How to Host an Online Wine Tasting

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If you’re anything like the rest of us, you’re missing your friends during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you’re anything like us at KnowWines, you’re also missing the fun of visiting wine bars and drinking with friends. And if you’re training to be a sommelier, you’re likely feeling stressed about missing out on visiting wineries and tasting for exams.

But here’s the good news. Many neighborhood bottle shops are still open with curbside pickup, and modern technologies like Zoom and Facetime can connect us to friends in real time. So, during this time of social distancing, why not host a virtual wine tasting? Hosting an online wine tasting is a great way to connect with friends during these difficult times while also supporting your neighborhood independent wine shop!

In today’s blog, we’ll offer our best tips, tricks, and tools for hosting an online wine tasting. Before we continue with our recommendations, though, a little about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, our podcast, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!

What Supplies Do I Need To Host An Online Wine Tasting?

Wine

This is a great time to try some new wines, as many bottle shops are offering “six-pack” specials for curbside pickup. You can go with a random selection of wines recommended by your local bottle shop owner, or you can try for a wine tasting theme. For example, you might try sampling a few different rosé wines, a few different wines from a particular region, or a few different varietals from different vineyards. As your local bottle shop for recommendations! You’ll want your friends to order the same bottles, so you’re all tasting the same wines.

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Glassware

You, and the friends you’re gathering with virtually, will need glassware. In a pinch, juice glasses will do, but ideally, you’ll use actual wine glasses to help with noticing the aromas of the wine. Our favorite glassware is Gabriel Glas. However, if you or your friends are the clumsy types, or if you’re planning to be outside on the patio during this virtual tasting, you might want to try for some unbreakable wine glasses.

Notepad or Tasting Grid

While tasting, record your notes in a personalized wine journal, or order one of these delightful wine tasting placemats for each of your virtual partygoers and have them delivered to their homes! And if you’re the only one who has this wine tasting placemat, that’s fine, too. Use it as a guide for helping your virtual guests know what to think about as they’re tasting the wine! (You could also skip the note-taking altogether, and just drink!).

 
 

What Technology do I Need to Host an Online Wine Tasting?

Smartphone, Tablet, or Computer

Any smartphone, tablet, or computer with a camera will do.  A smartphone is easier if you want to move around during the call, but if you want to stay put at your dining room table or kitchen island, a laptop will be perfect. Just be sure that your device is updated to the most recent operating system so that apps will run smoothly.

SwitchPod or other Smartphone Tripod

We’ve fallen in love with Pat Flynn and Caleb Wojcik’s SwitchPod. This tripod means no more bracing the iPhone up against a wine bottle or other item so that you can see (and be seen) while tasting wine and chatting. Also, you’ll look a lot better from the angle the tripod provides (happy bonus!). We love the SwitchPod because it does not have the bendy arms of earlier tripods. It is easy to travel with and the aluminum alloy construction makes it both very robust and lightweight for travel. 

 
 

Because most tripods don’t come with smartphone holders, we like this option that holds an iPhone securely on any tripod. So, if you already have a tripod, this might be a good addition to your online party kit!

 
 

Once you’re all set up with devices, it doesn’t matter what type of application you use. In these days of social distancing, two popular choices are Zoom and FaceTime. Below are a couple of easy-to-follow videos that walk you through how to set up a group call on Facetime and Zoom. If you haven’t done this before, don’t worry! These apps make it pretty easy to learn the ropes.

Facetime

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to set up a group Facetime call:

 
 

Zoom

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to set up a Zoom meeting (or in your case, Zoom party!):

 
 

DIY Online Wine Tasting: Step by Step

So, you have the wine and the laptop and everything else you need for a fun online happy hour with friends. Here are the simple steps for putting on your own online wine tasting with friends.  

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  • First, contact your friends to set up a time that work for everyone. 4-10 friends is an ideal number. With more than 10, the screen gets a little crowded and socializing becomes trickier.

  • Agree to a platform that works for all of your friends (such as Facetime or Zoom).

  • Select your wines and agree to order them on the same day so that everyone will have the chosen wines by the party date.

  • On the day of the party:

    • Get your tripod and smartphone device ready to go.

    • Prepare a clean glass for tasting.

    • Start the Facetime call or Zoom meeting.

    • Start tasting (and chatting!) with friends!

    • Take notes if you like.

Virtual Alternatives to a Wine Tasting Party with Friends

If you aren’t up for organizing an online wine tasting, but still like the idea of socializing with other wine lovers while sheltering in place, consider these options.

Social Online Wine Classes

Party of one or two and want to meet some new friends? Wine For Normal People podcaster, wine entrepreneur, and Certified Sommelier Elizabeth Schneider has increased the number of online wine classes she offers. The classes range from introductory to “wine geek.” We love that she offers classes exploring wines from a specific region or appellation. To participate in Elizabeth’s wine classes, make sure you give yourself enough time to seek out the selected wines. These wines are budget-friendly unless specified (keeping in Elizabeth’s Podcast theme “Wine for Normal People”).

Serious Online Wine Classes

Interested in getting a certification? Napa Valley Wine Academy has made many of their wine classes available online. Courses include Wine 101, American Wine Expert, and Wine and Spirit Educational Trust. Class sign-up includes wine kits for tasting!

In Summary

During this time of social distancing, an online wine tasting party is a great way to connect with friends and family who enjoy wine as much as you.  It really doesn’t take much to organize such an event! You simply need wine, glasses, something to write on if you want to share notes, a smartphone, a tripod like the SwitchPod, and the Zoom or FaceTime app (both of which are free!).

If you don’t want to host a party, join one of Wine for Normal People’s classes or study with the pros at Napa Valley Wine Academy.

Whatever you decide, we hope that you manage to include a bit of your old social life during social distancing.

Stay safe. And cheers!

What To Do When the Nose Goes

So, you’ve saved up for a trip to wine country and made it to your destination - only to be stricken by seasonal allergies or a cold, leaving you with a stuffy nose and a limited (or no!) ability to smell and taste food or wine.

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Here are a few of our favorite travel tips, having fallen prey to the impact of recirculated air, traveling during cold and flu season, and also having lifelong issues with hay fever.  

