December 5, 2025 • 20 mins
THE WINE YOGI POPS IN TO TALK BUBBLES And she joins me at 2:30 to talk how to celebrate the holidays well. Find her blog and lots of great info on her website here, where she does a deep dive on the history of champagne that is super interesting.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
First of all, we have to get big food news. Finally.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Now there is a Chick fil A in concourse at
the Denver International Airport.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Can we all just have a moment in a golf clap?
But thought there always was one?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
No, it's been in B. No, yeah, there's always been
one in B. And now there's one in C in
the center core. I mean you eat there every day
but Sunday, right, why are you not a Chick fil
A person? Not really, I don't know the obsession with
Chick fil A.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Like, I get it. It's a good chicken sandwich. I
used to. I used to enjoy it, but I don't
really eat fast food. I don't really eat fast food.
But it doesn't even make the cut.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Like if I decide, you know, every once in a
while you get a craving, right, you're like, oh you
really need some fredge Friser. Oh you know, they're never
in my I don't ever think about Chick fil A.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, I just we just don't. We really just don't
too fast food anymore, hardly at all. And part of
it is because my husband has uh foods and stuties. Right,
It's like, eh, it's just not even worth it. I
make it better exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Speaking of making it better, let's talk about the French
and wine for a moment, shall we.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
It is bubble season. I mean, do you have any
go ahead, I'm gonna correct you.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
WoT we were gonna say that, But for many people
it's bubble season. We're celebratory. There's nothing more celebratory than
a wine of sparkle, a bottle of sparkling wine. And
today on our blog, if you've ever wondered about how
bubbles became bubbles and why it's only a champagne if
it's from the Champagne region of France, you can check
(01:35):
it out on the blog today. So let's start with
a little bit of that. Yeah, when we talk about
how we make wine, it's pretty basic, right. I mean,
you've got the grapes, you've got a little fermentation, you've
got a little sugar, you got a little whatever. But
what makes it bubble? When it is? What makes one
wine bubble and another wine not so.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
When yeast consumes sugar, it releases two things, alcohol and
carbon dioxide CO two.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
And so that's why.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
When we are making if you've ever taken yeast and
added it to some warm water, and some sugar. Because
you're going to make some bread, it's going to start bubbling.
So that's a good thing because that's what triggers the
rise in yeast bread.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
So same thing happens when we're making wine.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
The question is are we going to trap that CO
two that's produced from the fermentation process or are we
just going to let it breathe off naturally? And so
if you're just if you're just taking grape must, so
that's the grape juice from crushing grapes, and either allowing
natural yeast that's kind of floating around the vineyard, or
you're injecting a commercialized yeast for wine making. That yeast,
(02:40):
once it starts consuming the sugars from the grape must,
it's going to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
So in theory, you could make any wine a sparkling
wine totally.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
You just have to capture it.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
So typically, so like champagne, a secondary fermentation is going
to take place in the bottle. And the reason why
champagne is as expensive as it is and why it
has kind of this rich brioche bread biscuit yeast flavor
to it is because they allow the wine then to
remain in contact with the expended y cell. So after
(03:13):
they've done their hard work and they've consumed all the
sugar that they can, they've produced the alcohol, and they've
produced that carbon dioxide which has been captured because they've
they've put it in this bottle with a beer cap
on it.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Then it's going to sit there and it's just going
to hang out.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
The wine's going to hang out intermingling with the lees
or the expended e cells. That's known as surly and
a lot of wines do that, whether they've if they're
trapping it to kind of capture that the bubbles, or
even if they're not doing that.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Chardonnay often or you'll.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
See descriptions of it's spent six months on the lees.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
That's what they're saying.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
They're they're leaving that expendedy cell uh in contact with
the wine to give it a different flavor profile.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Is that what you see in the bottle, like the
silt in the bottle of the wine.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
It can be especially if they are sometimes that is
just that natural process if they have not fined and
filtered the wine. Finding it helps remove some of the
proteins out of the wine that can occur from harvest
and everything that's going into the wine itself, but also
sometimes that sediment can be from the grapes themselves if
(04:20):
they have not filtered it off.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
But you'll hear terms like.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
You know, then you're racking the wine off of the
expended YE cells. So I kind of described the difference
between method champ and wahs.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
So that's the method used to.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Make Champagne, crimon kava, all of these sparkling wines that
are in that Champagne fashion versus the Italian sparkling wine
called Prosecco, which most people kind of know about. Prosecca
was made in It was actually a French wine maker
with last named Charmont who came up with the charmont
or tank method. And so what happens with that is
(04:55):
after fermentation, they rack that wine off. Takes place in
the stainless steel tank, but they'll rack the wine off
of the expended E cells.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
What does that mean racking the wine?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
It's getting that wine off of your expended YE cells. Okay, okay,
they want to get rid of them. So I'm just
using an example here.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Like your gravy separator, you're going to put it into
a gravy separator and you're going to run the wine
off and put the rest of the waste off, and you're.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Going to put it some You want to get rid
of these because you don't want that.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
You want to clean, crisp.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Flavor profile for persecco versus having that discidy, briosh, bready
kind of flavor profile that you have with those wines
that are made and more of that traditional method. You
also can find if you are doing more of the
natural method, which is the ancient method of producing sparkling wine.
