‘Blanc de Blancs’ (White of White) and ‘Blanc de Noirs’ (White of Black) are French terms, used mostly to describe sparkling wines, but you may find it occasionally used for some regular wines.

These terms represent the type of grapes used to make the wines. ‘Blanc de Blancs’ are ‘classic’ white grapes with ‘white’ skins and ‘white’ juice (they are called so even if colors go from yellow to green. It's a simpler way to term them). Champagnes, for example, that are made solely with Chardonnay grapes.

On the other hand, ‘Blanc de Noirs’ Champagnes are made from black grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier mostly). They are produced using grapes with black skins, but white juices! So after harvest, the grapes are directly pressed, extracting the ‘white’ juice. To obtain classic red Pinot Noir, the juices and skins will be macerated together for the color to be extracted from the skins. This is why Pinot Noirs are very often lighter in colour compared to other red grapes (Cabernet, Shiraz), which have a darker colour and more tannins.

Classic Champagnes are a blend of both ‘white’ and ‘black’ grapes, to create a balance of aromas and a recognizable style. Meanwhile, Grand Cru Villages and areas have different soil types, and some are solely planted with a single type of grape. Wines from the Côtes de Blancs sub-region for example with Grand Cru villages like Avize, Cramant or Oger would be made solely from Chardonnay, and would offer fresh, crisp, lighter Champagnes. Wines coming from the Vallée de La Marne sub-region like Ambonnay Grand Crus would be done mostly from black grapes, offering fuller bodied Champagnes. Some white wines are made from 100% Pinot Noir, but they are very hard to come by, as production is very sparse with only a handful of wineries making it rather than ‘classic’ red wines, which would sell more easily.

Check out our range of Champagnes and see if you identify the blancs from the noirs!

I often hear this misconception that red wines should be served at room temperature. Yes, they are the best at ‘room-temperature’, but do note that this is a ‘Westerner’ term. The room temperature in France is not exactly the same than that in Malaysia!

To be specific,the term is used to advice wine drinkers to bring a wine up to room temperature, for serving and not for storing. Let me give you a personal example: back home in France at my parents place, the wines are stored in the garage, in a dark corner. Not the most optimal place but we don’t have a wine fridge. However in my region it rarely gets as hot as it does here. There people complain of it being ‘very hot’ at 25 degrees! In winter (outside temperature will be around 3 to 8 degrees), the bottles are stored at about 10 degrees in the garage.

If we want to open one (or 6!) for dinner, we have to bring it inside a few hours before dinner, to bring it ‘up’ to room-temperature, for better enjoyment. In fact, I would usually open the bottle, and leave it close to ( but not directly in front) of the fireplace to slowly ‘wake’ it up.

Similarly, here in Malaysia, it is recommended that you serve white wines around 8 to 12 degrees and reds at 16 to 20 degrees (which is well below the Malaysian room temperature of 23 to 26 degrees. Too cold and the aromas will be numbed. Too warm (as I often encounter here unfortunately) and the wines won’t be at its optimal enjoyment level. It might be too acidic or the alcohol might be too ‘aggressive’.

For red wines, if you don’t have a wine fridge, I would recommend that you put the bottle in the fridge a couple of hours – it may be a tad too cold when you first take it out. However it will quickly increase and arrive at a perfect temperature of enjoyment! If you really like your wines and want to be sure they are at the perfect temperature, I would highly recommend that you to invest in a good wine storage unit, it is worth it.

 Take a look at Wine Talk's selection of wine cabinets designed in Denmark by Vintec. Oh and we're giving away a bottle of Moët for every cabinet purchased this month so you can officiate your new wine cabinet with quality bubbly!

Champagne has a great reputation mostly due to the high-quality and strong characteristic of its wines. Creating Champagne includes techniques, which are actually forbidden in other parts of France, in order to have the AOC classification. For example blending wines from different vintages, or mixing red and white wines to create Rosé Champagnes.

One other specificity of the region – and of other wines using the similar méthode Traditionelle is the DOSAGE. To understand how this works, you have to go back to the roots of how Champagne is made.

In short, once grapes are harvested, a regular wine is made, with a lower alcohol level (8-10%). Then, this wine is blended in Reserve wines from the previous years, in order to create the trademark flavors of the Champagne House (except for Vintage wines, which have to come from a single year, and is done only if the quality is exceptional).

At this point, a bit of sugar and yeast are added into the wine, which will bring about the 2nd fermentation in the bottle, creating the bubbles! After a minimum of 15 months, the bottle can be moved to the next process, the ‘Remuage’ (Riddling). The bottle neck is inserted in a wooden rack, and progressively lifted and turned daily to bring up all the sediments to the top of the neck across a period of 4 to 6 weeks.

Then, the cork (actually a simple metal cap) is removed, either as it is or after being dipped into liquid nitrogen (to freeze the sediments). The pressure within the bottle will naturally expel these sediments. 

Here, the ‘liquide de dosage’ is added, to create a balance to the wine. It is usually made with Reserve wine, which has added sugar. Depending on the amount of sugar, the classification will be different:

BRUT ZERO: No sugar added
EXTRA-BRUT: less than 6 grams of sugar per liter
BRUT: less than 15 grams of sugar per liter
EXTRA-DRY: 12 to 20 grams of sugar per liter
DRY: 17 to 35 grams of sugar per liter
DEMI-SEC: 33 to 50 grams of sugar per liter
DOUX: more than 50 grams of sugar per liter

If you love champagnes, you can enjoy Moët & Chandon at only RM190 (usually RM268). Or for a more premium option, try Pol Roger Brut Vintage at RM351. Dom Perignons are at RM552 (usual RM588) at www.winetalk.com.my

You may be familiar with the term BYO or BYOB – it stands for Bring Your Own Beverage. It started in the 70’s in the US and Australia, where it is still very popular and accepted.