Packing medicine for smarter getaways

It’s a good idea to pack some basic over-the-counter medicines for trips to prevent time wasted driving to a store during your stay. Also, if your wine travels take you to Europe, you’ll find that most stores are closed on Sunday, or the dosage is in a language you can’t read. 

Start with this re-usable TSA Approved Transparent Waterproof Cosmetic Bag with Zipper for storing medicines

 
 

We like this three-pack as you can use one for liquids, one for dry goods, and the third for electrical adaptors and chargers.  We try to minimize the liquid medicines we take on a trip or place them in our checked luggage.

OTC Medicines and supplies to make travel easier

To prevent potential overdose and to treat only the symptoms we have, we prefer to shy away from all-in-one “cold and flu” or “allergy” medicine and purchase independent components separately.  

Pain Reliever

All over-the-counter pain relievers are not created equal.  While these products are available without a prescription, they are still medicine. By avoiding combination products, you reduce the chance that you take the same active ingredient twice when combining medications. If you aren’t sure which OTC pain killer is best to have with you for travel, check with a pharmacist or your doctor for a recommendation.  

Our personal favorite pain killer is Advil. Available in travel sized two-packs, these travel packages slip easily into your carry-on or checked bag, and you don’t need to carry a bottle around.  

 
 

Facial Tissues

Hotel facial tissues (unless you are staying at a 4-star resort) are just a step above sandpaper. Don’t forget to pack facial tissues like these.    

 
 

Eye Mask

If you are a seasonal allergy sufferer, remember to pack one of these warm eye masks that helps in reducing swelling due to hay fever.  This type of eye mask requires a microwave for activation, so if there is no microwave in your room, check with the front desk. Many heatable eye masks don’t have washable covers.  While these may look less fashionable than velour eye masks, these eye masks are re-usable and washable.  

 
 

Bkr Water Bottle

If you don’t travel a lot, you might not know that it is just fine to take an empty water bottle on the plane with you. Simply fill it up once you pass through security.  

We like this Bkr bottle since it has a screw-on top, making it perfectly safe to throw in your favorite handbag without worrying about leakage. We also like that it is dishwasher safe. And since Jolene’s day job is a scientist, she thinks the whole “beaker” thing is kind of cool!

 
 

Why can’t I taste or smell anything when I’m sick?

Temporarily losing your sense of smell or taste is normal when one has hay fever (seasonal allergies) or the common cold. Nasal passages become congested with mucus or are inflamed. These symptoms may be accompanied by pain behind or below the eyes.  Removing the mucus and reducing inflammation is key to getting your nose back in tip-top wine tasting shape. If you are experiencing more than a temporary loss of your sense of smell, then see a physician as this might be a sign of something more serious.

Mucus relief for wine tasters

If you have a wine tasting coming up that you can’t reschedule or you have a blind tasting exam as a student of wine, having a cold or allergies is going to be stressful! Your primary objective is to get that gunk out of your nose and chest and to get the Eustachian tube cleared up and draining properly so that you can get back to smelling and tasting wines as soon as possible. You may be tempted to run directly to the box of drugs with the most active ingredients. However, there are a number of home treatment options that you can try instead of (or along with) OTC drugs.  

Our recommendations below are for home (or on-the-road) treatment of sinus congestion due to cold or allergy. As always, if you suspect that you have something more serious, call a physician. The front desk of your hotel is a great place to check for medical options and hours. If you are not at a hotel, send a message to your AirBnB or HomeAway host for a recommendation.

Hot Shower For Cold or Allergy Relief

Your first line of relief is a long hot shower. Your stuffy nose from cold or allergies is due to inflammation and swollen blood vessels. The steam from the shower helps open up the nasal passages to make it easier to expel mucus. Ten to 15 minutes should be enough to yield some relief, and this treatment can be repeated up to 3 times per day. Though a hot shower won’t cure the underlying cause of illness (cold virus, allergen, irritant), it will provide relief.  Don’t make the shower too hot or you may scald yourself.  

Get a Steam Inhaler

If a hot shower is not available, or you are in an area where water use is restricted, there are a few tools available for intense steam therapy.  

First is a steam room, which may be available in resort-type areas.  If traveling, ask if there is a steam room available at your hotel or gym. As with the hot shower, a steam room can be used 2-3 times per day, 15 to 20 minutes maximum per visit.

Staying somewhere less plush? If your accommodations are AirBnB or HomeAway, there might be a pot available to heat water in the kitchen. Simply heat the water and then turn off the heating source. Lean over the pot, and cover your head with a towel. It will take a little figuring out to find the best combination of face distance to pot and percent of towel coverage. Keep in mind that when utilizing this method there is some risk of scalding yourself. Be careful!  

Whether you are at home or traveling, check to see if a humidifier is available to borrow. There are some travel humidifiers on the market, however, I’ve not found one yet that disperses a steady stream of fine mist. When traveling domestically (say, in California’s wine country), consider taking one of these personal steam inhalers along if you are prone to congestion while traveling. It is TSA compliant. These value electronics often work only on 110 V, so they are not worth the hassle to take overseas.

 
 

Drink More! (Water, That Is!)

The wine can come later (once you can smell it again). It is important to drink a lot of water and other liquids including soup and decaffeinated tea, to help reduce inflammation and replace liquids lost during coughing and sneezing.  

Best Saline Nasal Spray

Traveling with a Neti-pot can be cumbersome, so leave it at home. While congested in Europe, we came across this product called Sterimar. It is now our pick for best nasal spray! We love it’s angled applicator, the fact that it is all natural salt water from France, and that is has a super cute dolphin on the front.  This product is available online and is widely distributed in Europe.  

 
 

How to Use a Nasal Spray

If you’ve had poor experiences using saline nasal sprays (or OTC or prescription sprays), check out this short video explaining how to position your head to receive the spray. 

 
 

Best Expectorant if Stuffiness Comes With a Cough

While many “cold and cough” multi-purpose products contain guaifenesin, we prefer to take it by itself and add in other medications (only if needed!), reducing the likelihood that you overdose on OTC cold medicines. How does guaifenesin work? By thinning the mucus making it easier to get it out of your system by coughing.