It's what method Championwaw stems from. They also they don't
(05:48):
remove it at all, so you will find bubbly wines
that will have a little bit of that cloudiness and
sediment in it.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
But it was are they the wheat beer of wine making?
Is that what sort of sort of you know a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Those also naturally petulant wines, their pet nats or what
they're known of, they do tend to take on. I
wouldn't say wheet beer. I'd say it's more of kind
of like almost that sour beer. It almost has kind
of that kind of tangy taste profile, which I if
you have beer drinkers who at the first thing I asked,
do you like sour beers?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, yes, I do.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Well, I'm going to point you over here to these
petro you know, naturally petulant wines, because they, to me,
have a lot more of that kind.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Of close proximity to those sour beers.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I had some interesting questions on the Common Spirit Health
text line at five six six nine oer So is
sparkling wine and cider technically the same thing?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
First of all, yes, wine is made from Vitus vnifera
and or some type.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Of talking about sparkling smarty pants. They know it's made
with two different things, So yeah, I mean sparkling cider.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
It's okay. First of all, if it's the l chipo.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Ones that you're going to get at the cap end
in your grocery store that are made to look like champagne, no,
those have probably had CO two injected into apple juice
right to make them bubbly.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Are you talking about my Martinelli's? Is that what you're
talking about right now? Because I love the Martinelli's. When
I want to feel fancy without any alcohol, I am
going for the Martinelli's cranberry apple and I regret nothing.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
And I'm not judging.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I'm just saying it's it's just injected with CO two.
And if I'm going to do that, I'm probably going
to do something with all that sugar.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
I'll be doing sparkling water.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
So this one, Mandy, what does your guests think about
champagne from New Mexico. First of all, we cannot have
champagne from New Mexico.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
It is Grue. And I know what you're talking about.
It's right outside of Albuquerque, and I love Gruet. Greue
is actually a champagne house in Champagna. The two sons
came over, found a little micro climate right outside of Albuquerque.
I've brought in Greuet. I love it. You've had it
before with me, Okay, But these they send back every vintage.
(07:53):
They send back wine that is certified by the champagne
house in Champagna, but you cannot call it champagnecause it's
not made in Champagna.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
In the first that's like a law.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Things you have to know about Europe.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
There are certain places like in Germany, they exactly prescribe
what you can put in beer, right, and you have
to follow and the rules for beer go back to
the fourteen hundreds. What are they for wine in front of.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
It really just depends on the region.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
You know, Champagna itself, it's relatively new in terms of
wine making, but like especially when you look at like
Burgundy and Bordeaux, a lot of these wine making regions
that have that rich history. Yeah, you are dating back
to Middle Ages of when they're starting there, starting to
establish some kind of the rules that they now still
(08:38):
will adhere to. Thanks to technology, some things have been improved,
but there are certain requirements, like it has to be
grapes grown within this certain you know, specific village.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
For it to be called whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
You I mean, that's right, it's kind of crazy, but
I also kind of like it. And I always think
that the Commonwealth of Kentucky should have passed some kind
of rules about bourbon because now people are making bourbon
all over the place, and I'm like, y'all, it's not
real bourbon unless it comes from Kentucky. And I don't
even drink bourbon. I'm just a snob about it. Mandy,
why is the wine yogi sounding kind of sad? Is
it because you and a rod are eating and drinking,
(09:12):
you need to make her happy next time and eat
and drink just saying no, the wine Yogi totally respects
the fact that a Rod and I are trying to
take off our thanksgetting weight. I don't think you're bothered
by that. No, no, not at all. No, trust me,
it's the weather.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It's the weather. I'm trying to be serious.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
I just watched the NPR on Saturday Night Live with
Alec Baldwin.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
So yeah, this ask your guest about chocolate wine. Is
it really wine?
Speaker 4 (09:38):
Now?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
What is? I've seen it?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I've just not because I love dark chocolate with like
a bold red like a Timbornello or a just what
you should do Rioha or Malbeck?
Speaker 1 (09:48):
What is this chocolate wine business?
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Time?
