V.A.

Volatile Acidity. All wines have a tiny amount of V.A., usually, with any luck, imperceptible. In excess, V.A. causes a wine to have an unpleasantly sharp, vinegary aroma. Volatile acidity occurs because unwanted bacteria have produced acetic acid, the result of poor winemaking.

The world’s first prestige cuvée, the most expensive and high-quality category of Champagne, was initially made for a Russian czar.

Answer: True.

The first prestige cuvée was made by the house of Roederer for Czar Alexander II of Russia in 1876. The czar wanted an exclusive Champagne not available to the lower aristocracy (god forbid). Furthermore, Czar Alexander II demanded that the bubbly should be shipped in leaded crystal bottles. This was how the prestige cuvée Roederer Cristal was born.

Holy Vino

Of the hundreds of different sweet wines produced in Italy, the best known may be vin santo, holy wine, so named because priests have drunk it during the Mass for centuries. Vin santo is the… Continue reading

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