 
 

Is it even possible to sleep with a stuffy nose?

You’ve made some progress against the gunk in your sinuses and lungs the night before your tasting or special meal. Now, it’s time for some sleep. In fact, rest is one of the best ways to get back into the tasting action. But nothing is as frustrating to wake up to an even stuffier head in the morning! During the day, we are typically walking or sitting upright, and any post nasal drip gets swallowed (I know, gross!).  Well at night, that swallowing is minimal, leaving one with typically a very stuffy head and bad cough in the morning. To reduce the chances of this happening, collect as many pillows as possible to prop your head upright. If you sleep well in a recliner, this could be another option.  If you experience ear pain in the evening or at night due to blockages in the ear’s Eustachian tube, sleep on your side with the painful ear “up” to promote drainage.  

How do I cancel my reservation if I just can’t make it to the tasting?

We’ve been in your shoes. You’ve done all you can to increase the likelihood of success so that you can show up with a cleared out nose and ready for a day of tasting. Still, sometimes the allergies or cold virus gets the best of us and we should not be out in public spreading our germs.

If you paid a deposit, call the winery, restaurant, or host where your tasting is taking place and inform them that you are not feeling well. Most often, they understand and can rebook you. You may not get a refund though they will often transfer your deposit to the new date of your rebooking, frequently within a year.  

If you are a student of wine sitting for a tasting exam, call the instructor or test auditor and let them know that you are unwell.  There may be options to re-sit the exam at a later date.  

In all these instances where a deposit has been made, check with your credit card company (if you used a credit card to hold a reservation). The card may have insurance for travel disruption as part of your annual fee. It is worth a call to check it out!

Finally, if you get sick on your trip and end up not being able to taste any wine at all (so sad!), consider getting recommendations from a winemaker or travel companion for a few great wines to take home with you. Here’s our guide for checking wine when you fly.

What are home remedies for when the nose goes?

If you travel to taste wines or are in the wine trade, what other tips or tricks do you have to share regarding unplugging the nose?  Let us know in the comments below!

Here’s to healthy travels! Cheers, from KnowWines!











































The Chappellet Winery

Are you seeking an off-the-beaten path wine tour with some of the most stunning scenery in Napa Valley? 

Do you enjoy classic California Cabernet Sauvignon?

Are you (and perhaps a small group of friends) looking for a Napa winery with great value Cabernet Sauvignon as well as collectible fine wines? 

Then a visit to Chappellet Winery may be a good fit for you!

In 2019, KnowWines visited Chappellet Winery and enjoyed a private tour with tasting.  Here’s our review of the visit. And before you head to Napa, check out our free e-course and blog about places to stay in the valley.

Things to consider before visiting Chappellet Winery

This winery tour is good for anyone interested in an off-the-beaten path tasting experience in one of Napa Valley’s legendary wineries.

The tour is great for the following types of travelers:

  • Wine lovers who want to avoid a bar-type atmosphere that can be found at some wineries on the main roads in Napa County

  • Wine enthusiasts who want a private or semi-private tasting experience

  • A mixed group of wine tasters with interests at various price points

  • Collectors of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines

The winery tour and tasting experience is not ideal for these types of travelers:

  • Fast paced service in a noisy, vibrant setting

  • Travelers who need to be on their smartphone nonstop (beautiful rural regions frequently have poor cell service)

  • Travelers with pets or companions under 21

  • Wine enthusiasts afraid of narrow, winding roads

  • Wine tasters expecting a free or discounted wine tasting fee with wine purchase 

Before purchasing a Chappellet Winery tour and tasting, you will need to consider the following:

  • Do you want a private or semi-private experience?

  • How much do you want to spend on the experience? 

  • Do you want to taste current releases or the more premium wines from Chappellet?

  • How much time are you willing to spend (most of Chappellet’s wine tastings take 90 minutes)?

Where is Chappellet Winery and Pritchard Hill?

Chappellet Winery is located at the top of Pritchard Hill.  Pritchard Hill is located in the Vaca mountains in Napa county.  

To get to Chappellet Winery on Pritchard Hill, head north from downtown Napa on the Silverado Trail for about 17 miles. Then head east on 128 for about a mile until you get to Stage Coach Canyon Road, which leads to the winery. This road is winding with switchbacks.  

What should I wear to a Chappellet Winery tour and tasting?

The winery and grounds are best described as rustic and elegant. There is a mix of pavement and permeable surfaces like gravel, so sturdy closed-toe shoes like hiking shoes, leather, or rubber boots would work best. We saw most guests wearing jeans and a nice pull-over or wrap as it is always cool in the cellar. 

If it is raining on the day of your visit, bring an umbrella to get to and from your vehicle. Umbrellas are provided on the tour. In summer months, you might consider sunscreen if you burn easily. When you check in, there are washrooms and some spaces to store a few bags and coats. 

About Chappellet Winery and Pritchard Hill

Pritchard Hill is named for an early Vaca mountains homesteader named Charles Pritchard.  In the 1890s he was growing Zinfandel and Riesling among other grape varieties. Early settlers knew that the iron rich and rocky red soils, as well as elevation and aspect, would be great for grape growing. Grape growing and winemaking went on up here until Prohibition, and then it took a backseat to other agriculture endeavors like cattle grazing.   

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In the 1960s, a new generation of winemakers entered the region, inspired by André Tchelistcheff, a diminutive (4’11) Russian-born winemaker who inspired this generation of new winemakers following Prohibition. Since 1938 Tchelistcheff was Napa’s Beaulieu Vineyards vice president and chief winemaker and helped bring high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and winemaking to the foreground through innovation in the vineyard and cellar.

In the 1960s, a 30-something Don Chappellet had already made his mark in the world, co-founding Interstate United Corporation, which developed and sold the first vending machines that dispensed coffee into cups by using fresh grounds. Before Starbucks and Nespresso were ever a thing, Don was the largest coffee buyer in the world. Don was tiring of the coffee business and wanted a different pace of life for his family. While at Interstate, he had started to amass a collection of Bordeaux and Bourgogne wines. He was a 4th generation Californian and did not want to move to France - he wondered if such wines could be made in California. 

