Acidification

A process practiced in warm wine regions whereby a winemaker adds acid to fermenting wine in order to boost that wine’s low level of acidity. Acidification is legal and widely practiced in many parts of the world, including California. Also called acidulation.

Which country below is the only major wine producing country in the world not to have been seriously affected by the lethal insect phylloxera?

A. New Zealand

B. Chile

C. South Africa

D. Portugal

Phylloxera—a tiny, yellow, insect—has spread through much of the world, destroying vineyards in its wake as the insects feed on vines’ roots, ultimately sucking the life out of the plants. However, a phylloxera epidemic has not (some would say not yet) hit Chile. Secluded on the western coast of South America, Chile is hemmed in by the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, and Antarctica to the south. The country’s physical isolation, dry climate, sandy soils, and use of flood irrigation all have helped protect against phylloxera.

8,000

The altitude (in feet) of the Himalayan vineyards which are the source of LVMH’s newly released cabernet blend, Ao Yun (“proud cloud” in Tibetan). The 2013 vintage is thought to be the first commercial wine from… Continue reading

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