many white wines now made with extended skin contact, that deliver red-berry notes in the scent. With my eyes closed, I too would think I was drinking a red wine. Big deal. Does that make me (or you) a chump? A bad taster? A poseur? Hardly.
I’ve tasted a fair number of skin-contact whites and orange wines (probably way more than Kramer), but I cannot recall a single one in which I picked up “red-berry notes” or would guess it to be a red.
Anybody have a clue as to what he’s talking about here??
Tom
I’ve had an Austrian Gruner Veltliner that I swear was red-fruited. Disconcerting, but in a good way. No skin contact based on color. I’m guessing the flavors don’t just come from skin contact.
By the way, several Madeira producers are experimenting with macerating their white grapes before fortification.
I’ve had many a Pinot blanc that if I close my eyes I can taste fresh strawberry, red cherry, etc. None were skin contacted that I know of, but I don’t find it to be an odd descriptor for certain varieties of white wines.
The Gouges Nuits St. Georges white, made from mutant pinot noir vines that yield white grapes, can have a distinct pinot noir flavor. As I recall, they vinify that as they do the reds, which would mean a couple of weeks of skin contact, I guess.
I can’t speak to the skin contact, but I was able to procure a bunch of these and have been enjoying them all summer long. Striking red fruit notes here…
White Grenache has a distinct smell of red berries on the nose - so “maybe” he was talking (or thinking) about grapes like Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris or Grenache Blanc that all have red relatives…