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| Visions & Revisions |
Viniculture Clash
01/01/2006
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Experts often clash over the fine points of wine appreciation and value. Worth
queried oenophiles from opposite sides of the planet—specifically, Italy and
Oregon—to see what points of conflict and consensus exist on questions of taste
and investment.
Severino Barzan is owner and master sommelier of Bottega Del
Vino in Verona, Italy, one of that country’s premier wine houses. He has won
many honors, including the 2004 Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator. Earlier
this year, Barzan opened Bottega Del Vino in Manhattan. The restaurant boasts
New York’s largest wine cellar, with more than 2,000 labels and 50,000 bottles.
He spoke with features editor Emily DeNitto.
 | | JAY MACDONALD (Photograph by Steve Bonini.) |
Jay MacDonald owns and operates
EIEIO & Co., a winery in Newburg, Ore., and the Tasting Room in Carlton,
Ore., which represents local wineries that do not have tasting rooms. EIEIO,
which launched in 1995, produces roughly 1,500 cases a year. MacDonald says his
official title at the company is “instigator” and admits that he has never
applied for any wine awards. He spoke with executive editor Matt Purdue.
There are myriad types of wine glasses, and some have called the act of
washing wine glasses an art. Do these factors really affect the taste and
enjoyment of wine?
Severino Barzan: The shape and kind of glass is very important. The glass is
the last link in the chain of the wine. A bad glass can destroy a lot of work by
the wine makers and producers; a great glass helps make it a great
experience.
I design and produce my own glasses. That way I get what I want.
They are all handblown. They have to be perfectly clean, and before serving the
wine, they have to be vinified—the glass must be washed with the wine you are
about to drink. That’s important, because any other taste or perfume inside must
disappear. When you put your nose to the glass, you want only the flavor of the
wine you are about to drink. If it hasn’t been done, there is absolutely a
difference. I have run many tests, where we use the same wine both in glasses
that have been vinified and those that have not. People think they are drinking
two different wines.
Every type of wine needs its own glass. My recioto
spumante is for champagne, but it is not long and thin. You can put your nose in
it. It’s very important. The difference between a handblown and a machine-made
glass is not just aesthetic. The handmade is perfectly thin; a machine cannot do
it.
Jay MacDonald: I am not so sure if each glass made for each specific
varietal is the “best” for that varietal, but they do make a difference. I use
the same glass for tasting all my pinots; that way I have a consistent vessel
and can make better decisions on blending. When we do tastings, we rinse with
the subsequent wine. Never rinse with water; in most cases, water contains
chlorine, which will kill the wine. If you do not want to waste the wine by
rinsing with it, drain as much as you can out of the glass and pour wine on top
of wine.
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