Humid days and wine

Drank wine on Thursday and it was quite humid in Manhattan. Friend who I drank the wine with opened up before '73 Lopez Blanco, '96 Allemand Chaillot, '08 Allemand Reynard and they all showed poorly, muted. Then we opened '06 Heger Grauburgunder GG Winklerberg, '05 Rebholz Kastanienbusch and '02 Ganevat Savagnin. All closed and all in the same way. Muted and clamped down and just dull and blunted. We started talking and he said wine from July 4th on till it gets less humid is never an option for him as he believes wine shows like crap on humid days. On that humid day I’d agree. Thoughts?

Certainly heard lots of people say the barometric pressure affects the expressivity of wine…I don’t think I’ve heard someone say humidity specifically, though air is less dense when it’s humid than when it’s dry, and a big drop in barometric pressure usually means rain/storm.

Not sure of the validity, or whether it’d keep me from opening up a bottle. If it’s talked about enough though the power of suggestion may prove it whether or not its there…hope it doesn’t rain next la paulee, some angry burg drinkers!

Not sure about humidity, but I have seen some effect on a wine’s taste from the weather…haven’t codified it though, and it wouldn’t have affected all bottles drunk that day. And what are you doing in NY? I thought your new company was based in Cal?

thursday 5/16 was a fruit day too. bummer.

Cool wine + humid air = water condensation on the surface of the wine = diluted/flabby. Happens in HI a lot, alas.

I can possibly imagine heat and humidity somehow affecting the senses, but this theory, um, does not hold water

Alan, you think you’re Mark or something?

Interesting observation. Thankfully I live in So. Cal so it doesnt get too humid, but will definitely take note and open something I am familiar with the next time humidity creeps up to see if I have a similar experience.

I’m no scientist, but I’ve been drinking wines of all stripes in the South for as long as I’ve been drinking wine, and I file this one under: That’s Silly.

I don’t know whether it is the individual or the humidity, but my favorite red wines here in Napa, tasted dead/flat in Myrtle Beach, SC. I found Italian and French wines I purchased there had more going for them than did my Cali Cabs, Zins, Syrahs and a few big Aussies. 2 years ago I took Italian reds and Cali S/Bs. The S/B’s were a little off at first. I’ve been trying to figure out it is the humidity that causes it, individual senses or other contributing factors, e.g. drinking beer all day on the golf courses, Scotch by the pool before dinner, then wine; greasy food that I don’t have the rest of the year; time travel; stress of dealing with a foreign language.

Did you drink these outside? Two words from a Southerner: air conditioning.

The ability of people to make up bullshit reasons to explain perceived observations knows no bounds. This is just a 21st century version of people saying that the Gods Were Angry.

Both, but I have to admit, the A/C in the condos doesn’t do a lot with the sliding glass door open and everybody wandering in an out. The wines I brought last year were pretty good and they were enjoyed in the well air conditioned hotel suites now stay in.

I was pretty angry too when the wines tasted nothing like they did one week prior in Napa. If a scientist gets involved in this thread, the bullshit could turn into published scientific fact and 20 or so entrepreneurs will make millions on perceived solutions.

Another couple of words from a Southerner: Vinho Verde.

If we couldn’t drink wine on humid days, we couldn’t drink wine.

And here also below sealevel

best regards from Holland!

I’ve had similar experiences but only when outside. I assume is some subtle condensation on the glass which drops the surface area of crystal and blunts the nose. Never inside though. This phenomena was quite pronounced when moving in/out with a glass slightly below room temp. Happened to me all the time in San Antonio and same here in Norfolk. I just don’t drink high end stuff outside.

Can you explain how condensation on the glass might act to blunt the aromatics? I don’t follow.

Well, I’ve certainly thought red wines have shown poorly on hot humid days, but not sure if the humidity has an affect on the wine or more likely an effect on me.

I was slightly disappointed Thursday in my first taste of the 2011 CRB Sauvignon #5- good wine, but I didn’t get the “wow” factor I’ve gotten from some previous vintages.

But in this particular instance I think the wines just showed poorly, because I don’t think Thursday was “quite humid.” I was out quite a bit (Westchester and NYC) and didn’t remember feeling uncomfortable. So just looked up CP figures. Humidity throughout day ranged from 33% RH (midafternoon when temps rose to 78F) to a high of 53% at 9:50 PM. I don’t think most people would regard that as particularly humid.

I live in Orlando. We have 100% humidity all summer and lots of days hitting the high 90s in temperatures. I have never sensed that humidity altered my wine or my perception of it. Some times I prefer a Rose though!