Buschenschenk

In the southern Austrian countryside, this is the name for a rustic restaurant that elsewhere is called a HEURIGE. A buschenschenk is easily identified by the buschenschenk (also the name for a swag of fir branches) tied to its doors.

Tannin is a crucial component that all plants produce and build, not just grapes.

Answer: True.

Tannin belongs to a class of complex compounds called phenols that all plants use for protection, preservation, and defense. Since Neolithic times, plant tannins have been used to prevent the spoilage of animal skins—when "tanning" hides into leather, for instance. As for grapes, tannin comes primarily from skins and seeds (although stems, too, have tannin, but stems aren't typically used in winemaking). Different varieties of grapes are predisposed to have different amounts of tannin. Cabernet sauvignon, for example, has more tannin than pinot noir. The tannin structure in wine contributes to the wine's overall ageability (which is why you can buy those Bordeaux from 50 years ago, and many still taste delicious).

Pine is Just Fine, Thank You

If you’ve been to Greece recently (or are going to ditch winter this year) you probably didn’t escape without falling in love with (or learning to abhor) retsina, the pungent, pine-resin-flavored wine, the drinking of… Continue reading

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