Wine Advice Q & A answers common questions submitted to this web site. The questions are answered by Garry Scholz, a wine expert who is a member of the Guild of Sommeliers of the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers, the #1 acknowledged world-wide organization for expert wine masters.

Question: In the past I’ve bought Chardonnays described as buttery, but I’ve recently been to a tasting that had a Chardonnay described as ‘steely.’ Are these two different wines or grape varieties? They taste completely different.

Answer: Originally, all wine was made in either crocks or wooden containers. The taste was different depending upon which type of container was used. The container either imparted its own character to the wine (wood containers), or else it was inert and didn’t affect the wine (crocks). So, even in ancient times, the same grape variety could make different tasting wines, depending on the exact techniques used.

In modern times, the science of winemaking has allowed winemakers to utilize a number of techniques to impart particular tastes and flavors to a wine. In the case of Chardonnay, fermentation and aging in modern stainless steel containers allows the true expression of the Chardonnay grape to come through: a delightful crispness and sharpness along with aromas and flavors of citrus and tropical fruit.

In contrast, winemakers can also ferment and age Chardonnay in oak barrels which can impart a particular oakiness to the wine, depending on the age and type of oak used. In addition, it is common practice to inject a strain of bacteria into the wine that converts naturally occurring malic acid - responsible for a harsh, sharp flavor - to lactic acid - a much mellower and buttery, soft flavor. This is called malolactic fermentation which is performed on a number of wines, including red wines, to make them soft and very drinkable.

My personal preference is for the steely Chardonnays, but to each his or her own.

 

Question: Are Idaho wines really that good? I don’t see many of them on restaurant wine lists and Idaho seems like such an odd place to grow grapes.

Answer: Believe it or not, Idaho is one of the best places in the world to grow wine grapes! Look at a map of the world and follow the latitude lines around the globe and you’ll find Idaho at roughly the same latitude as the most famous wine producing regions of all: Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Idaho has excellent climatic and soil conditions for producing world class wines. And, in recent years, Idaho wines have been winning some pretty prestigious awards. I’ve been all over the world to many different wine regions, and I consider Idaho to have great promise. In fact, I consider Idaho winemakers Greg Koenig (Koenig Distillery & Winery) and Melanie Krause (Cinder Wines) to be world class winemakers. I wouldn’t hesitate to put their wines up against the best from anywhere else.

As for local restaurants, they’re gradually coming around to realize that Idaho wines are superb and are a bargain, value-wise.

Finally, don’t take my word for it. In 2008 Mr. Doug Frost, one of the most acknowledged wine experts in the world, came to Idaho to judge Idaho wines for the Idaho Wine Festival. He loved Idaho wines and judged a number of them to be gold medal winners.