Wine Infusion

 

I feel the world truly revolves around that saying, “It takes all types.” Throughout my wine adventures, I have certainly met all types. I have met people who will only drink sweet wines, or dry wines. I have met people who will only drink red wine, or white. I have met those who will snub their nose at hybrids and fruit wines, drinking only that vino made from Vitis vinifera. My favorite was the guy who had a problem with Europe and the fact that so many of their famous wines are blends. That was a mind trip of a conversation.

Me, I am not so picky.  If a wine gets my attention, I will try it. This has allowed me the opportunity to sample everything from wines made from grapes, to wines made from pears, to wines made from fall leaves, and everything in between. I recently poured myself a glass of Mylonas Retsina, which is part of a wine type known as “infused wine.” I had tried infused wine before, but for some reason this particular bottle really got me thinking about what makes an infused wine an infused wine.

Infused wine is exactly as it sounds. It is a wine that has been infused with herbs, fruits, etc. to give it added flavors. The best way to describe this type of wine is to think about making tea. When a tea bag is added to a cup of hot water, the water absorbs the flavors of the dried leaves, herbs, and fruits that make up that particular blend. After the steeping (infusion) period is over, a hot beverage that tastes like cinnamon apple, almonds, or vanilla is ready to be enjoyed. This is the same for infused wine. A winemaker can take a Riesling either during or after fermentation, soak it with some peaches, and voilà, Peach Riesling.

Blending is another winemaking method used to create an infused wine. What this entails is blending a wine with a liquid flavoring, extract, or fermented juice. Using the above example again, this would mean taking a Riesling and mixing it with fermented peach juice, and voilà, Peach Riesling.

Making infused wine is not a new concept. According to some research I did on Wine Folly, various ancient cultures would add things like plants, ocean water, and fruits to still wines to not only enhance the taste, but to also preserve the wine. In fact, it is speculated that a lot of the wine from the days of the pyramids of Egypt and the worshipping of gods like Dionysus and Zeus were made in this way. The Retsina wine I mentioned earlier that started this whole research hoopla? It is said to be the product of a wine that debuted over 2000 years ago.

The Wine Folly article I read speculated that modern Retsina came from a historic wine called Leucocoum. A recipe for this wine was found in the works of Cato. It stated that harvested grapes were dried in the sun, destemmed, then tossed with twice decanted seawater. During the three days the grapes and seawater soaked together, herbs were heated on a hot tile with pine sap. Once the grapes were removed from the seawater, they would be crushed and put in a jar with the herbs, where they would stay for the next 40 days. The final step was to transfer the grapes to an amphora vessel to age for about four years.

What modern wine drinkers experience with Retsina is a wine made from grapes such as Assyrtiko, Roditis, and Savatiano that has been fermented with fresh pine resin. Once the wine is done fermenting, the resin is removed and a wine with notes like apple, peach, lime, and a slight pine taste is created. They are typically released between three months and a year after harvest.

A few winemaking adventurists have made Leucocoum based on the ancient recipe to compare the two. Experimenting with grape types, as it is unclear what grapes were used back then, they have developed wines that include notes of pine and lime. Though very different from the modern Retsina, the similar tasting notes and addition of pine makes it easy to see how they are related.

These days, wines are infused with so many different ingredients including fruit, herbs, vegetables, spices, chocolate and, as I discovered while working on this, marijuana, which sounds terrible, but to each their own. Some of the more memorable ones I have tried are the Chocolate Shop The Chocolate Lover’s Wine, Silk Vanilla Wine, St. Kathryn Cellars Lavender Wine, The Wine Barrel Smoked Flat Acres White (yes, they actually add smoke to the wine), and Shiloh Vineyard’s Aroma, which is a super fun wine made with Noiret grapes and brewed coffee. What I have loved about every infused wine I have had the pleasure of trying is the individuality. Not all of them have necessarily been spectacular, but they have all been so unique. So different. The experience, and the discussion that goes along with it, is like no other.

 This is probably why I keep acquiring more and more. While I was working on this blog, I found myself at a wine store that had NewBright Vineyards Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay, NewBright Vineyards Peppermint Bark Red Blend, and Seasonal Blends Gingerbread Pinot Noir. It was not a hard decision to snag a bottle of each. The pumpkin one will go perfectly with my Halloween wine lineup, and since gingerbread and peppermint bark are some of my mom and I’s favorite holiday treats, and we both love wine, I could not pass up the opportunity to try these with her on Christmas. I’m sure the conversation about them will be as festive as the holiday itself.

Infused wines definitely march to the beat of their own drum. Though not for everybody’s tastes, I have personally found them to be fun and delightful to try, and I look forward to further explorations. My hope for you is that someday down the road you will find one that piques your interest enough to get you infused into this style of wine. Cheers!