Shortly after meeting Tchelistcheff, Andre told Don that high elevation (1800 ft) mountain grown Cabernet Sauvignon and the right cellar techniques might yield a wine very similar to Chateau Latour from Bordeaux. Andre helped Don pick the site of Chappellet. Don left his corporate job, traded his jacket for a tractor, and purchased land on Pritchard Hill. He moved his wife Molly and their five children to the mountain. Later, Molly would establish beautiful gardens near the winery as driving back and forth from town with so many children was a lot of work. She has written several books on gardening, entertaining, and wine caves, including the James Beard Award Winning A Vineyard Garden.

Chappellet is one of few wineries still owned by a family on Pritchard Hill. Today’s owners are descendants of Don and Molly Chappellet.  The winery recently celebrated 50 years in business.

Our online booking experience

We booked our private tasting online about five days before arriving in Napa. Those traveling during the peak seasons of Thanksgiving/Christmas and during the summer months may want to consider booking one or two weeks out to get your ideal time slot.

There were three booking options: the Estate Tour & Tasting, the Private Estate Tour and Tasting, and the Signature Tasting and Estate Tour. The Estate Tour is the least expensive, and is for wine enthusiasts who don’t mind being joined by a few others on the tour. The Private Estate Tour is private, and allows you to taste five wines that are typically available only to club members. The Signature Tasting is geared toward the wine collector, focused on collectable wines, and again, is private. 

We selected the mid-priced Private Estate Tour and Tasting for 90 minutes. The booking process was very easy. Quickly we received an email confirmation with very detailed instructions on how to get to the winery.   

Our tasting experience

When we arrived we were greeted by Theo, the winery’s brand manager. She was very knowledgeable on vineyards, winemaking practices, and retail. It was a rainy day, and she provided us with a giant golf umbrella during our walking tour of the vineyard. (Yes, we had an umbrella in one hand and a wine glass in another!)

Back inside the cellar, we sat down and tasted the following wines.

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  • 2017 Grower Collection Chardonnay, El Novillero Vineyard, Carneros

  • 2017 Grower Collection Pinot Noir, Apple Lane Vineyard, Russian River Valley

  • 2016 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon

  • 2016 Cabernet Franc

  • 2016 Hideaway Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

  • 2014 Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

During our tasting we never felt rushed or pressured to join a wine club. We were able to walk around a little in the cellar and watch workers moving barrels and cleaning equipment.

Other Chappellet Winery visit reviews

We wrote this review as we did not see a lot of other wine bloggers writing up a trip report. We did do some online researching before our trip.

The types of positive comments we saw on online reviews were “Pleasant Surprise, Chappellet is great,” “a hidden gem”, and “scenic, best winery of the week.”

Ambivalent or negative reviews included “smaller pours than some other wineries,” “requires credit card deposit for booking,” and “too far from town.”

Alternatives to visiting Chappellet Winery 

It is difficult to get wine tastings at other wineries on Pritchard Hill. If you have found a great winery on Pritchard Hill, kindly share it with us in the notes. Chappellet is a little bit of a trek to get to, and other readers might want to book a second wine tasting in the area. If you are looking for some other options for wine tasting in Napa or Sonoma counties, check out our top 15 wineries to visit.

Where to purchase Chappellet Winery Wines

In addition to purchasing wines directly from the winery, one can purchase wines using the affiliate link for our favorite value-priced Cabernet Sauvignon in all of Napa Valley, the Chappellet Mountain Cuvee. Just click the image below for the link:

Our Favorite Value Cabernet

OR save on any Chappellet Wine by clicking using this link:

Our visit conclusion

When people ask us for recommendations of “mountain wineries” off the beaten path, I often recommend Chappellet (unless they are directions/GPS agnostic!).  

This was our second visit to Chappellet Winery and the staff have always been friendly and knowledgable, and the wines, while at a premium and luxury wine price point, are a great value compared to other wines in the vicinity.  

We enjoy the quiet, serene drive up and down the mountain. The winery feels truly in a world of its own perched up there on Pritchard Hill.  

Enjoy your visit!

Cheers!

The Repour Wine Saver

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Wine preserver systems and gadgets are plentiful in the wine world. Most wine consumers are looking for a wine bottle saver that will allow them to open a bottle of wine and enjoy it over days, perhaps weeks.  Wine bars and wineries also seek out wine stoppers that allow them to open a slow-moving bottle of wine and serve it days or weeks later as part of expanding their wines-by-the-glass programs. 

This week, KnowWines researched, used, and reviewed the Repour bottle stopper as an alternative to inert gas systems or pumps for wines we knew we would finish in about a week.  We didn’t want to use up our Coravin cartridges on weekday wines, so we gave this product a try.

Things to consider before purchasing the Repour:

There are a few situations for which the Repour wine preserver is ideal, for both the home wine drinker and the staff of a wine bar or bottle shop.

For home consumers, the Repour is great for those who want to simply open a bottle of wine - regardless of enclosure type - and enjoy it over a period of a few days or weeks.  It is also a good product if you enjoy having a few different bottles of wine open, let’s say a Cava, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauternes. Historically, having all these different bottles of wine open, either on the counter or in the fridge, meant that these wines would go bad within a couple of days, resulting in a lot of bad wine being poured down the drain.  The Repour helps solve that problem.

In wine bars and wineries, the Repour wine preserver helps maintain a large number of open bottles. This is ideal for the wine bar or shop that doesn’t want to make large capital investments in serving stations like Enomatic. The Repour wine preserver is also good for wine bottle shops or restaurants who already have wine serving stations and want to serve dessert wines or wines with sediment.  Systems like Enomatic and Coravin can potentially aspirate solids into the dispensing mechanism through user error, causing them to plug up and require time-sucking maintenance.

