Wine FAQ from Corner Wines

Knowledge You Can Trust

Our staff will work with you to help pinpoint your preferences and select a wine that meets your needs and palate. Our staff has tasted the wines which enables them to discuss the wines with you and provide knowledgeable input about the wines in the store. By providing this Wine FAQ to our customers, we hope to make them more comfortable when getting to know wine and talking with others about types of wine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our wine store is asked many questions on a day-to-day basis. Here are some of the most common ones that we run into:

What does vintage mean?

The vintage year on a label is the harvest year of the grapes from which the wine was made. The characteristics of a particular vintage year are determined by the weather conditions and resulting grape crop for that year. A California wine with a vintage date must be made from at least 95 percent of grapes harvested in the designated year.

Are there rules to knowing which vintages are better for which regions?

The characteristics of a particular vintage are determined by the quality of that year’s grape crop. Improvements in wine making over the years have made vintage year less central to choosing a bottle produced in most regions.

Vintages are more important when collecting more expensive wines, especially those designed to be aged. If you are interested in learning about specific vintages, reading publications and tasting wines from different vintages will help you determine a vintage’s characteristics.

How about all the rating systems, are some better than others?

The purpose of a rating is to quantify a wine’s quality separate from those factors that influence price. Rating systems vary. Some rating systems are based on a 50 to 100-point scale, others on a 5-point scale, etc.

Keep in mind when looking at ratings, that the evaluation is subjective. Factors like bottle variability, tasting conditions, and the judges’ likes and dislikes will influence a rating. You are the best judge of wine when it comes to what you enjoy drinking. Ratings can be used as a helpful guideline for choosing a bottle once you are familiar with the rater’s preferred style or the preferred style of those judges whose opinions contribute to a rating.

Where does cork come from?

Corks are produced from the bark of a tree grown in the western Mediterranean. It is unique in that it can be peeled from the tree without hurting the tree.

Why is cork used to stop wine bottles?

Cork is used to stop bottles because its structure renders it light, elastic, and impermeable to most liquids and gases. Corks are produced using the bark of cork trees grown in the western Mediterranean.

What is a kosher wine?

A wine is kosher if it is made using strict rabbinical production techniques. A kosher wine cannot include any chemical additives, gelatin, lactose, glycerin, corn products, or non-wine yeasts. In addition, the entire process must be conducted by Sabbath-observing Jews under rabbinical supervision. Kosher wines are produced all over the world.

What is a dessert wine?

It is a beverage usually drunk at or for dessert. Due to its sweetness, it is drunk in smaller quantities than table wine. In the U.S., the classification of dessert wine are those which are fortified (the addition of brandy or other spirits to raise the level of alcohol) and whether they are sweet or dry.

Why are some wines white some red and some pink?

White wines are generally made with grapes with yellow or green skins. They can also be made from black-skinned grapes if the juice is separated from the grape skins early enough–i.e., before fermentation. Red wines get their color from being fermented in contact with the skins of dark grapes. Rosé gets its pink color by either a short contact time with the skins of dark-colored grapes before fermentation or by mixing finished red wine with finished white wine.