Speaker 3 (09:49):
It is basically they're taking cheap wine and it's usually
going to be a sweet based red, cheap wine that
they're adding in probably cheap chocolate into. And yes, it
is a thing, and it's not my thing. And but
if what does it even taste like? It tastes like
like chocolate.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
You who with wine in it?
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Oh? No?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
I mean is it as bad as the diet red
bull with wine? I don't know.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I just smelled that now I was I had to
had to you made a good choice to not I
couldn't do that.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Not consume that. I'm just I'm just saying some people
love the chocolate wine. It's not my thing.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
I would much rather have chocolate fondu and a beautiful
Chammi Sarrah that I'm gonna enjoy them together on my
palette with and keep the two separate.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Mandy, I thought you were against mommy wine culture. Look,
we're not talking about knocking back a box of Phrensia
every single night, which to me is much much different.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I love wine.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
I love having a beautiful glass of wine with a
really incredible meal. Unfortunately it doesn't like me. But I
do think that you can have and appreciate wine and
not be in the mommy wine culture where everything you
have is like Mommy drinks because of you. I mean,
you know, it's like there's a difference there, truly is,
and I think that the nuance of it is important.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
It just is. So I'm glad you asked the question.
I hope I answered it so.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
According to her explanation, someone was asking for clarification. Technically,
sparkling wine is healthier because the yeast is eating the sugar,
which means there's less sugar and sparkling wine compared to
others that are probably just injected.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
With CO two.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Now, so all wine when it is made goes through
the same fermentation process. Yeast is going to consume the
sugar and it will it's going to release two things,
alcohol and carbon dioxide. Sparkling wine just captures both red.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Wine white wine. Oh, it's still going to consume the sugar.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Now, the question is when do they stop the fermentation process.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
How much sugar was in? How many bricks of sugar.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
And they measure it by bricks brix How many bricks
of sugar was in the grape must to begin with,
some grape varietals are going to have higher levels your beastlings,
for example those moscato. There are grapes that are going
to be naturally higher in sugar when they begin the
fermentation process than others, say a Cabernet franc or Sirah
(12:11):
or Merlow.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
They're going to have those higher bricks of sugar.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
So when they stop the fermentation process, that level of
sugar that's left. The residual sugar is a term you'll
often hear wine folks use rs residual sugar will determine
how sweet that wine is. In fact, I go through
a breakdown in the Black Post your different terminology when
you're looking at sparkling wine, what does this mean when
(12:36):
I see brute extra brute.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Let's talk about that now.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Let's talk about that for a minute, because I think
that is the most confusing labeling in the history of labeling.
But she actually doesn't just break down what it is.
It tells you how much sugar per leader is in
these and it's visually the way you have it written
super helpful. But let's start at the very bottom. When
you're talking about sweet wines. You know, your lambruscos whatever
(13:00):
you got there, that's going to be do I don't
even know if I've ever seen.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
A do d o at u x.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Oh they're out there, Yeah, they're out there, and uh
they those are going to be deaf.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
That's your sugar water, as my nephew calls it.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
And wine, yeah, that's your that's definitely it's going to
be in that chocolate wine.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Yeah, So and then they're just going to step them
up where it really gets confusing, and I think on
English labels is extra dry because extra dry it's lost
in translation. So instead of it being demi sec which
is half dry, or demi do which is half sweet,
(13:39):
they decided to put in their extra dry and that
you are still going to have some residual sugar in
extra dry. If you like dry wine and you don't
want residual sugar and you don't want a sweet wine,
you want to look for brute or anything above brute.
So that's when you get extra brute. Brute, not tour.
That's what you're looking for, is the term brute, and
that is the French term for dry.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
To be clear, root in a tour will suck the
moisture out of your mouth and it is like fabulous.
You better be ready because it is. I bought that
one time and I you know me, I like dry wine.
It was too like the I felt the water evaporating
out of my mouth with every bubble that popped.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
That's why you need to have immediately right next to it.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
On a slice of back yet that also has a
butter on it, and then that you've replaced the moisture
and with fat.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Here's the question wine yogi. I bought prosecco from Costco
a few years ago. Is it okay to store upright
heated basement on a shelf.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
So with sparkling wines, the whole laying down of a
sparkling wine isn't necessary per se, because eventually what's going
to happen is if you store it for too long,
you're gonna lose your bubbles. If it's too warm, you
can actually trigger more. If there's any residual yease leftover,
it can actually trigger another fermentation, and it'll explode your
(14:58):
bottle if it gets too hot. So you have to
be really careful with storing wines. I typically do not
store my sparkling wines laying down just because they're already
under pressure. If you think about it that it doesn't
think the gas itself is also creating that seal.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
The whole reason.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Why we lay wines down in a wine cellar, in
a cold wine cellar, not hot next to the furnace.
