Filter

June 5, 2023

A filter is a porous membrane or other device used to remove selected particles from a liquid. In winemaking, a filter can be used to remove yeast cells and bacteria from the wine. Winemakers may filter a wine extensively, not at all, or to any degree in between. Some critics contend that some wines are filtered excessively, thereby stripping them of positive flavors and textures.

What does the word Smaragd signify on a bottle of wine from the Wachau region of Austria?

A. The ripeness level of the wine

B. Smaragd is the word in dialect for “Wachau”

C. The vineyard classification of the wine, equivalent to a Premier Cru vineyard

D. Smaragd is the name of the medieval village where the first Riesling in the Wachau was made

The word smaragd (meaning “emerald”) signifies wines that are the most physiologically ripe, and are therefore considered the best. The wines must have a minimum of 12.5 percent alcohol; most are higher. Smaragd is also the name of a bright green lizard that suns itself in the vineyards of Lower Austria. The Wachau is one of Austria’s premier regions for riesling and grüner veltliner.

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Percentage increase in insurance premiums facing many California wineries. Even before the latest wildfires in Napa and Sonoma, wineries had received notices of sky-high increases as well as policy cancellations, as insurers abandon the fire-prone… Continue reading

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