FAQ

This page is dedicated to the most Frequently Asked Questions that I hear from my customers and from friends around Birmingham who love wine.

1. What is the difference between (varietal ie. Merlot, Cabernet, Chardonnay) and (varietal)?

  • There are hundreds of different grape varietals that are used to produce wine globally, each of them with key differences that impact flavors both subtly and dramatically. I could give individual examples, but the best option for a prospective student of wine is to purchase a book or two on the subject. Specifically I recommend The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil and The Wine Lover’s Companion, both are great resources and have always served me well when I run into a particularly difficult quandry.

2. Is a wine sealed with a screw-cap inferior to a wine with a cork?

  • No, with the development of the Stelvin Closure, many reputable producers are switching all or many of their bottlings to a screw-cap. There does remain a stigma in the minds of many consumers, but the fears of less than acceptable quality levels are generally unfounded, especially in regions such as Australia and South America where many of the top producers use screw-cap closures.

3. Why does my sparkling wine say Brut on it?

  • Brut is a term used to designate a certain dryness (or sweetness if you prefer) level. There are six dryness levels that are used to describe sparkling wines, here they are from driest to sweetest:
  • Level of Dryness - Residual Sugar per Liter
  1. Extra Brut - 0.6%
  2. Brut - 1.5%
  3. Extra Dry - 1.2% to 2.0%
  4. Sec - 1.7% to 3.5%
  5. Demi Sec - 3.3% to 5%
  6. Doux - Above 5%
  • Of these levels, Extra Dry and Brut are the most common to find in the U.S.

Check back often, there are more answers to come!