The Wine Lab – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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In this episode of The Wine Lab, host Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores the scientific brilliance and cultural heritage of Sherry. From Andalucía’s luminous albariza soils to the flor yeasts that sculpt its aromatic identity, Sherry emerges as a wine shaped by geology, microbiology, and centuries of human expertise. We examine how fortification, performed after fermentation, determines whether a wine will age biologically as a Fino or oxidatively as an Oloroso, and how the solera system maintains continuity across generations. The episode also discusses sweetness levels, explaining how sun-dried PX and Moscatel wines are blended to create styles from Medium to Cream. With detours into Shakespeare, Poe, and Magellan’s voyages, this is a deep, compelling look at a wine that deserves fresh appreciation. 

Albariza
A white, chalk-rich soil formed from ancient marine sediments. Highly porous and capable of storing winter rainfall, sustaining vines through Andalucía’s dry summers.

Asoleo
A traditional sun-drying process used for Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel grapes. Grapes are laid on straw mats to concentrate sugars before fermentation.

Biological Aging
Aging that occurs under a living layer of flor at ~15% alcohol. This process protects wine from oxidation and imparts acetaldehyde-driven aromas typical of Fino and Manzanilla.

Criaderas
The upper tiers in the solera system, each holding wine of progressively younger average age. Wines from these tiers refresh the older levels below.

Dulce
A very sweet Sherry produced by blending dry Sherry with PX or Moscatel wine or concentrated must. Contains >140 g/L residual sugar.

Flor
A naturally forming film of specialized Saccharomyces yeasts that floats on the wine’s surface in partially filled barrels. It metabolizes ethanol and oxygen, generating acetaldehyde and protecting the wine from oxidation.

Fortification
The addition of neutral grape spirit after fermentation to raise alcohol. Determines whether a Sherry will age biologically (~15–15.5%) or oxidatively (~17–18%).

Grape Spirit (Destilado de vino)
A neutral distillate made from wine, used to fortify Sherry without altering aroma or flavor.

Manzanilla
A biologically aged Sherry produced exclusively in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Noted for its delicacy and slight maritime influence.

Medium Sherry
A sweetened style created by blending dry Sherry with PX or Moscatel wine or must. Contains 5–115 g/L residual sugar.

Oloroso
An oxidatively aged Sherry fortified to ~17–18% alcohol to prevent flor formation. Rich, deep, and aromatic.

Oxidative Aging
Aging without flor, allowing controlled oxygen exposure. Produces darker color and flavors of walnut, spice, and dried fruit.

Pedro Ximénez (PX)
An intensely sweet Sherry made from sun-dried PX grapes. Known for flavors of raisin, molasses, coffee, and fig.

Solera
The lowest and oldest tier in the solera system, from sol (“ground”). Wine drawn for bottling comes from this level and is replenished from the criadera above.

Solera System
A dynamic, fractional aging and blending method using stacked tiers of barrels. Ensures stylistic consistency and continuity across decades.

Sweet Sherries (Cream, Medium, Dulce)
Styles created by blending dry Sherrie

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Icewine is one of the most challenging and extraordinary wines ever produced,a liquid born from winter itself. In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores how a frozen accident in 1794 became one of the modern wine world’s most coveted styles. We travel from Germany to Canada’s Niagara Peninsula, through vineyards picked at –10°C, and into fermenters battling extreme osmotic stress, soaring Brix, and yeast pushed to its limits.

From the brutal harvest nights to the chemistry of freezing, from osmotolerant yeast to glycerol production, this episode unpacks the science behind icewine’s intensity and the economics, authenticity concerns, sensory profile, and even the best glass to pour it in.

A story of persistence, purpose, and prowess, this is icewine as you’ve never heard it: equal parts science, craft, and the beautiful madness of making sweetness in the dead of winter. 

GLOSSARY 

Icewine / Eiswein
Wine made from grapes naturally frozen on the vine and pressed while still frozen.

Brix (°Bx)
A measure of sugar concentration in grape must; icewine typically begins above 35°Bx.

Osmotic Stress
The pressure yeast face in high-sugar environments, slowing fermentation and challenging metabolism.

YAN (Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen)
The portion of nitrogen available to yeast; critical in supporting fermentation, especially in high-sugar musts.

Osmotolerant Yeast
Yeast strains selected or bred to survive fermentations with high sugar, low water activity, and strong osmotic pressure.

Glycerol
A fermentation byproduct that increases mouthfeel and viscosity, often elevated in icewine.

Norisoprenoids
Aroma compounds (e.g., β-damascenone) contributing notes of honey, dried fruit, and baked apple.

Monoterpenes
Aromatic compounds responsible for floral and citrus notes, especially in Riesling-based icewines.

Cryoextraction
Artificial freezing of grapes; not permitted in true icewine production.

Residual Sugar (RS)
Sugar remaining after fermentation; icewine typically ranges between 150–220 g/L.

