Chapter 6Salt, Bitter, and

Bubbles

Chapter 6 Outline

• Aperitif: Peller Estates Winery

• Food Seasoning and Bitterness – Relationships and Impact with Wine

• Saltiness

• Bitterness• Sparkling Wine

and Pairing• Effervescence –

the great equalizer?

Chapter 6 Key Concepts

• The limiting effects of food saltiness and bitterness

• Effervescence lessens the negative effects of high salt

• Higher effervescence provides a cleansing effect on moderately high food bitterness

• Bitterness + Bitterness = More Bitterness

Saltiness• Salt in food can be natural or added. Salty

sensations are derived from three main sources: sodium chloride, sodium glutamate, and potassium chloride.

• Salt is the primary seasoning agent used to flavor foods.

• Moderately salty foods can be paired successfully with dry red wines.

• Salty foods are best served with wines that: have no tannins, some residual sugar, are fruit forward, and have moderate levels of acidity.

Saltiness (2)

• Salt is more detectable in cooler foods than warmer ones.

• With the exception of some dry sherry, a salt component is not a typical or primary component in wine.

• Salt is present in all wines but at levels that are not normally perceptible.

• Salty foods should usually be paired with wines that have a sweet, fruit character.

• Salt and sweet combinations can also work well.

The Impact Of High Salt In Foods

• High salt content foods are not compatible with most wines.

• Salt magnifies the negative aspects inherent in wine.

• When tasted with wines of high acidity, a metallic taste can occur.

• In red wines, salty foods seem to accentuate any bitterness or astringency present as well as magnifying the heat of alcohol.

• Highly salted foods are generally not appropriate with wines containing higher levels of alcohol; they create a bitter and unpleasant taste.

Wine Elements that Interact with Saltiness to Impact the

Overall MatchThe following factors interact with food

saltiness to impact the level of match:

• Astringency• Bitterness• The heat from the alcohol• Acidity• Tannins• Residual sugar/sweetness• Fruit-forward character

Bitterness• Most North Americans do not have much

positive exposure to bitterness in foods/ beverages.

• Many European and Eastern cultures have a more positive relationship with bitterness.

• Bitter sensations are thought by many to stimulate the appetite and increase the flow of digestive juices.

• Sensitivity to bitter tastes has a tendency to impact dietary choices and food selection.

• While bitter tastes have several positive properties, a high level of bitterness creates difficulty for pairing.

Bitterness (2)• The sensation is derived from a reaction to alkaloids.

Usually detected on the back of the tongue. Examples include coffee, tea and tonic water.

• Bitterness in foods can range from slight to quite substantial.

• Bitter alkaloids are far more discernible and substantial at cooler temperatures.

• Tannin and bitterness is often confused when tasting wine.

• Tannin is a feeling of astringency and is a tactile sensation felt throughout your mouth.

• Bitterness is a primary taste component detected on the back of the tongue.

• Sweetness in wine reduces the impact of food bitterness.

Sparkling Wine• Sparkling wine made outside of the

Champagne region in France is labeled Vins Mousseux.

• The term for sparkling wines made in other countries include: Spumante in Italy, Sekt in Germany, Cava in Spain, and Cap Classique in South Africa.

• The effervescence in Champagne and other sparkling wines is often called bubbles, stars, sparklers.

Sparkling Wine (2)• Available in a wide range of sweetness levels

from bone dry to very sweet.• A main element determining a match with

salty or bitter food is the level of effervescence present.

• Sometimes produced as slightly sparkling or have a “spritzer” character to them.

• In North America, good quality sparkling wines are produced in the cooler regions of California, in Washington, Oregon, and Canada (VQA Niagara Peninsula and VQA Okanagan Valley).

Factors Impacting Sparkling Wine Quality

• Canopy climate, • Meso and micro climates, • Root stock, • Temperature • Pruning techniques• Wine making techniques• Fermentation process

Sparkling Wine Fermentation

• The most common methods used to make sparkling wines involve 2 fermentations, with the second fermentation trapping dissolved carbon dioxide gas in the wine.– Méthode Champenoise (traditional

Champagne process)– Charmat process (bulk method)

• A purported characteristic of bulk process sparkling wine is poorer effervescence.

