Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive.
January 07, 2009:
Dear Dr. Vinny,
What temperature does bottled wine freeze at?
—John, Gaithersburg, Md.
Dear John,
It depends on the alcohol content, but most wine will freeze at about 15 to 20 degrees F, and it would need to stay at that temperature for a while before it freezes solidly. Alcohol's freezing point is lower than water, but as the water content of the wine begins to freeze, it will begin to expand, and this will put a lot of pressure on the cork, which might begin to be pushed out, and on the bottle, which might crack. Don't freeze your wine bottles!
—Dr. Vinny
January 05, 2009:
Dear Dr. Vinny,
I recently broke a bottle of wine in my temperature-controlled storage unit, and it spilled over several other bottles of wine contained in wooden crates. Should I be concerned about the long-term effects of this spilled wine on the other wines I am aging? I am wondering if I need to clean the bottles and dispose of the wooden crates that have been soaked with the spilled wine, of if it will be fine to continue to store the wine as is.
—Nathan, Dallas
Dear Nathan,
I've been there. I've broken bottles and splashed wine in just about every part of my cellar. There's not much need for concern if you plan to drink your cellared wines rather than sell or trade them—you may have stained some labels or wood crates, but that's it. And that smell of spilled wine will eventually dissipate.
—Dr. Vinny
December 31, 2008:
Dear Dr. Vinny,
What is meant by the term "bouquet" in reference to wines?
—Sejal P., Westfield, Ind.
Dear Sejal,
A wine's "bouquet" refers to its aromas, especially those of a mature wine. If someone is referring to what they're smelling as "bouquet," it's usually a positive thing. Here's a bonus answer: Another term associated with bouquet is "tertiary aromas." Some people refer to three types of wine aromas: "primary," which is the aroma of grapes; "secondary" aromas of winemaking; and "tertiary" of bottle aging.
—Dr. Vinny
Do you have a question for me? Fire away! And don't forget to check out my archive.
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