Phil Marshall  
Grape Picker
Posts: 6
 | | 01-19-2004 07:42 PM |
| I'm a fairly sophisticated wino, but one term in the tasting notes has confused me -- "bricking". Can someone explain it to me?? | | |
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kpak
Alaska
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3028
| | 01-19-2004 07:46 PM |
| | Wine starts to turn color, taking on a brownish hue, as it oxidizes. | | | In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is
.ps - friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon. | |
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Phil Marshall
Grape Picker
Posts: 6
| | 01-19-2004 07:49 PM |
| | Thanks, that's what I thought, but never heard anyone actually define it.... | | | |
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Joseph Bembry
Advanced Sommelier
Posts: 9425
| | 01-19-2004 07:51 PM |
| As a wine ages, tannin ie color, starts to fall out of red wines in the form of sediment. As time goes by, many wines that start out inky or deep ruby in color tend to take on a brick colored appearance. You will notice the core (center of the glass) color to be darker and then progressively lighter (brick color). The term "bricking" describes this occurance and usually indicates development from either aging (good) or oxidation (bad).
jb | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13767
| | 01-19-2004 09:10 PM |
| | Welcome TexasZin! | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts: 15756
| | 01-19-2004 10:05 PM |
| The best indication of how old a wine might be is to look at the meniscus. The meniscus is the thin circle or ring) in the wine where the wine meets the glass.
The meniscus usually starts out clear like water. Look at a young red wine and you will see this ring. The smaller (width) of the meniscus usually the younger the wine. The meniscus gets wider as the wine ages and then starts to "brick" (turn a redish/brownish brick color). This bricking in the meniscus is a sign the wine is older and probably ok. It is when all the wine (liquid) is brown that you have probably got at OTH (over the hill) bottle.
One of the keys to telling how old a wine is during a blind tasting is to look at this ring. | | | |
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Sacred Cow
Wine Thief
Posts: 2764
| | 01-20-2004 02:25 AM |
| TexasZin:
We don't allow no stinkin' CPAs 'round these parts.
Get out the rope, boys.
Welcome.
Mike | | | |
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ormbee
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2397
| | 01-20-2004 07:10 AM |
| davidn,
Thanks that is really helpful. I will start looking for that. I even notice a clear miniscus in the Buller Fine Muscat I am sipping on. Oops glass empty, be right back. | | | |
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Landshark
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1894
| | 01-20-2004 08:39 AM |
| | Welcome TexasZin | | | |
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Joseph Bembry
Advanced Sommelier
Posts: 9425
| | 01-20-2004 07:37 PM |
| In most tasting notes I write, I call the "meniscus" the rim. It is exactly what davidn says. I just use a different term.
jb | | | |
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