• Objective proof of this assertion is not conclusive.

• The Charmat process is preferable in cases where accentuating the vareital character is desired (e.g., when using Muscat or Prosecco grapes).

Varietals Used in Méthode Champenoise Production

• Cool Regions:Cool Regions: Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Meunier, Gamay, Pinot blanc.

• Moderate Regions:Moderate Regions: Chenin blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Gamay, Meunier.

• Warm Regions:Warm Regions: Parallada, Chardonnay, Xarello, Mabaceo, Pinot noir, Chenin Blanc, Meunier, Sémillon.

Effervescence Evaluation

Wine evaluators assess effervescence in four areas:

• The level or amount of bubbles, • The size of bubbles, • Consistency in the bubbles, • And how long they last, with all areas

indicating the wine’s quality.

Effervescence Levels and Examples

• Slightly Sparkling Wines: Fendant (Switzerland)Some Aligoté (Burgundy), Some Vinho Verde (Portugal)Some from the Prosecco grape (produced as still, slightly, semi and fully sparkling from the Veneto region – Italy).

• Semi-Sparkling Wines: Clairette de Die (from Clairette and Muscat grapes – Rhône), Some Muscat (Oregon), Moscato d’Asti (Piedmont).

• Full Sparkling Wines: Asti Spumanti (Piedmont), Champagne (France), Crémant de Bourgogne (Burgundy), Cava (Spain), Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui (red – Italy).

Sparkling Wine Body• Body style is determined by the producer:

type of grapes used, fermentation method and growing region.

• “Blanc de Blancs” describes white wine made only from white grapes (often Chardonnay).

• “Blanc de Noirs” designates white wine made only from black grapes (often Pinot Noir).

• Sparklers are usually made as white or rosé wine.

• Rosé sparkling wines are less common than whites and have a fuller body style on average.

Body Style of a Few Champagnes

• Light Bodied and Lovely: Laurent-Perrier, Lanson, Duetz, G.H. Mumm, Perrier-Jouet, Taittinger, Pommery.

• Medium Bodied and Rich: Charles Heidsieck, Piper-Heidsieck, Pol Roger, Henriot, Bruno Paillard, Pual Goerg, Moët & Chandon.

• Full Bodied and Bodacious: Louis Roederer “Cristal”, Bollinger “Special Cuvee”, A. Gratien, Krug “Grande Cuvee”, Veuve Clicqout, Gosset.

Interacting Factors in Sparkling Wine that Impact

Match with Salty, Bitter and Other Foods

• Body, • Sweetness, • Acidity, • and effervescence all impact the

level of match.

Sweetness DescriptionsBrut nature:Brut nature: Bone dry with no hint of any sweet sensation.Brut:Brut: An inability to pick up the sensation of sweetness on the tongue.Extra Sec:Extra Sec: Any level of sweet characteristic is barely perceived and only with difficulty and hard work on the evaluator’s part.Sec:Sec: A lightly sweet sensation is identified and perceived at a sufficient level.Demi-Sec:Demi-Sec: Sugary, full, noticeable glycerin, containing residual sugar but pleasant in taste.Doux:Doux: Sweetness is at an unmistakably high level of perceptibility with a lot of emphasis.

Chapter 6

Lagniappe“Something extra”

A little Champagne History

Champagne: An Unlikely Connection

• Champagne was the site of some of mankind’s bitterest battles: Hundred Year’s War, Napoleonic Wars, World War I, WWII, and others.

• Ironically, it is the birthplace of a wine equated the world over for good times and friendship.

Early Days of Champagne• The region was known for its quality wool• Peasants planted vines to earn extra

money.• Wine was insignificant often called ‘vins

Français’• Most wine was red but not dark red:

described as pinkish brown or ‘oeli de perdrix’ (partridge’s eye).

