There are few cups of wine for a thousand confidants, and it is really a bit of a feeling of hating each other, Ding Mengyao directly took Johnson to the core wine cellar, and outsiders absolutely refused to visit.

SC Johnson was also seeing a real wine cellar for the first time, and he was very curious when he looked at the large wooden barrels of various colors in front of him.

Ding Mengyao walked up to a large dark brown wooden barrel and explained: "The world's finest wines are made in oak barrels, and during the fermentation process, chemical changes occur between the wine and the barrel, making the wine more complex and of better quality. ”

"Oak barrels can be classified as compact, moderately and loosely textured. Much of the debate is about who is better or worse than French oak or American oak.

SC Johnson nodded to himself and began to distinguish between different barrels with his nose, because oak barrels should be breathable. The decrease caused by the evaporation of wine is called angel sharing in the jargon.

The oxygen that enters the barrel due to the permeability allows the wine to undergo complex chemical reactions in the bottle, which will have a softening effect on the tannins in the wine.

If the wine is stored in new oak barrels, the tannins in the wood will be leached out of the planks that make up the barrels and absorbed by the wine, which will make the wine more acidic.

But over time, as the oak barrel oxidation occurs, the wine matures and softens the tannins much faster than the tannins are absorbed by the wine. This is also the most precious reason for the more vintage oak barrels, which is the same as the antique pulp.

Ding Mengyao understands that SC Johnson doesn't know much about professional knowledge, and explains with a smile: "The most important measure for different oak species is the tightness of the oak grain, which helps determine the formation of tannins and thus the rate of evaporation of the wine. ”

Walking up to a nearby oak barrel, he touched it with his hand: "American oak is a striated wood with a unique taste and a fairly low porosity. It has a high lactone content and is able to sweeten wine. The typical flavor it gives off is described as: coconut, vanilla, etc. For example, this is the finest oak barrel that is more than 100 years old. ”

Then he walked up to another barrel next to him and said, "As for this barrel, it is from Limousant, which is a kind of French oak with a loose grain. The wine is usually given a fine spicy aroma, with hints of ginger, cloves, cedar and cigar boxes in common. ”

"In the early days, American oak was thought to be cheaper, so it couldn't be compared to the value of French oak. The reason for this is that the American barrel industry was originally built on the production of barrels for spirits, and at that time there was no emphasis on the precision and subtlety of barrels. Now, as cooperage continues to improve its technology, it has begun to compete with some of the best oak barrels in the world. ”

Then he slowly walked to the obviously lighter barrel and said with a smile: "Hungarian oak has suffered from a reputation for decades due to poor management, but today it is slowly emerging as the main alternative to French oak. For example, the texture of this barrel seems to be similar to that of French oak, but with a more pronounced acidic smell. ”

SC Johnson listened carefully and wrote down that red wine, as a centuries-old culture, is broad and profound, and naturally has a unique charm.

After a brief introduction, Ding Mengyao said: "Actually, I have just begun to understand oak barrels, which are very deep, different oak fermentation is different, and even different air-drying methods will have a subtle impact on wine, which is very complex and changeable. ”

Johnson smiled and said, "Isn't this one of the charms of wine tasting?"

Ding Mengyao's beautiful eyes are full of brilliance, chatting with Johnson is very comfortable, and it is rare to meet peers who really know how to taste wine, and she is in a very happy mood.

Turning around and picking up a generic six-ounce wine glass, he opened the wooden barrel, took out a glass of red wine and said: "The wine glass is also exquisite, this kind of wine can be drunk, its medium-sized cup belly gradually shrinks upward, and the aroma of the wine is sent directly to the rim of the glass." ”

Handed to Johnson with both hands and asked him to taste it first, Johnson took the wine glass, raised it gently, shook it slowly, and asked: "I often hear people say that the quality of red wine depends on the degree of the glass, is there any secret?"

Ding Mengyao said: "In my personal experience, the traces of the wine have nothing to do with whether the wine is good or not, but whether the glass is hung or not may have a great relationship with the body and vintage of the wine. ”

"Wine with no traces of hanging glass or no obvious traces of hanging glass is often a wine with a small body, in the final analysis, it is a high blending ingredient, and the original grape juice content is not high, so it is definitely not a good wine. ”

"There are traces of hanging glasses, and this kind of hanging glass traces stay for a long time, which indicates that the grapes are basically produced in the original grape juice, stored in oak barrels for a long time, and the age is long. ”

"Wines with signs of hanging glasses tend to be of better quality, more expensive, have a longer shelf life, and feel mellow and sweet in the mouth. That's why it's a popular theory that a wine with a glass is better than a wine without a glass that doesn't. ”

As if he remembered something, he said with a smile: "Our people seem to be very sensitive to the sediment of wine, and we feel that it is unhygienic to have sediment. This psychology affects the producers of liquor, so the liquor currently circulating in the market is basically free of sediment. ”

"In fact, if a real bottle of wine has sediment, and you can feel that kind of adhesion on the tongue surface of your mouth when you drink it, then congratulations, you must drink a truly tasteful wine. Among foreign wines, the wine with the adhesion is a fine wine, and it is a real bottle of wine. ”

"I see!" SC Johnson felt that the trip was worthwhile, and the two chatted as they drank, and it was rare to taste the original red wine fermented directly from oak barrels, with a more unique taste.

Ding Mengyao took out a few bottles of treasured products from the wine cellar, returned to the private room, took out a few boxes from the cabinet, put them on the table, and opened them one by one.

"Cheese?"

Johnson looked at the various milky cheeses on the table with some surprise, and asked curiously, "What does this mean?"

Ding Mengyao smiled, pointed to the cheese and said: "This is my private collection, in fact, the best match for drinking red wine is cheese! Cheese will make wine sweeter and mellow, and wine can suppress the fishy smell or musty smell of cheese, making cheese taste more delicious." ”

"The nutrients of milk in cheese can be concentrated to 1/10, and the amino acids contained in cheese can help the activity of the liver, which can effectively break down alcohol, which is more beneficial to health. ”

Glancing at SC Johnson, he joked: "These are specially ordered by me from the place of origin, and I am going to keep them to enjoy secretly, count yourself lucky today!"

SC Johnson laughed, looked at the dazzling array of cheeses, picked up a plate and asked, "Different wines should be paired with different cheeses, right?"

"It's actually very simple, ordinary cheese and wine are produced in the same place or a similar region, and the products of the same terroir are suitable. ”

"For example, the piece in your hand should be Parmigiano-Reggiano, one of the famous cheese brands in the Emilia-Romagna region. ”

"It's a good match for aromatic wines, such as the new brand of Château Lafite, but also wines from Château Nabnay and Château Cameron, such as this bottle, you can try it. ”

After speaking, he opened a bottle of wine, poured it for Johnson, and motioned to taste the new taste with cheese. Johnson took the glass and said eagerly, "In that case, what difference does it make if I want to taste it?"

After speaking, he picked up a piece of cheese with a small fork, gently put it in his mouth, waited for a while, raised the wine glass, and took a small sip slowly, and instantly indulged in it with an expression of enjoyment on his face.

An unprecedented taste erupts in the mouth, sweeping the taste buds like a storm, and the complex and wonderful sensation is indescribable!

Instantly overwhelmed by the wonderful tastes, I can't help but close my eyes and indulge in the passion of cheese and wine colliding with each other.

"Amazing!"