The reason why you do that is because you want
that wine to stay in contact with the quark so
that the cork doesn't dry out and then allow air
to seep in and begin to oxidize that wine.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
When you already have something.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Under pressure, that's not going to happen what's going to
happen before that is you're going to lose all that
pressure and that bubbly wine is going to be flat
and then it's it's not sparkling wine and you need
to pour it out.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
This is a good question.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
What's the best kind of wine to give as a
gift when you don't know if the person prefers red
or white?
Speaker 1 (15:53):
You can always go.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Rose, Always go right down the middle with a beautiful rose.
And honestly, I personally think that if you are around
the holiday season and if you're not really sure what
kind of wine that they drink, going with kind of
something that is very middle of the road, So a
sparkling rose that way.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Yeah, if it.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Is for the New Years or you know, the holidays,
Christmas or whatever that they want to enjoy some bubbles,
they can if you're not sure, if you're even more
nervous about that, I personally I would always show up
with just one of each.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Here's a red, here's a white, and then let them
kind of.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
You can, you can't go wrong, and then that wayactly
if they can enjoy what they want and then they
can regift whatever wine that they didn't like.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
I am a queen regifter.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Will I'm just gonna say this, guys, when I do
drink wine, I cannot drink red wine at all anymore.
And I know most people drink red wine because it
has lower calories and a lower blood sugar had I
cannot drink red wine at all, and everybody brings me
red wine and I'm just like, no gifts, It's fine.
I don't eat anything. It's it's good, so be aware.
That's a great question textor I appreciate that. And as
(17:04):
Crystal does so well when she is here the wine Yogi.
By the way, she got a great blog post about
all of this stuff, plus some suggestions and a bunch
on shark huterie that we didn't even get to that.
I love a good shark COUCHI board. I mean, come on, snacks, meat, cheese.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
There's nothing better. Anyway.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Now it's time for the most exciting segment all the
radio of its guide in the world.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Of the day. All right, what is our dad joke
of the day, please, Anthony.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
I don't think I'll ever find a stable job, because honestly,
I'm not that comfortable around horses.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
That was bad. I knew where that was going. As
soon as you said, I did, I really did.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I was thinking about it, you know, being a horround horses,
et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Anyway, on today's word of the day, please it is
noun parsimony. Oh, this is one of those words that
I always have to look up when I see it.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
When you're splitting hairs, you're parsing something.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Maybe that sounds kind of right when you're parson.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
It's a parsimony is being, it's snobbery, it's looking down
your nose at someone.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Extreme frugality or stingyness.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Parsimony.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I'm not.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
I'm not parsimonious, So I'm just thrifty.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun on average.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
How close is it in miles?
Speaker 4 (18:28):
I'm seven thousand.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
I'm gonna say one hundred thousand miles.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I have absolutely no idea.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Come on, guess, guess thirty six million miles and you'd
be right.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Oh my, yeah, we're a little under.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
I'm assuming if we were right there, right, it would.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Have already burned to a crisp by now. Yeah, I'm
not good.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
At space stuff. I freely admit that. All right, What
is our Jeopardy category.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
What other than Christmas movie? Coorse in twenty eighteen bended
cumber of atch?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
What is Grinch? Correct?
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Alistair sim is among those what is a Christmas Carol?
Speaker 1 (19:11):
No? Dang it?
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Among those who have played this Dickensian.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Mayn Crystal Crystal with Epenezer screwed, basically.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
His heartwarming Frank Capra classic is It's a Wonderful Life?
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Correct?
Speaker 4 (19:28):
What is in this film Santa Tell's buddy?
Speaker 1 (19:32):
There are thirty tang it? What is elf? Correct? What's one?
Here we go?
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Two memorable bits from this nineteen eighty three classic, the
leg lamp Crystal Mandy?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
What is a Christmas Store?
Speaker 4 (19:47):
That a tie?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
That's a tie to.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Two good Let's go to wearable tech Friendship brace Let's
inspired Kim Shoey's designs for this rhyming brand of high
tech trackers.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Crystal Crystal.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
That is, oh dang it, Crystal winds.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
And and you had one you always talked about you?
I know now I'm on.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I've moved on my garment, and I will say my
garment is a far superior.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Brand I have. I have the Samsung the same.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I might I might switch over. Google's gotta watch now,
and I love my Google phone.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
I just got a new pixel and I gotta tell
you Samsung phone. Yeah, and I together how they get
your Crystal.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
They get you in the family and then you're like,
oh gee, I might get something else and they're like, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
That won't happen with us. And now I'm gonna need
to like, I got a Samsung fridge.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
I just saw a post on X that said no nuts.