• No intentional bubbles in the wine.

Don Pérignon

• A monk appointed as porcureur (business manager) of the abbey of Hautvillers in 1668.

• Restored Hautvillers once famous vineyards – eliminating lesser quality vines with better ones.

• In his time, no one knew about yeasts (Louis Pasteur discovered them in the 1900s).

• And, bubbles in wine were considered a flaw.

Don Pérignon: Fact and Fiction

• Acclaimed as the person who invented champagne – not entirely true.

What he did:• Established the golden rules of

winemaking– Use only the best grapes (no broken ones)– Prune the vines hard in early spring to avoid

overproduction– Harvest in the cool morning– Press grapes gently

Don Pérignon: Fact and Fiction (2)

• He was not blind• Made red not white wines• Did not produce sparkling wines – in fact

worked to eliminate bubbles from them.• Blending (cuveé) was his genius – he had

a sensitive palate and great wine memory.

• First to use corks for sealing bottles – previously winemakers sealed bottles with wooden pegs wrapped in oil-soaked hemp.

Sparkling Champagne

• By 1730, sparkling champagne conquered the courts of monarchs all over Europe – particularly, Russia’s.

• Peter the Great took 4 bottles to bed with him every night.

• Catherine the Great, know for her sexual appetite, used champagne to ‘fortify’ her young officers.

Sparkling Champagne (2)

• Still at this time only 2% of the wine produced in Champagne was sparkling.

• A main reason was that it was dangerous – the build-up of carbon dioxide gas caused many bottles to explode (up to 90% of the production in some cases).

• Often called ‘Devil’s wine’ with those daring to enter the cellars donning iron masks.

The Golden Age for Champagne

• During the 1860s, several innovations helped propel sparkling champagne forward.

• Pharmacist Jean-Baptisite François invented the sucreoenometré. A device that allowed winemakers to determine the appropriate amount of sugar needed for fermentation.

• Louis Pasteur discovered yeasts providing winemakers with knowledge of what controls fermentation.

Other Innovations

• Adolphe Jacquesson invented the bottle-washing machine and the wire muzzle to secure the sparkling champagne cork.

• William Deutz created the metal foil that covers the cork and wire muzzle.

• The remuage process was created to remove the sediment from sparkling champagne by the Widow Clicquot.

Legend: The Remuage Breakthrough

Nicole-Barbe Clicquot-Ponsardin (or “Veuve” meaning widow) is said to have found the solution.

Legend has it she hauled her kitchen table down to the cellars and began experimenting.

• Holes were cut in the top of the table.• Bottles were inserted at a slant and turned

periodically – slowly increasing their angle.• The sediment settled in the neck of the

bottle – the cork was pulled, the sediment shot out, was topped up and recorked.

Worldclass Promoters• Many sparking champagne producers

promoted their products across Europe and the U.S.

• Noteworthy marketers:– “Champagne Charlie” Heidsieck vigorously

promoted champagne in the U.S.– Louise Pommmery’s vision and courage turned

Pommery & Greno into a major player.– Eugene Mercier presented the world’s largest

wine barrel for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris and the ill-fated Mercier balloon at the 1900 Universal Exposition.

Champagne becomes Unique

• By the end of the 1860s, champagne was included as a term in the French dictionary. Defined as - a wine produced by art and more than a wine.

• Champagne still is perceived as a special wine that denotes a celebration of life.

The “prickling” effect of sparkling wine

• Bubbles create a bursting (burning?) sensation stimulating nerve endings in the mouth.

• The feeling can be perceived at carbon dioxide levels of 3-5% or more.

• The sensation is impacted by bubble size and temperature.

• Cool temperatures increase the sensation.

Additional Reading

Kladstrup, D & Kladstrup, P. (2005). Champagne. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Margalit, Y. (2004). Concepts in Wine Technology. San Francisco, CA: The Wine Appreciation Guild, Ltd.