Wow! I knew this week was going to be special! My very first Bordeaux. The beautiful light green glass with the intricate filigree label made my mouth water before I even started pouring a glass. I was so excited that I could hardly contain myself.
The color of this bottle got me thinking about the color of all wine bottles. Why were they green? As it turns out, the reason for these green bottles is to prevent oxidation. Oxidation is considered a wine fault and can end up making your wine taste more like vinegar. *
Oxidation is basically adding oxygen to wine. This is a process that decanting allows for. So why do we purposefully decant if oxidation is bad for wine? While oxidation is sought after when using a decanter, it is only just before a wine is to be served. Some oxidation will allow a wine to open up, so that you can get the full experience for that wine.
But what does oxygen, which is outside of the wine bottle have to do with the glass color? If the bottle is corked and sealed, then how would oxygen get in? It turns out that wine contains its own natural antioxidants that prevent oxidation. However, sunlight can break these down and then the wine loses its oxidation preventers. Tinted glass blocks sunlight, which is why green colored glass and also amber colored glass, is used in bottling. *
After all this research, I was quite thirsty. So, I poured myself a slightly chilled glass and got down to business.
This wine was from Bordeaux, France and sampled on March 31, 2017. I instantly caught a whiff of fruity deliciousness before I even began swirling the wine in my glass. After swirling and taking a few deep breaths, I likened the scents to papaya and flowers. I was instantly transported to a beach in the south of France. I could almost hear some waves as I listened to “Call on Me” by Starley. This wine was high in acidity, but it was in a mouthwatering way. It kind of woke my mouth up a little bit. I noted some green apple tastes, before trying it with my foods. The Gouda cut a bit of the acidity, but the smoked sausage had the opposite effect. This wine left me yearning for the beach, a plate of fruit, and a sunset.
I gave this wine a rating of 3.5. Looking back, I think I would raise the rating to a 4.0, because I still think about it from time to time and debate purchasing it on my own.
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