I can't remember what I was gonna say, but I'm
out of time anyway, Crystal, ILL see you next time.
Merry Christmas, Mary Young Lady
First of all, we have to get big food news. Finally.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Now there is a Chick fil A in concourse at
the Denver International Airport.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Can we all just have a moment in a golf clap?
But thought there always was one?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
No, it's been in B. No, yeah, there's always been
one in B. And now there's one in C in
the center core. I mean you eat there every day
but Sunday, right, why are you not a Chick fil
A person? Not really, I don't know the obsession with
Chick fil A.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Like, I get it. It's a good chicken sandwich. I
used to. I used to enjoy it, but I don't
really eat fast food. I don't really eat fast food.
But it doesn't even make the cut.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Like if I decide, you know, every once in a
while you get a craving, right, you're like, oh you
really need some fredge Friser. Oh you know, they're never
in my I don't ever think about Chick fil A.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, I just we just don't. We really just don't
too fast food anymore, hardly at all. And part of
it is because my husband has uh foods and stuties. Right,
It's like, eh, it's just not even worth it. I
make it better exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Speaking of making it better, let's talk about the French
and wine for a moment, shall we.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
It is bubble season. I mean, do you have any
go ahead, I'm gonna correct you.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
WoT we were gonna say that, But for many people
it's bubble season. We're celebratory. There's nothing more celebratory than
a wine of sparkle, a bottle of sparkling wine. And
today on our blog, if you've ever wondered about how
bubbles became bubbles and why it's only a champagne if
it's from the Champagne region of France, you can check
(01:35):
it out on the blog today. So let's start with
a little bit of that. Yeah, when we talk about
how we make wine, it's pretty basic, right. I mean,
you've got the grapes, you've got a little fermentation, you've
got a little sugar, you got a little whatever. But
what makes it bubble? When it is? What makes one
wine bubble and another wine not so.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
When yeast consumes sugar, it releases two things, alcohol and
carbon dioxide CO two.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
And so that's why.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
When we are making if you've ever taken yeast and
added it to some warm water, and some sugar. Because
you're going to make some bread, it's going to start bubbling.
So that's a good thing because that's what triggers the
rise in yeast bread.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
So same thing happens when we're making wine.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
The question is are we going to trap that CO
two that's produced from the fermentation process or are we
just going to let it breathe off naturally? And so
if you're just if you're just taking grape must, so
that's the grape juice from crushing grapes, and either allowing
natural yeast that's kind of floating around the vineyard, or
you're injecting a commercialized yeast for wine making. That yeast,
(02:40):
once it starts consuming the sugars from the grape must,
it's going to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
So in theory, you could make any wine a sparkling
wine totally.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
You just have to capture it.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
So typically, so like champagne, a secondary fermentation is going
to take place in the bottle. And the reason why
champagne is as expensive as it is and why it
has kind of this rich brioche bread biscuit yeast flavor
to it is because they allow the wine then to
remain in contact with the expended y cell. So after
(03:13):
they've done their hard work and they've consumed all the
sugar that they can, they've produced the alcohol, and they've
produced that carbon dioxide which has been captured because they've
they've put it in this bottle with a beer cap
on it.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Then it's going to sit there and it's just going
to hang out.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
The wine's going to hang out intermingling with the lees
or the expended e cells. That's known as surly and
a lot of wines do that, whether they've if they're
trapping it to kind of capture that the bubbles, or
even if they're not doing that.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Chardonnay often or you'll.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
See descriptions of it's spent six months on the lees.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
That's what they're saying.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
They're they're leaving that expendedy cell uh in contact with
the wine to give it a different flavor profile.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Is that what you see in the bottle, like the
silt in the bottle of the wine.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
It can be especially if they are sometimes that is
just that natural process if they have not fined and
filtered the wine. Finding it helps remove some of the
proteins out of the wine that can occur from harvest
and everything that's going into the wine itself, but also
sometimes that sediment can be from the grapes themselves if
(04:20):
they have not filtered it off.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
But you'll hear terms like.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
You know, then you're racking the wine off of the
expended YE cells. So I kind of described the difference
between method champ and wahs.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
So that's the method used to.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Make Champagne, crimon kava, all of these sparkling wines that
are in that Champagne fashion versus the Italian sparkling wine
called Prosecco, which most people kind of know about. Prosecca
was made in It was actually a French wine maker
with last named Charmont who came up with the charmont
or tank method. And so what happens with that is
(04:55):
after fermentation, they rack that wine off. Takes place in
the stainless steel tank, but they'll rack the wine off
of the expended E cells.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
What does that mean racking the wine?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
It's getting that wine off of your expended YE cells. Okay, okay,
they want to get rid of them. So I'm just
using an example here.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Like your gravy separator, you're going to put it into
a gravy separator and you're going to run the wine
off and put the rest of the waste off, and you're.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Going to put it some You want to get rid
of these because you don't want that.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
You want to clean, crisp.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Flavor profile for persecco versus having that discidy, briosh, bready
kind of flavor profile that you have with those wines
that are made and more of that traditional method. You
also can find if you are doing more of the
natural method, which is the ancient method of producing sparkling wine.