While the Repour fits a broad spectrum of wine consumer and business needs, the Repour is not for:

  • Wine lovers wanting to check bottle aging months or years later on - they should consider Coravin

  • Cheap wines - the Repour might cost ⅓ the bottle of wine if it is really value juice

  • Storing open wine on the side - the Repour won’t work as designed and you may have a leaky mess

  • Locations where wine bottles are shuffled around a lot - someone may accidentally dislodge the stopper, rendering it ineffective

Those who have used pumps or Coravin and are looking for a simple, low-cost alternative to mid-priced wines becoming oxidized as they age on the counter or in the fridge may benefit from having a few Repour stoppers on hand.  Those Coravin syringes and cartridges can be saved for fine wines.

Finally, if you travel for work or vacation and want to enjoy a nice wine during the week without the hassle of packing inert gasses or pumps, consider keeping a Repour or two in your carry on luggage for emergency use.  The Repour also makes for a good thank you gift or stocking stuffer for wine lovers.

So, show me the Repour!

The Repour Wine Saver is a single-use wine preservation tool invented by chemist and wine lover Tom Lutz. Like many other wine consumers, he was tired of discarding partial bottles that contained wine that did not taste fresh a few days after opening.  

After about 18 months of research and product development, the product was featured on Kickstarter, received the funding target, and the rest is history.

The Repour wine saver is available on Amazon and through select wine retailers.  It is available in different package sizes: 4, 10, and 72 stoppers.

Repour Pros:

  • Lower cost per use than Coravin and other inert gas systems

  • Good for wines containing sediment 

  • Good for dessert wines 

  • Good for take-home bottles of fine wine from a restaurant

Repour Cons:

  • Single-use (you recycle or discard after use), so not ideal for cheap or value wines

  • Need to store the bottle upright

  • Don’t know when it is “used up”

How do I use Repour?

Open your wine and consume what you need.  When you are ready to close up the bottle, simply remove a single Repour unit from the box it arrived in, remove the adhesive seal from the Repour unit, and insert it in place of the cork or screwcap.  As you consume the wine over the course of a few days or weeks, simply re-insert the stopper after pouring. Once the bottle is complete, discard the stopper.  If your city or county recycles plastic and metal, then please recycle the stopper

Since the Repour device is so effective, you may need to aerate each pour if the wine aromas are muted. Aerate by simply swirling the wine in the glass.

Finally, don’t be afraid to firmly push the Repour into the bottle. If a good seal is not made, then oxygen will still get into the wine.  

How does Repour Work?

Let’s go back to high school chemistry! Air is comprised of about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Nitrogen is fairly unreactive. Oxygen, on the other hand, is a double-edged sword. While it is a giver of life, it is also an active element in aging and degradation. The introduction and removal of oxygen from vineyard to cellar to bottle is controlled by growers and winemakers to deliver a specific style of wine.  

As wine consumers, we battle oxygen the moment we open a bottle of wine. While a little aeration upfront (either through decanting or swirling) might be needed to open a wine, oxygen starts to attack the wine within minutes or hours, resulting in tired tasting wine.  Some indications of oxidized wines that often lead to wine getting discarded after oxidation are loss of fruit aromas and flavors, browning of white wine, oranging or browning of red wines. As oxidation continues, the wine can start to get some gamey and vinegar aromas and flavors (commonly referred to as “bad” wine).

The Repour stopper, which include an FDA approved non-toxic oxygen absorber inside the stopper, was designed by a chemist and entrepreneur who knew well the experience of pouring bad wine down the sink. He was also familiar with oxidation as well as Dalton’s law and Henry’s law. The outcome of this research was the development of a stopper containing metals that “rust” as they are oxidized - instead of the wine getting oxidized. Need a refresher? Geek out on these short science videos:

What wines are best to use with Repour?

With a tapered insert, the Repour stopper can be placed in any type of wine bottle. It can be used with sparkling wines, white wines, red wines, fortified wines, and sweet wines. 

The stopper can also be used regardless of the original closure. It does not matter if the original bottle stopper was a screwcap, a natural cork, a synthetic cork, or a glass cork.  

Is my open wine bottle worth the Repour?

Every consumer, bottle shop owner or wine bar will likely have a different opinion on how to determine if a bottle is “Repour Worthy.” One should consider how much wine they are typically pouring down the drain after two or three days of opening. 

We personally use the Repour when the wine is over $15 per bottle, there is over ⅔ of the bottle left, and we’d like to enjoy the wine over a period of a week or two.

Can I re-use the Repour?

We’ve never re-used a Repour stopper. However, after doing some online research we found several different strategies consumers have used to maximize the use of the stopper.

If you insert the Repour on day one and consume the rest of the wine on day two, you may be able to reuse the stopper by rinsing the emptied bottle, filling the bottle almost full of water, then firmly inserting the used Repour into the bottle. I would reuse a Repour on bottles in the $20 to $40 USD range, especially if I aimed to use up the wine in a couple of days. If it was a more expensive bottle, I’d use a new Repour. If the Repour was in a bottle for several days or weeks, I would likely not consider reusing the Repour stopper and recycle or discard it.  

There are a lot of different strategies to consider. Have some fun experimenting with the product (and with Henry’s and Dalton’s laws!). The worst that could happen is that a bottle of wine gets oxidized. 

Testing the Repour

We first used the Repour stopper on a bottle of Champagne that retailed for about $45 USD. We opened the wine on a Wednesday night and poured a couple of glasses. We inserted the stopper and placed the wine in the refrigerator. We did notice that the height of the stopper and bottle exceeded the shelf height in the refrigerator, so we adjusted the height of the fridge shelf to accommodate the bottle plus stopper. We drank some Champagne each day (one glass each - difficult work!). On Sunday (over 72 hours later) we finished the bottle. We were quite surprised each time we removed the Repour that the wine was still bubbly and the aromas were still fresh. I also found the Repour easier to insert than other Champagne stoppers.

Next, we used the Repour stopper with a 2011 Napa Chardonnay. Two other dining companions helped us consume ⅔ the bottle on a Friday night. We inserted the stopper after the meal and placed the wine into the refrigerator. Six days later we drank the last couple of glasses. On the first sip, the wine did not have much flavor.  After letting the wine sit for about 10 minutes after swirling, it tasted just fine. I did notice that the wine was a little muted (not as intense) but did not have any of the oxidative aromas or vinegar flavor that one typically encounters after storing a white wine in the refrigerator for about a week.  

