Debunking The Most Common Wine Myths, Straight From France

Debunking The Most Common Wine Myths, Straight From France

It occurs to everyone, including some who work in the wine industry – certain typical wine misunderstandings become unquestionable facts. And once they become beliefs, anyone’s potential to grow their wine knowledge through monthly wine club reviews and expertise is necessarily hampered.

And there is nothing wrong with getting favorites regarding crops, winemakers, or wine locations. However, confining oneself to select wines you know you enjoy blocks off the huge, uncharted terrain held by all the wines you’ve never heard of.

Don’t allow your hidden wine biases to keep you from trying new things!

The Most Common Wine Myths

The More Expensive The Wine, The Better It Is

This, unfortunately, is frequently the case. Wine costs, however, are affected by variables other than quality, unlike other discretionary expenditures. Based on location, image, scores, and celebrity ties, prices may be raised without affecting quality.

On the other hand, wines from lesser-known fruits, regions, and producers—particularly imported wines—can provide unexpectedly good value for your money. Take, for example, the phenomenal popularity of Argentine Malbecs. Those $15 red ones are rushing off the shelves for a good reason. They overdeliver in terms of value for money.

Big Businesses Only Produce Average Wine

This is not the case. Big businesses have the financial means, human resources, and expertise to produce boutique-style wines in a mass-production setting. Not many of them are up to the task, but many are.

Wines From Boutique Vineyards Are More Genuine

These days, authenticity is a term, but defining what made a wine genuine is difficult. Boutiques specialize in small-batch wines from specific vineyards, which would be one method to identify authenticity.

Biodynamic agriculture, native yeast fermentation, and fermentation in amphorae are all more “genuine” than traditional winemaking methods. But are such wines truly superior or simply unique? This is a more crucial concern than some hazy idea of authenticity.

Cork Is Usually Used To Seal Aged Wines

Screwcapped wines may age equally and — and in some cases, even better than — corked wines. Except for wines being sent to the United States, certain wineries, such as Australia’s, employ screwcaps exclusively. Even yet, screwcaps are becoming more common in superpremium red wines. There’s no reason those wines wouldn’t age quite as well as cork-finished wines.

Big Bottles Of  Wines Require More Time To Mature

These are the kind of wine legends with a grain of truth. Yes, tannins dissolve over time, so older wines must be decanted.

However, whatever wine is imbalanced while fresh is likely to stay as it ages. When a wine is young, it is too tannic, acidic, or alcoholic to have a long life.

Any Wine Worth Cellaring Has The Best Time To Consume It

Even the most cellar-worthy wines are wonderful right away. The finest wines can mature for up to ten years. Wines that take a decade more than that to reach their prime are extremely rare. It is usually preferable to consume a bottle a year early rather than a day late.

A Large Bottle Indicates That The Wine Is Of High Quality

A thick glass bottle indicates that the winery has invested in the package. It’ll almost certainly come at a high sticker price to match. Is this, however, a guarantee that the wine within will be exceptional?

Absolutely not. Almost all of the time, it just implies that it will be extremely ripe, jammy, and matured in costly new oak barrels for a lengthy period. Some palates will enjoy it, while others will not.

Sweet Wine Is For Novice Palates, Not Experts

Sweet wines are among the best in the world. Sauternes, ice wines, and other dessert wines are sweet, delicious, and age well. And it’s usually the more informed palates that they appeal to the most.

There Are No Good Wines In Imperfect Vintages

Vintage ratings are important as broad indications of weather conditions in a certain location during a specific year.

But, virtually without exception, excellent and inferior wines are created in every location and vintage. In the end, the quality of every produced wine represents the producer’s abilities, not the weather.

Red Wines Are The Only One’s Worth Keeping

Certain white wines, such as vintage Chardonnay, Sauternes,  Rieslings, and even dry white wine from the Loire Valley, Australia, and Spain, may age just as reds.

Any aged wine has a distinct spectrum of tastes than a young wine. That’s why it’s nice to pull out an old white wine now and again and see where it takes you.

Final Thoughts

Some of these popular wine fallacies might be off-putting to someone who isn’t a frequent wine drinker. We hope we’ve been able to enlighten some of you and provide you with some insight into certain “facts” you may have previously believed to be real. So, pour yourself a nice glass of wine, and enjoy the newly learned info in your day-to-day activities.