It's what method Championwaw stems from. They also they don't
(05:48):
remove it at all, so you will find bubbly wines
that will have a little bit of that cloudiness and
sediment in it.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
But it was are they the wheat beer of wine making?
Is that what sort of sort of you know a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Those also naturally petulant wines, their pet nats or what
they're known of, they do tend to take on. I
wouldn't say wheet beer. I'd say it's more of kind
of like almost that sour beer. It almost has kind
of that kind of tangy taste profile, which I if
you have beer drinkers who at the first thing I asked,
do you like sour beers?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, yes, I do.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Well, I'm going to point you over here to these
petro you know, naturally petulant wines, because they, to me,
have a lot more of that kind.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Of close proximity to those sour beers.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I had some interesting questions on the Common Spirit Health
text line at five six six nine oer So is
sparkling wine and cider technically the same thing?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
First of all, yes, wine is made from Vitus vnifera
and or some type.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Of talking about sparkling smarty pants. They know it's made
with two different things, So yeah, I mean sparkling cider.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
It's okay. First of all, if it's the l chipo.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Ones that you're going to get at the cap end
in your grocery store that are made to look like champagne, no,
those have probably had CO two injected into apple juice
right to make them bubbly.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Are you talking about my Martinelli's? Is that what you're
talking about right now? Because I love the Martinelli's. When
I want to feel fancy without any alcohol, I am
going for the Martinelli's cranberry apple and I regret nothing.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
And I'm not judging.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I'm just saying it's it's just injected with CO two.
And if I'm going to do that, I'm probably going
to do something with all that sugar.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
I'll be doing sparkling water.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
So this one, Mandy, what does your guests think about
champagne from New Mexico. First of all, we cannot have
champagne from New Mexico.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
It is Grue. And I know what you're talking about.
It's right outside of Albuquerque, and I love Gruet. Greue
is actually a champagne house in Champagna. The two sons
came over, found a little micro climate right outside of Albuquerque.
I've brought in Greuet. I love it. You've had it
before with me, Okay, But these they send back every vintage.
(07:53):
They send back wine that is certified by the champagne
house in Champagna, but you cannot call it champagnecause it's
not made in Champagna.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
In the first that's like a law.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Things you have to know about Europe.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
There are certain places like in Germany, they exactly prescribe
what you can put in beer, right, and you have
to follow and the rules for beer go back to
the fourteen hundreds. What are they for wine in front of.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
It really just depends on the region.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
You know, Champagna itself, it's relatively new in terms of
wine making, but like especially when you look at like
Burgundy and Bordeaux, a lot of these wine making regions
that have that rich history. Yeah, you are dating back
to Middle Ages of when they're starting there, starting to
establish some kind of the rules that they now still
(08:38):
will adhere to. Thanks to technology, some things have been improved,
but there are certain requirements, like it has to be
grapes grown within this certain you know, specific village.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
For it to be called whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
You I mean, that's right, it's kind of crazy, but
I also kind of like it. And I always think
that the Commonwealth of Kentucky should have passed some kind
of rules about bourbon because now people are making bourbon
all over the place, and I'm like, y'all, it's not
real bourbon unless it comes from Kentucky. And I don't
even drink bourbon. I'm just a snob about it. Mandy,
why is the wine yogi sounding kind of sad? Is
it because you and a rod are eating and drinking,
(09:12):
you need to make her happy next time and eat
and drink just saying no, the wine Yogi totally respects
the fact that a Rod and I are trying to
take off our thanksgetting weight. I don't think you're bothered
by that. No, no, not at all. No, trust me,
it's the weather.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It's the weather. I'm trying to be serious.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
I just watched the NPR on Saturday Night Live with
Alec Baldwin.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
So yeah, this ask your guest about chocolate wine. Is
it really wine?
Speaker 4 (09:38):
Now?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
What is? I've seen it?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I've just not because I love dark chocolate with like
a bold red like a Timbornello or a just what
you should do Rioha or Malbeck?
Speaker 1 (09:48):
What is this chocolate wine business?
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Time?
Speaker 3 (09:49):
It is basically they're taking cheap wine and it's usually
going to be a sweet based red, cheap wine that
they're adding in probably cheap chocolate into. And yes, it
is a thing, and it's not my thing. And but
if what does it even taste like? It tastes like
like chocolate.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
You who with wine in it?