Finally, we tried the Repour stopper on a 750 mL bottle of 1998 Sauternes. Sweet wines are difficult for wine bars to serve in Enomatic stations, as the stickiness can gum up the lines. We enjoyed the wine over 11 days and did not notice any reduction in aromas or flavors using Repour. We stored the wine in the refrigerator between pours.

In the coming weeks, we will open a $25 Bordeaux wine and let it sit on the counter with the Repour and taste over a few days. We will report back here on how that goes!

Similar Wine Preserver Systems

Like the inventor of RePour, we’ve also tried various wine preservation systems. Here’s a rundown of products that compete with Repour in this space. These different types of systems have one or more niches that they fill. We’ve yet to find a holistic solution for all possible wine preservation scenarios.

Private Preserve Wine Preservation System 

Essentially this is inert gas one sprays into an opened bottle of wine, followed by quickly forcing the original stopper into the top of the bottle.  

Pros:

  • Multiple uses per can

  • Pennies per use, so good for cheap and value wines

Cons: 

  • Not easy to travel with

  • Need to store wine bottle upright

  • Takes a little skill to get the procedure right

Vacu-Vin Stainless Steel Stopper

If you know you will finish your wine in less than seven days, then you may want to consider this stainless steel vacuum system. The system comes with a stopper that you insert into the bottle, then you attach the pump and pump until you hear a click. If you have more than one bottle open at a time, you will need to purchase additional stoppers.

Pros:  

  • Easy to use

  • Lasts for 5 - 10 years

Cons:  

  • Not as portable as single Repour

Fantes Champagne Stopper, Made in Italy

For sparkling wines and Champagne, this stopper has been the standard - made in Italy for over 100 years!

Pros:  

  • No gas cartridges to purchase

  • Reusable

  • Easy to use and store

Cons:  

  • With a lot of use, the sealing mechanism can wear, resulting in reduced carbonation and aroma intensity so check the seal that it is working well

Our summary of the Repour stopper

We enjoyed researching, trying and testing the Repour stoppers that we purchased online for a few weeks. This item is good for consumers who like or need to open bottles of wine and consume them in a couple of days or weeks.

We consider the Repour a good item for the home consumer to have on hand for premium wines, and we will be pouring less wine down the sink in the future! We also liked the ease of use - simply remove a foil adhesive and press the Repour stopper into the top of the bottle! We like the option to store wine in the refrigerator or on the counter. 

The Repour is not for consumers or sommeliers who want to try fine wine now and sample it again in six months or a year. The Coravin might be more of interest if tasting across several months is your desire.   

When you purchase the Repour wine saver on Amazon through our link, it helps us to keep running our site and to continue to provide you with our reviews, tips, and guides. Thank you!

And Cheers, from KnowWines!

How to Tell if Your Wine is Bad

Corked?

Corked?

Have you ever wondered if a wine has gone bad after tasting or smelling it? Ever heard someone say, “This wine is corked!” without really knowing what they were talking about? Have you ever worried you might get sick because you drank wine that tasted “off”?

Some people may define a “bad wine” as one they simply do not like. Disliking a wine due to a preference for a particular style, variety, or characteristic should not be confused with wines that have faults. 

In this article we will focus on wine faults, typical causes, and what to do if you run across the rare bottle that is truly bad.  

Why all this worry about wine flaws?

Bad wines (or wines with faults) are not as common as they once were. Still, there are many wine consumers who may be afraid to order wines at restaurants or purchase wines from a bottle shop with the concern that the wine may be bad.

Wines with faults were more common in decades and centuries past. Before reliable transport (refrigerated rail cars, refrigerated semi-trailers, air travel) wines risked the possibility of being “cooked,” frozen, or mishandled during transit either across the country or across the oceans (we discuss specific faults and causes of faults later in the blog!).

Technology in wineries has also improved the quality of wine. Minimal intervention wines still take steps to ensure that wines are stable, whether through natural or chemical means, so that they taste great and look delicious sitting on the shelf or in the display at a fine dining establishment.

Competition in the world of wine is also increasing, which drives poorer wines out of the market. Additionally, emerging wine regions get help from flying winemakers. If you have had a bad wine from a region or rural area in the United States even 10 or 20 years ago, consider going back and trying the wines from that area again to see if they have improved.

Some consumers consider a wine to be bad if it is one-dimensional (having only one flavor) or if they simply did not like it. There is some ownership required by consumers in discerning the types of wine they might like. That’s why a sommelier may confirm your order more than once, because he/she may know that the wine you’ve chosen is outside the ‘normal’ consumer pattern and does not want to open a bottle of wine that you may not like.  

Last, if you do buy or get a bad wine, let the merchant know as soon as possible.  When purchasing wines from retail shops or the winery, keep the receipt. If the wine is bad, most wineries or retail shops will gladly refund your money or give you a replacement bottle. They realize that an occasional bottle will go bad and have factored that into their bottom line.

Still, it’s important to remember that there’s a 97% - 99% chance that your wine is just fine!  However, in your drinking life, you may come across a few bad wines. Here, we discuss a few common symptoms of bad wine and how you might detect that they are bad.

Does unopened wine go bad?

Yes, unopened and even properly stored wines can go bad. 

There are some ways to tell if the unopened wine might be bad just by using your eyes!  Here are some visual clues to tell if a wine might be bad before opening.

  • Take a look at the top of the bottle of wine. Is the top of the cork flush with the bottle opening?  Or, is it raised up (coming out of the bottle) or sunken (going into the bottle)? Raised or sunken corks could indicate that the wine was exposed to high temperatures or pressure changes during shipment or storage.  

  • Just like some beers in clear bottles (like Corona), wine in a clear bottle can suffer from light strike and become “skunky” if it is exposed to light for an extended period of time.  So if you are shopping for wine and that bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is a little dusty (and its vintage is more than three years old), consider passing that bottle up for a newer vintage. Wines in clear bottles are designed to be enjoyed within 1-2 years of release. However, there are always exceptions in the world of wine, as some ageable wines like Sauternes do come in clear bottles.   