Down Under, many dining outlets actually do not have liquor licenses, but they allow customers to bring their own, and some will even advertise it on a sign board.  In the US, BYO laws really depend on the state, with some like Colorado simply forbidding it.

Meanwhile, the restaurants that do have a license and accept BYO will charge you a corkage fee if you do bring a bottle. This to cover to cost of glass rental, service, and yes – making up for the money they would have earned if you bought an actual bottle there.

 In Europe, it is fairly uncommon, even if it is allowed. To be sure that the restaurant accepts BYO, it is better to call ahead to inquire. I have to tell you that you won’t receive the most friendliest welcome if you just show up at a restaurant in France with a bottle.

 In Malaysia, it is fairly acceptable in a lot of places. Many restaurants that don’t want to stock up wines actually do not charge corkage fees, but you often end up with small, cheap wine glasses. Others will charge a corkage fee, but the staff will take care of the service and give you much nicer glasses (normally!).

So here are a few tips when you want to bring your bottle to a restaurant:

 • Plan ahead!
Call beforehand to check if they accept BYO and ask if there is a corkage fee so you're not surprised when you get there (I have seen corkage charges anywhere between RM25 and RM100 in KL)

• Bring something nice!
I agree that some restaurants abuse the mark-up on their wines a bit, and serve some wines which aren’t the nicest at a fierce price – but if you bring your own wines at that price range plus corkage, you will have a better experience!

For example, if a restaurant charges say, RM50 a bottle for corkage you can bring a lovely bottle of Monte Da Peceguina or one of our new Chinons and you'll only end spending RM150 or less on a really good bottle as opposed to their cheapest wine for the same price.

• Get to know the team!
If you are familiar with the team (owner/manager/waiters), it will be easier for you to bring your bottle in the future. Have them try your wines if you have a special bottle, and you will definitely make a friend!

The term, 'Claret' is derived from the French word ‘Clair’, which translates to ‘clear’. So we are talking about a light colored, pale wine. 500 years ago, when the British started to settle in Bordeaux for the wine trade, the wines were of a much lighter color, when wines were not extracted as much and as dark in color as wine nowadays.

The term ‘Claret’ was first used in the 15th Century, and is now still used to describe a ‘light and fruity, easy to drink’ red wine. However, the original term of ‘Clairet’ is also used in Bordeaux, but for Rose wines made from the traditional red grapes.

Now, the term ‘Claret’ is sometimes used worldwide; it is used to describe a light and fresh red wine, made from the classic Bordeaux grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenère). These would be fairly cheap, while on the other side of the spectrum, premium reds made from these same blends can be called ‘Meritage’

To get technical with the terms, it would actually be incorrect to use the term 'Halal' and 'Wine'together. This is because, technically speaking, wine must be made from fermented fruit juices, whereas, for the drink to be considered Halal, the fermentation process is forbidden.

Halal Wines are actually superior grape juices. They are made from high quality wine grapes - wines cannot be made from just any grape varietal. Only 30 - 40% of all grape types are suitable for wine-making and used in the production of superior grape juices. This juices are not fermented, allowing them to be certified Halal.

Not all non-alcoholic wines are certified Halal, however. These Non-Alcoholic wines are made using wines which go through the regular fermentation process. The alcohol is then removed using a reverse osmosis process. This is where the liquid is chilled down to a very low temperature and passed through filters. However, only 99.5% of the alcohol content can be removed using this method. Therefore, non-alcoholic wines made this way cannot be certified Halal.

Why drink non-alcoholic wines you ask? Well, you will still benefit from the good effects of wine, like anti-oxidants and resveratrol, which help prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol but without the bad side-effects of alcohol.

Check out our current halal wine promo where you can buy 3 bottles and get another 3 absolutely FREE! Try them and taste the difference compared to your regular grape juice.

Last week we took at look at understanding what is meant by a wine's body. You can try the milk experiment I mentioned inPart 1 to understand the concept better!

This week, let's take a look at the factors that influence the body of a wine

The wine ‘body’ represents the level of richness and intensity of the wine. Many factors can influence the body:

Grapes Varietal
Some grapes have naturally more concentration than others, like Shiraz compare to Pinot Noir

Provenance
The climate has a strong influence on the concentration of the wine. Grapes growing in warmer regions will get more sun, so containing more sugar, which in turn leads to a higher alcohol content and richer tannins. Red wines from Australia or Spain, for example, will definitely be fuller than wines coming from Germany

Winemaking methods
The winemaking methods will also influence the concentration of the wine, during the fermentation process and ageing methods. During fermentation, the longer the contact with the skin, the more tannins are extracted. Wines aged in oak barrels will be more concentrated than the ones aged in stainless steel.

Body is usually qualified as light, medium, or full. Light bodied wines will usually have a lighter color and fairly low alcohol level (12-13%), while full bodied wines will have a much darker, deeper color, and alcohol level of over 13,5% to 15%+. Light bodied red wines (Pinot Noir, Gamay), as they have lower tannins contents, are better enjoyed slightly chilled, around 15-16 degrees. Richer wines will be best enjoyed around 17-20 degrees.