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Oh? No?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
I mean is it as bad as the diet red
bull with wine? I don't know.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I just smelled that now I was I had to
had to you made a good choice to not I
couldn't do that.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Not consume that. I'm just I'm just saying some people
love the chocolate wine. It's not my thing.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
I would much rather have chocolate fondu and a beautiful
Chammi Sarrah that I'm gonna enjoy them together on my
palette with and keep the two separate.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Mandy, I thought you were against mommy wine culture. Look,
we're not talking about knocking back a box of Phrensia
every single night, which to me is much much different.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I love wine.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
I love having a beautiful glass of wine with a
really incredible meal. Unfortunately it doesn't like me. But I
do think that you can have and appreciate wine and
not be in the mommy wine culture where everything you
have is like Mommy drinks because of you. I mean,
you know, it's like there's a difference there, truly is,
and I think that the nuance of it is important.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
It just is. So I'm glad you asked the question.
I hope I answered it so.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
According to her explanation, someone was asking for clarification. Technically,
sparkling wine is healthier because the yeast is eating the sugar,
which means there's less sugar and sparkling wine compared to
others that are probably just injected.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
With CO two.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Now, so all wine when it is made goes through
the same fermentation process. Yeast is going to consume the
sugar and it will it's going to release two things,
alcohol and carbon dioxide. Sparkling wine just captures both red.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Wine white wine. Oh, it's still going to consume the sugar.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Now, the question is when do they stop the fermentation process.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
How much sugar was in? How many bricks of sugar.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
And they measure it by bricks brix How many bricks
of sugar was in the grape must to begin with,
some grape varietals are going to have higher levels your beastlings,
for example those moscato. There are grapes that are going
to be naturally higher in sugar when they begin the
fermentation process than others, say a Cabernet franc or Sirah
(12:11):
or Merlow.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
They're going to have those higher bricks of sugar.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
So when they stop the fermentation process, that level of
sugar that's left. The residual sugar is a term you'll
often hear wine folks use rs residual sugar will determine
how sweet that wine is. In fact, I go through
a breakdown in the Black Post your different terminology when
you're looking at sparkling wine, what does this mean when
(12:36):
I see brute extra brute.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Let's talk about that now.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Let's talk about that for a minute, because I think
that is the most confusing labeling in the history of labeling.
But she actually doesn't just break down what it is.
It tells you how much sugar per leader is in
these and it's visually the way you have it written
super helpful. But let's start at the very bottom. When
you're talking about sweet wines. You know, your lambruscos whatever
(13:00):
you got there, that's going to be do I don't
even know if I've ever seen.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
A do d o at u x.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Oh they're out there, Yeah, they're out there, and uh
they those are going to be deaf.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
That's your sugar water, as my nephew calls it.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
And wine, yeah, that's your that's definitely it's going to
be in that chocolate wine.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Yeah, So and then they're just going to step them
up where it really gets confusing, and I think on
English labels is extra dry because extra dry it's lost
in translation. So instead of it being demi sec which
is half dry, or demi do which is half sweet,
(13:39):
they decided to put in their extra dry and that
you are still going to have some residual sugar in
extra dry. If you like dry wine and you don't
want residual sugar and you don't want a sweet wine,
you want to look for brute or anything above brute.
So that's when you get extra brute. Brute, not tour.
That's what you're looking for, is the term brute, and
that is the French term for dry.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
To be clear, root in a tour will suck the
moisture out of your mouth and it is like fabulous.
You better be ready because it is. I bought that
one time and I you know me, I like dry wine.
It was too like the I felt the water evaporating
out of my mouth with every bubble that popped.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
That's why you need to have immediately right next to it.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
On a slice of back yet that also has a
butter on it, and then that you've replaced the moisture
and with fat.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Here's the question wine yogi. I bought prosecco from Costco
a few years ago. Is it okay to store upright
heated basement on a shelf.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
So with sparkling wines, the whole laying down of a
sparkling wine isn't necessary per se, because eventually what's going
to happen is if you store it for too long,
you're gonna lose your bubbles. If it's too warm, you
can actually trigger more. If there's any residual yease leftover,
it can actually trigger another fermentation, and it'll explode your
(14:58):
bottle if it gets too hot. So you have to
be really careful with storing wines. I typically do not
store my sparkling wines laying down just because they're already
under pressure. If you think about it that it doesn't
think the gas itself is also creating that seal.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
The whole reason.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Why we lay wines down in a wine cellar, in
a cold wine cellar, not hot next to the furnace.