  • Ullage is just a fancy term for the ‘headspace’ in a bottle of wine.  If the wine is fairly young, there should be no ullage and the level of wine in the bottle should be the same as similar wines on the shelf. 

  • If you find that the cork is dry and brittle when you are opening a bottle of wine, there is an increased likelihood that the bottle might be bad. However, you’re going have to engage the nose and taste buds to determine this. There’s a good chance that oxygen was able to get past the cork and into the wine if the cork shrank. We’ve worriedly opened some older bottles with brittle corks and found that the portion of the cork near the wine was just fine and the wine tasted wonderful.  

What if my wine smells bad?

When you (or the sommelier) pour the wine into the glass, take 2-3 seconds to look at the wine for anything strange, like cloudiness, or color that looks a little off. If you aren’t sure, don’t be afraid to ask the server if the wine looks the way it’s supposed to. If you’re at home, there are great online tools for color of wine by style.

If you’ve visually inspected the wine bottle and have successfully freed the cork from the bottle at home (or have been presented with the wine at a restaurant), your next step is to engage the sense of smell.

In movies or on television, we often see people smelling a cork.  Unfortunately, smelling the cork is not actually going to help you determine if the wine is bad or not.  Instead, raise the glass to your nose and take a few discreet sniffs (short sniffs, like a when a dog meets another dog at the park and they check each other out) and see if there is anything strange or revolting. If you notice an unpleasant smell but have no idea if that smell is normal, just hand the glass back to the server and ask him/her to check it out. What you smell may simply be a characteristic unique to a wine you are unfamiliar with. Or, it could be a wine fault.  Remember, there is a 97 to 99% chance that your wine is just fine!

Last is the taste test.  I never trust the first taste because a lot of that first taste depends upon what you put in your mouth most recently.  I always take a tiny amount and discreetly swish it around my mouth and quickly swallow. Then, I get to the second sip. Almost always the wine tastes just as it should.

But if the wine really does taste off, you have a couple of options.  At the restaurant, ask the waiter or sommelier to pour themselves a sample to confirm the off-flavor and then ask for a replacement bottle.  If you are at home, replace the screw-top or cork in the bottle, place it in the fridge, and locate your receipt. Then take the bottle back to the wine store in the next couple of days and ask the wine seller to take a sniff or taste test. Most of the time the merchant will replace the wine or offer a refund.  If you purchased the wine from a winery, call or email the winery and ask about their wine replacement or refund policy.

What are some aromas or flavors I will encounter in a bad wine?

There are a number of descriptive words to describe wine faults (typically undesirable bad aromas).  These common words are actually associated with molecules or groups of molecules. Here are a few of the most common wine fault descriptors and the associated molecules. Some of these tastes and aromas are universally agreed-upon faults, while others are more ambiguous.

0387. Wine Faults.jpeg

Oxidation (addition of oxygen during winemaking) and the flavors and aromas of a Brettanomyces infected wine are two types of ‘flaws’ that some would argue are pleasant and desirable depending upon the wine and wine style.  This debate is becoming more prevalent with the increase in the number of natural wines on the market. But, this is a topic for another article!

Where do wine faults come from?

Wine faults can be introduced at any time during the winemaking process and can be influenced by vineyard practices as well.  Their presence can be influenced by vineyard management (rootstock, trellising systems, watering timing, grape cultivation, harvesting, sorting, pressing, fermentation, winemaking, aging, bottling, storage, and transportation). 

At just about any time in the wine making process, something might go wrong. Depending upon the phase in the process, the vineyard manager, winemaker, or transporter may be able to remedy an issue or not. At times, the fault may be so severe that the production of certain lots of wine is a total loss for the year.  

In summary, many of the wine faults are introduced during fermentation and aging, resulting in undesirable molecule formation that may or may not be perceptible to human noses and taste buds. 

What if my non-sparkling wine is fizzy?

So you’ve opened a bottle of wine and heard a pop, even though you didn’t purchase a sparkling wine. Or, you feel the texture of tiny bubbles on your tongue and did not expect them.

In aromatic white wines like Riesling that are bottled young, you may run across such a phenomenon. This occurrence is typically not considered a fault. The bubbles are remaining from the primary fermentation or a little bit of CO2 was added at the time of bottling for a little lift of freshness.

In less aromatic white wines (like Chardonnay aged in oak) and in most red wines, the presence of fizz is most likely a flaw.  The effervescence, in this case, is likely from a secondary fermentation in the bottle after bottling. If the wine is a little cloudy, that often confirms that a secondary fermentation took place as the cloudiness is yeast or bacteria bodies in suspension.  

Why does my wine have no flavor?

Sometimes the wine's fault is that it has little to no flavor. This fault is a little more tricky to figure out, especially if you are at a restaurant and the server or sommelier is hovering over you asking if the wine is “okay.”

In this case, the first thing to check is the temperature.  If there is no aroma and flavor and the wine feels almost ice-cold, then you’ll have to wait until the wine warms up a little bit to see if aromas emerge.  For the same reason that most American lager is served at ice-cold temperatures, some low-end wines are also served at a very low temperature. This is because these wines simply don’t have a lot of flavor and many quality issues can be masked by serving wines at a too-low temperature.

If the temperature of the wine is good, then it could be that the wine needs some air or decanting in order to open up its aromas.  If you are unsure if the wine needs decanting, ask your server or sommelier if this is the type of wine that needs air, especially if you’ve never had that particular type of wine before.  If you are at home, you might want to investigate your wine on an App like Vivino or CellarTracker to see if others have had the same experience.

Why does my wine taste like vinegar or fingernail polish remover?

If you detect a sharp, acidic smell, that is the aroma of acetic acid (vinegar smell) and ethyl acetate (nail polish remover).  These compounds are created naturally by yeast and bacteria native to the vineyard.  

Winemakers try to control this by controlling the amount of oxygen exposure during winemaking.  While this can be fairly easy to control in commercial winemaking, once one starts to introduce aging in oak barrels, this type of acidity can become more prevalent.  The problem becomes a noticeable flaw when there is too much acetic acid produced and the acid reaches a flavor threshold or detectable level.  

