Inspired by the Novel
by Marisha Pessl
Image 1.0. March 24, 2011 Tasting Syllabus
(see Map 1)
2008 Pheasant's Tears Rkatsiteli Republic of Georgia (Former Soviet Union) (4)
Map 1
2009 Pfneiszl Kékfrankos Sopron (Blaufrankisch) (Hungary) (5)
2008 Antonelli Contrario Sagrantino (Sicily, Italy) (6)
2006 Domaine Berthoumieu "Charles de Batz" Madiran (SW France) (7)
2008 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir (Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada) (8)
Map 1Notes on the subject:
In wine-speak, the term phenolics, (sometimes called polyphenolics or polyphenols) refers to the very large group of highly reactive chemical compounds of which phenol (C6H5OH) (1) is the basic building block. Phenolic acids are largely present in the pulp, anthocyanins and stilbenes in the skin, and other phenols (catechins, proanthocyanidins and flavonols) in the skin and the seeds. (2) These collectively produce the skin colors, tannins, and flavors of grapes that, when made into wine, determine its properties (what we see, smell, and taste) (2) as well as any health benefits that might be associated with consumption. They are also at the root of the changes [see Image 1.0 top] that take place in a wine as it ages. (3)
Additional Notes and References
(1) Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white, crystalline solid at room temperature. It consists of a phenyl (-C6H5) group, bonded to a hydroxyl (-OH) group. It is produced on a large scale (about 7 billion kg/year) as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds.[2] It is only mildly acidic but requires careful handling due to its toxicity and its propensity to cause severe burns. See: Wikipedia.
(3) Robinson, Jancis. "Phenolics," The Oxford Companion to Wine; 3rd Ed. pp 517-518).
(4) White wines contain phenols too. Just not as much, generally. Red wines are credited for containing significantly higher amounts of the heart-healthy resveratrol (a natural phenol present in the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes) than white wines because red wines are fermented in contact with the skins (thus adding pigment and tannin and the phenols that come with them) and white wines are not. This Rkatsiteli is an example of what wine geeks call "orange wine" - a white wine that takes on color and tannin due to prolonged exposure contact with the skins and extended ageing on the lees. Pheasant's Tears follows the ancient Georgian tradition of ageing the wines underground in beeswax-lined clay amphorae, which permits the development of very distinctive flavor and textural characteristics.
(5) Why Blaufrankisch? Blaufränkisch (German for blue "Frankish") is a dark-skinned variety of grape that produces red wines with high phenolic content. (see wikipedia: Blaufrankisch). Blue is the name of the main character in Special Topics in Calamity Physics. “My mother decided to call me Blue, because for her first year of Lepidoptera study with the Southern Belles’ Association of Butterflies, with its Tuesday night meetings at the first Baptist Church…the Cassius Blue was the only butterfly Natasha could catch (see Leptotes cassius,” Butterfly Dictionary, Meld, 2001 ed.).”
(6) Ah, Sagrantino. People discover and fall in love with it when they travel to Sicily, and then come back and drive around in their blue volvo looking for it, nowhere to be found. Well, this is because most of it isn't that great (sorry, Sagrantino!) and because what does make it stateside is often the bulk-produced junk for export, relying on resveratrol and the promise of health (famously high in polyphenols, Sagrantino is credited for playing a key role in the abnormally long average life expectancy of Sicilians) for sales rather than actual quality, which just don't cut it at respectable wine merchants. The 08 Antonelli Contrario happens to be a good one, though.
(7) Tannat is a thick-skinned red grape native to Southwest France. Madiran AOC is the most significant appellation in France for the production of Tannat and Tannat-based wines. Tannat is known for it's high tannins and tendency towards bitterness and astringency. Efforts to tame Tannat and produce more drinker-friendly (and by extension Parker-friendly) wines led to the development of the controversial (see the movie MONDOVINO for an indie filmmaker's insight into this controversey) technique of micro-oxygenation. Tannat cuttings were brought to Uruguay by French immigrants in the 1800s, and since then have faired well in quasi maritime climate in the hills north of the resort city of Montevideo. After all, who wouldn't?
(8) Baco Noir is what we call a hybrid grape varietal - a cross between two varietals from different species of the the vitis (grape) family. It is a cross of the French Folle Blanche (Vitis Vinifera; native to Europe) and an unknown variety of vitis riparia (native to North America). Over time, native American grapes had to develop resistant to the predatory phylloxera beetle, also native American, in order to survive as a species, a slow, evolutionary process that included the development of phenolically dense, protective skins and root-stalks. We have American root stalks to thank for still being able to enjoy (the superior) wines made from vinifera vareitals today...once the phylloxera beetle landed on European vineyards in the nineteenth century (see Phylloxera Plague), it nearly wiped out the entire industry in a matter of years. Only by grafting vinifera vines onto riparia rootstalks were the Eurpeans able to replant and recover.
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