The reason why you do that is because you want
that wine to stay in contact with the quark so
that the cork doesn't dry out and then allow air
to seep in and begin to oxidize that wine.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
When you already have something.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Under pressure, that's not going to happen what's going to
happen before that is you're going to lose all that
pressure and that bubbly wine is going to be flat
and then it's it's not sparkling wine and you need
to pour it out.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
This is a good question.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
What's the best kind of wine to give as a
gift when you don't know if the person prefers red
or white?
Speaker 1 (15:53):
You can always go.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Rose, Always go right down the middle with a beautiful rose.
And honestly, I personally think that if you are around
the holiday season and if you're not really sure what
kind of wine that they drink, going with kind of
something that is very middle of the road, So a
sparkling rose that way.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Yeah, if it.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Is for the New Years or you know, the holidays,
Christmas or whatever that they want to enjoy some bubbles,
they can if you're not sure, if you're even more
nervous about that, I personally I would always show up
with just one of each.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Here's a red, here's a white, and then let them
kind of.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
You can, you can't go wrong, and then that wayactly
if they can enjoy what they want and then they
can regift whatever wine that they didn't like.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
I am a queen regifter.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Will I'm just gonna say this, guys, when I do
drink wine, I cannot drink red wine at all anymore.
And I know most people drink red wine because it
has lower calories and a lower blood sugar had I
cannot drink red wine at all, and everybody brings me
red wine and I'm just like, no gifts, It's fine.
I don't eat anything. It's it's good, so be aware.
That's a great question textor I appreciate that. And as
(17:04):
Crystal does so well when she is here the wine Yogi.
By the way, she got a great blog post about
all of this stuff, plus some suggestions and a bunch
on shark huterie that we didn't even get to that.
I love a good shark COUCHI board. I mean, come on, snacks, meat, cheese.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
There's nothing better. Anyway.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Now it's time for the most exciting segment all the
radio of its guide in the world.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Of the day. All right, what is our dad joke
of the day, please, Anthony.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
I don't think I'll ever find a stable job, because honestly,
I'm not that comfortable around horses.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
That was bad. I knew where that was going. As
soon as you said, I did, I really did.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I was thinking about it, you know, being a horround horses,
et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Anyway, on today's word of the day, please it is
noun parsimony. Oh, this is one of those words that
I always have to look up when I see it.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
When you're splitting hairs, you're parsing something.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Maybe that sounds kind of right when you're parson.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
It's a parsimony is being, it's snobbery, it's looking down
your nose at someone.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Extreme frugality or stingyness.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Parsimony.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I'm not.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
I'm not parsimonious, So I'm just thrifty.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun on average.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
How close is it in miles?
Speaker 4 (18:28):
I'm seven thousand.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
I'm gonna say one hundred thousand miles.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I have absolutely no idea.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Come on, guess, guess thirty six million miles and you'd
be right.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Oh my, yeah, we're a little under.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
I'm assuming if we were right there, right, it would.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Have already burned to a crisp by now. Yeah, I'm
not good.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
At space stuff. I freely admit that. All right, What
is our Jeopardy category.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
What other than Christmas movie? Coorse in twenty eighteen bended
cumber of atch?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
What is Grinch? Correct?
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Alistair sim is among those what is a Christmas Carol?
Speaker 1 (19:11):
No? Dang it?
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Among those who have played this Dickensian.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Mayn Crystal Crystal with Epenezer screwed, basically.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
His heartwarming Frank Capra classic is It's a Wonderful Life?
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Correct?
Speaker 4 (19:28):
What is in this film Santa Tell's buddy?
Speaker 1 (19:32):
There are thirty tang it? What is elf? Correct? What's one?
Here we go?
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Two memorable bits from this nineteen eighty three classic, the
leg lamp Crystal Mandy?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
What is a Christmas Store?
Speaker 4 (19:47):
That a tie?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
That's a tie to.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Two good Let's go to wearable tech Friendship brace Let's
inspired Kim Shoey's designs for this rhyming brand of high
tech trackers.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Crystal Crystal.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
That is, oh dang it, Crystal winds.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
And and you had one you always talked about you?
I know now I'm on.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I've moved on my garment, and I will say my
garment is a far superior.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Brand I have. I have the Samsung the same.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I might I might switch over. Google's gotta watch now,
and I love my Google phone.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
I just got a new pixel and I gotta tell
you Samsung phone. Yeah, and I together how they get
your Crystal.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
They get you in the family and then you're like,
oh gee, I might get something else and they're like, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
That won't happen with us. And now I'm gonna need
to like, I got a Samsung fridge.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
I just saw a post on X that said no nuts.
I can't remember what I was gonna say, but I'm
out of time anyway, Crystal, ILL see you next time.
Merry Christmas, Mary Young Lady
The Mandy Connell Podcast News
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