Some wine drinkers are more sensitive to - and prefer to varying degrees - the amount of these acids present in wine. There’s nothing we can do to fix this fault in wine once it is present. 

What do I do with bad wine?

If you come across a bad wine, the best remedy is to speak to the merchant at the shop where you purchased the wine.  Most people who sell and serve wine know that an occasional bad wine is just a part of doing business.

If you purchased the wine from a winery, send them an email or give them a call, explaining what you experienced. In your message, describe the fault to the best of your ability. Most will take measures to refund your money or send you a new wine of the same or similar vintage.

If your wine is bad (or you have some old wine that you suspect is bad) you might want to consider ordering a vinegar mother and making your own vinegar.

 
 

What happens if I drink bad wine?

You won’t get sick from tasting bad wine, only if you drink too much of any wine!  Alcohol acts as a preservative, so even if there is a secondary fermentation after bottling, once the alcohol level gets to a certain point, yeast and bacteria die out.  As wine ages, it becomes vinegar. This happens for some wines faster than for others.  

How to Prevent Wine from Going Bad

Proper storage away from heat and light will help keep your wines in good shape if you store wine at home.  Check out our article on wine refrigerators and storing wine if you’d like to learn more.  

Want to geek out on wine faults?

Want to know more about the color of wine as it ages and about wine faults without all the chemistry?  Check out the James Beard Award-winning Wine Folly Master Guide.

More reading on wine faults for the citizen scientist:

Reading not enough?  Try a wine fault kit and spike some wines with fault aromas!

In conclusion

Now you know the most common ways your wine can go bad.  Wine faults continue to decline as vineyard managers, winemakers, and the distribution channels use more technology to reduce the chances of wine going bad. This blog offered some tips on how to use your sense (and your wits and resources!) to determine if wine is actually bad or just unpleasing to your palate.

We’ve also confirmed that nothing bad will happen to you if you happen to taste some bad wine.  Every human has a different level of sensitivity to all these aromas and flavors, so there is no need to fear that you do or do not smell the same things as your drinking partner if you do come across a bottle with a fault and you disagree on the fault.

If you do happen to purchase a bad bottle of wine, let the retailer know.  This feedback is very useful to retailers, distributors, and winemakers. Don’t think that you are bothering the person or being a difficult consumer - your feedback is helping the world of wine!  Bring the wine to the retailer so that he/she can help you in identifying the defect, if possible. If you have a bad experience with the retailer, contact the manager or the distributor. Don’t let your hard-earned cash go to waste.

And here’s to the 97-99% of wine that’s fault-free!

Cheers!

The Wine Tasting Grid

You can download a wine grid from global organizations like WSET or buy one like this from www.winefolly.com

You can download a wine grid from global organizations like WSET or buy one like this from www.winefolly.com

If you’re ready to get intimate with wine, to really experience its complexity and find the vocabulary with which to express that complexity, a wine grid is essential. A grid like the one we use at KnowWines is a visual guide for understanding the wine in your glass. This is a professional wine taster’s tool, but it’s also a tool that can make understanding great wine a more accessible task for any wine consumer.

Why a wine grid?

In today’s society, taste and smell - perhaps because they require more time and attention - are underutilized. Instead, we tend to focus on the senses that offer more immediate gratification, like the visuals of a popular new film or YouTube video, the touch of our slick smartphones, or the sound of new music and ringtones. In contrast, aroma and taste are slightly more complex senses, and thus, it may be harder for some people to articulate their experiences with them. Professional wine tasters, however, are well-versed in these senses, and that’s because they’ve taught themselves to experience wine differently than most wine consumers and can anticipate what a wine tastes like.  They utilize a tasting grid as a road map, which is a classification system to identify and make associations between wines and their characteristics. By tasting different types of wine, paying close attention to their qualities, and comparing those qualities on the grid, they build a framework and knowledge for understanding the nuances of great wine. It’s also a great idea to enter your tasting notes in a personalized journal while you’re tasting wines, as a reference for future wine purchases.

Would you like some mushroom with that Malbec?

Here’s a sampling of the vocabulary you’ll find a wine tasting grid:

A wine with a “microbial” aroma might have notes of mushroom, sourdough, or butter.

Qualities of aged wine might include hints of leather, tobacco, dried fruit, or coffee.

Wine with a strong floral nose may have hints of elderflower, honeysuckle, rose, or lavender.

A wine with vegetal qualities may encompass sun-dried tomato, grass, or bell pepper.

How exactly does the wine grid work?

The grid breaks the wine down into parts: the wine’s visual qualities, it’s aroma (or “nose”), and it’s structure. For those of us who fall short of words when trying to describe wines (and let’s face it, most of us do), a grid provides the necessary vocabulary. For example, when describing a wine’s visual qualities, you may consider its clarity (is it clear, hazy, murky, or bubbly?) and its color (is a red wine more ruby or more purple?).  Next, you’ll consider the wine’s aroma. Here, the grid offers a poetic array of taste and aroma descriptors, from spice (thyme? mint? eucalyptus?) to oak (vanilla? cigar box?) to citrus (marmalade or grapefruit?). Then, you’ll consider the wine’s structure. This is a bit more advanced, but it’s a category of wine knowledge made more accessible by the grid. In this category, you’ll consider the wine’s level of sweetness (is it bone dry or very sweet?) and it’s level of tannin (does it contain more wood or more grape?). Over time, your combined understanding of these elements in wine will help you to more easily identify the region a wine comes from and how it was made. And, most importantly, the grid helps you understand which wines you love and where to find them.

wine tasting grid sweetness level.jpeg

Will a wine grid work for me?

Once you learn how to use it, absolutely! This grid incorporates the key concepts of tasting grids and is an approachable tool for novices and enthusiasts alike. Tasting grids take the mystery out of wine lingo by offering step-by-step documentation of your sensory experience to share with others in lively discussion. So, not only do you get to share your experiences with others, you’ll also end up with a record of what you tasted that can guide your future wine-buying efforts. With time, you’ll be able to review wines - from Syrahs to Cabs - with confidence. Then, you can recommend your favorites to friends!

Cheers!