories, as I do every day, the amount of residual sugar in a wine can make a big difference.

One of the most popular wines on the market today has 16 g/l. And since a gram of sugar contains four calories, in a litre of that wine, you’re getting 64 extra calories, which means there’s 48 additional calories in a bottle. And while that may not seem like much, if it’s something you consume day after day, week after week, that extra sugar can add up in a heck of a hurry.

Considering that dry wines can sometimes contain a bit of residual sugar (according to a 2014 article by Michael Hastings in the Winston-Salem Journal, up to four grams of residual sugar in a litre can still present as a dry wine), it’s not a huge difference. But if you’re curious about the g/ls in what you regularly drink (and wonder if you are one of those who thinks they drink dry but actually drink sweet), check it out online. The results might surprise you. One of my favourite reds, a Cabernet Sauvignon, has five g/l. And it does read a pinch sweet. But it still weighs in a whole lot less than many of the other options on the market. Plus it’s silky smooth and I just adore it.

I’ve often thought, though, that while it’s splendid on its own, it doesn’t pair with steak or prime rib the way a drier, and thus heftier, red might. It’s almost as if it gets slightly lost against the weightiness of the beef.

But I digress.

As stated, I’ve had a lot of very velvety wines lately. And while they’re a bit of a kick in the wallet, the wines I’m about to discuss are absolutely splendid. And they’re both the 2015 vintage from California’s famed Sonoma County.

The first is the Duckhorn Wine Company’s Decoy Chardonnay. Made from 100 per cent Chardonnay grapes, this is a beautiful, buttery, multi-layered gem featuring flavours of pear, apple and lemon candy. There’s a barely-there hint of oak that contributes to the vanilla toffee finish. I’m totally in love with this Chard. And I feel the same way about Copper Cane’s Tuli Pinot Noir. A glorious wine, it’s so smooth it’s almost sinful. With notes of chocolate and coffee, this Pinot is among the nicest I’ve ever had the privilege of tasting. And as indicated, it’s also achingly smooth.

While there is such a thing as wine that’s too soft — some folks refer to those sorts of wines as flabby — these two products are gorgeously balanced, which is what makes each of them such a treat.

And they should be, since they’re $29.99 a bottle. But with the festive season just around the corner, both of these wines would be more than worthy of consideration for the Chard or Pinot fans on your gift-giving list. And while you’re at it, why not pick up a couple of bottles for yourself? After all, if anyone deserves something special, it’s you!

» Diane Nelson is a longtime journalist and former Sun staffer who really likes wine. A lot.