Solera

A solera is a complex network of barrels used for aging Sherry by progressively blending younger wines into older wines. Since the barrels are not completely filled, the wine is allowed to be gently subjected to oxidization during the process. Wine held in a solera is said to undergo the solera process.

What is gavage?

A. An old fashioned, humble French stew made with rabbit marinated in red wine for 2 days

B. The traditional process of making foie gras by force-feeding geese to swell their livers

C. A type of pork hash, a specialty of southern France, generally consumed with glasses of Armagnac

D. An ancient method of tempering chocolate so that the chocolate is smooth and silky

Gavage is the process of force-feeding geese and ducks to swell their livers to make the French delicacy foie gras (the words mean “fatty liver”). The process is highly controversial, with critics asserting that the practice is both unethical and cruel because it involves forcing feeding tubes down the animals’ throats.

“Great wine is all about nuance, surprise, subtlety, expression, qualities that keep you coming back for another taste. Rejecting a wine because it is not big enough is like rejecting a book because it is not long enough, or a piece of music because it is not loud enough.”

Solera

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