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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 20, 2004 Off the Vine Weighing in on popular questions Lorn Razzano I receive about a zillion wine questions a month, some through e-mail, through the shop and from inquisitive students at the university. Today I thought I'd answer a few of the more popular and repeated questions. If you have any questions about the world of wine, send them to the Tidings and I'll be happy to answer them for you. Here they are: Q: I found a bottle of red wine in my dad's cabinet. It is a 1961vintage California cabernet sauvignon. Is it any good? A: There are at least two major variables that make for good wine storage. The first consideration is for the winemaker's intent in the making of the wine. Few white wines age well, many red wines also do not age well. The winemaker must make the decision to make the wine with the ability to age. For example, Beaujolais is never intended to age and no effort or resource is allowed to that purpose. On the other hand, wines from Barolo or Bordeaux, for the most part, can and will age well and the winemaker will put the effort needed to ensure his or her best shot at long term cellaring for these wines. The second variable to cellaring long term is the cellar condition. Find a place with little temperature fluctuation that will stay under 60 degrees with little sunlight and no vibration. The wines should be laid down so that the wine is touching the cork allowing for a good seal. As for the 1961 California cabernet sauvignon? If it was stored well and from a great vineyard, yes, maybe. I'd drink the vino but have a backup ready to go. Q: What's the best wine in the world? What is your favorite wine? A: This may be the most often asked question. I've been doing the wine business and teaching for a long time and still haven't a clue as to a favorite wine. Wine is an ever evolving phenomena. Vintages change, winemakers change and new wineries come on line seemingly by the week. To compound the question, different wines go with so many different foods. Sometimes a great German Riesling is just the ticket and sometimes a lovely French Burgundy. I have a few favorite regions throughout the world that I enjoy but nothing hard and fast. The two best wines I can remember drinking are a 1970 Petrus, which is a red Bordeaux, and an Italian Barbaresco from a splendid gentleman named Angelo Gaja. Of the thousands of wines I've judged and tasted, these two stand out. I asked this question to an older wine judge some years ago. He said that the best wine he ever had was a simple California chardonnay with a couple of tuna sandwiches. It was the first date with a young woman he ended up marrying and has been with for more than 40 years. He still considers it his most memorable and finest wine. Q: I get a headache drinking red wines. Is there anything I can do about this? A: I always tell people to talk to their health professionals about headaches and the consumption of wine. I understand that these headaches can be brutal even by the consumption of a single glass of red wine! Some folks have reactions to the tannins in wine, others find that new oak in wines give them problems. Yet another theory is that it may not be the wine itself but the combination of wine and certain foods such as cheese. I had a buddy who got off of red wine until he discovered that the combination of red wine and wheat (pasta) took him down pretty hard. He substituted rice pastas and is doing well. I also find that many selected southern Italian reds seem to do well for folks with red wine headaches. I have chosen them for years and they seem a good bet for this kind of problem. White wines don't seem to be a problem with most people who experience headaches with wine consumption. This might isolate the problem to the skins of the grape which give wine color. The biggest complaint with white wine is "acidic tummy" from the perceived higher acids in white wines. The best overall advice is to experiment with the vast and endless world of wines. There is bound to be a favorite out there that will give that dinner its special companion. Lorn Razzano has been a commercial wine and spirits judge at state fairs in California, Oregon and Washington and is a co-founder KSOR wine tasting. He was on winery staffs of various Italian and French wineries in the 1970s, and has owned Ashland Wine Cellar since 1980. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams