True or False: Only cellared wines truly need decanting.

Answer: False

There are four reasons why you want to decant a wine

Sediment - When wines age and even some young unfiltered wines have a lot of sediment so you would want to decant them before service. If time allows, have the bottle upright for a few hours, otherwise keep it on its side and use one of those lovely wine service carriers that keeps the bottle on an angle. When you decant these wines you pour the wine into the decanter with a candle lit below to illuminate your process. Once you see sediment coming, stop pouring, keeping the sediment in the bottle away from the wine you will be drinking. For older wines this is done slowly and just before drinking so to allow as much of the character to be in place.
Young Wines - Some young wines just need a spanking. This type of decanting is not done gently. You want to slosh it around so that it receives the maximum oxygen introduction.
Ambiance - There are lovely decanters that are on the market and can grace the table elegantly.
Hide ugly labels - We eat and drink with our eyes. Do need to say more?!
What is NOT true of Sémillon?

A) Grown in Bordeaux, Australia and in small amounts in South Africa and California.
B) An Alternative to Chardonnay
C) Has an affinity to oak
D) Always produces a sweet wine

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Answer: Always produces a sweet wine

Sémillon is mostly known for being grown in the Bordeaux region of France, and is blended with Sauvignon Blanc to create Bordeaux Blanc—a dry wine. Also, in Bordeaux, when botrytis (noble rot) appears, it produces a sweet wine that is blended (80% Sem and 20% SB with a little of muscadelle) to create a sweet wine called Sauterne. Botrytis doesn’t always occur and when it does, the wine grower is faced with difficult and timely picking conditions, thus the expensive price tag attached to it.

A 100% Sémillon from France is pretty hard to find, but Australia, California and South Africa all produce 100% bottlings. Australia is probably your best bet because they grow a lot more of it there than in California and South Africa.

Sémillon is a classic variety that’s often overlooked by the average consumer. I always welcome it because it’s an alternative to Chardonnay (not as full bodied), has an affinity to oak and ages well.

This month we have a rare bottling from Etude Wines, California. Join now or you will miss out on this opportunity.
Mâcon-Villages is in what region in France?

A) Alsace
B) Champagne
C) Burgundy
D) Bordeaux
E) Loire

Answer:
C) Burgundy
If you are looking for an affordable white Burgundy, a Chardonnay from Mâconnais is your best bet. It's nestled in between Côte Chalonnaise to the north and Beaujolais to the south. It is typically labeled Mâcon-Blanc, Mâcon-Supérieur, Mâcon-Villages, or Mâcon-[name of village]. (Listed in the order of quality). The less expensive ones have no oak, while the better wines will have a kiss of oak.

The best quality wines out of the Mâconnais is the Pouilly-Fuissé. These wines have gained popularity so the price has risen. You can still find values, but not as good of a value as from Mâcon-Villages. (You pronounce Mâcon as mah-kawn).
Which wine best fits this description: Typically used in a blend, has strong structure and notes of blackberries and, if not properly handled, can be gamey?

A) Monastrell
B) Mataro
C) Morrastel
D) Mourvèdre
E) D and B
F) All of the above

Answer:
F) All of the above.
Mourvèdre, the most common name, is the M in GSM (Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre-a Typical blend in the south of France). In music terms, it gives the bass and structure to the lighter Grenache but is softer than Syrah. The melodic bridge, if you will. In the hands of good winemakers, it’s capable of aging well, because of the strong structure and intense fruit. In Spain, where it can be called Monastrell, Morrastel or Morastell, it’s widely planted next to Grenache and is the main grape in areas such as Alicante, Jumilla and Valencia. In the new world, and sometimes in France and in Spain, it is referred to as Mataro. Mataro can be found in Australia and California.
Garganega is

A) region in Italy
B) type of trellising system
C) winemaker in Italy
D) varietal grown in Italy

Answer: D) a varietal grown in Italy

Garganega is a white varietal grown in the Veneto region in the NE of Italy. Most people who have tasted don't know that it's made up of anywhere from 60% to 100% of Soave wines. It's a delicate white with aromas of lemons and almonds. Most recently, Italian winemakers have started blending this aromatic grape with Chardonnay to give it some depth. Garganega is 5th most widely planted grape in Italy.