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Cork is everywhere in the world of wine, from the quiet of a cellar to the noise of a celebration. But how did this small stopper come to influence the way wines age, the rituals of opening a bottle, and even the way we think about quality? In this episode of The Wine Lab, we explore the science, the history, and the culture wrapped up in every cork, and ponder why it remains central to wine today. 

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 Is wine really “full of sugar”? What about those “zero sugar” labels, or the idea that wine is keto-friendly? In this episode of The Wine Lab, Andreea breaks down what you need to know about sugar in wine — from grapes on the vine to yeast in the tank, from chaptalization in Burgundy to back-sweetening in Riesling, and from Champagne dosage to carbs and calories. Along the way, we’ll uncover what’s legal, what’s marketing, and what really ends up in your glass. 

Glossary

• Glucose & Fructose – The natural grape sugars fermented by yeast into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
• Residual Sugar (RS) – Natural grape sugar left in wine after fermentation is stopped or incomplete. The main source of carbohydrates in wine.
• Chaptalization – Adding sugar before fermentation to increase alcohol, not sweetness. Legal in many cooler regions (e.g., Burgundy, Germany), illegal in warmer regions (e.g., California, Italy, Spain).
• Back-sweetening – Adding grape juice, concentrate, or in some U.S. states, sugar after fermentation to increase sweetness. EU law restricts this to grape-derived products only.
• Süssreserve – A German method of back-sweetening where unfermented grape juice is reserved and blended into the wine after fermentation.
• Dosage – In sparkling wines, a small addition of sugar solution before corking that sets the final sweetness level (e.g., Brut Nature, Brut, Demi-Sec).
• Fortification – Adding a spirit such as brandy to stop fermentation, leaving natural grape sugar in the wine (e.g., Port, Madeira).
• Dry Wine – A wine where nearly all sugars have been fermented away, leaving little or no residual sugar.
• Sweet Wine – A wine with sugar remaining in the finished product, either naturally or through winemaking choices.
• Keto-friendly Wines – Typically dry wines with 1–3 g of carbs per 5 oz glass, low enough to fit into a ketogenic diet.

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 Wine shimmers across the history of art: painted on Egyptian tomb walls, poured into Greek amphorae, celebrated in Roman mosaics, lifted in Renaissance chalices, and glowing in Impressionist picnics. In this episode of The Wine Lab, we follow its journey through image, poetry, and song, tracing how wine has carried sacred meanings, earthly joys, and artistic inspiration across millennia—ending with Pablo Neruda’s luminous Ode to Wine.

Amphora
A tall, two-handled clay vessel used in ancient Greece and Rome to store and transport wine. Often decorated with painted scenes.

Dionysus / Bacchus
The Greek (Dionysus) and Roman (Bacchus) gods of wine, fertility, and festivity. Frequently depicted with vines, ivy crowns, satyrs, and panthers.

Symposium
A Greek banquet or drinking party where men gathered to drink wine, discuss philosophy, and enjoy poetry, music, and games.

Kottabos
A popular drinking game played at Greek symposia, where participants flung the dregs of their wine at a target, often while reclining.

Maenads
Female followers of Dionysus in Greek mythology, often shown in ecstatic dances, symbolizing the wild, frenzied side of wine and ritual.

Carmina Burana
A medieval collection of Latin songs and poems (12th–13th century) written by wandering students and clergy. Includes both religious hymns and bawdy drinking songs. Later set to music by composer Carl Orff.

In Taberna Quando Sumus
One of the most famous drinking songs from Carmina Burana, describing the chaos and revelry inside a tavern.

Cistercians and Benedictines
Catholic monastic orders in medieval Europe. They preserved viticulture knowledge and carefully cultivated vineyards, especially in Burgundy, often recording early observations of terroir.

Terroir
A French term describing the unique combination of soil, climate, and geography that shapes the character of a wine. First systematically studied by monastic orders in the Middle Ages.

Mission Grape
The first European grape variety planted in the Americas by Spanish missionaries, used for sacramental wine in Mexico, Chile, and later California.

Counter-Reformation
A movement within the Catholic Church (16th–17th centuries) responding to Protestant Reformation. In art, it emphasized realism and emotional intensity—Caravaggio’s gritty, dramatic paintings reflect this style.

Jan Steen
A Dutch Golden Age painter known for lively, chaotic tavern and household scenes, often using spilled wine and misbehavior as moral lessons.

Ode to Wine
A lyrical poem by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, celebrating wine as both an earthly pleasure and a cosmic force.

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 In this episode of The Wine Lab, host Andreea Botezatu unpacks the misunderstood world of sulfites in wine — what they are, what they do, and why that warning label exists. From antioxidant chemistry to ancient winemaking tricks, we look at how sulfur dioxide protects wine, explore common myths - like the one about sulfites and headaches - and even dive into the science of those rare sulfite sensitivities. Expect a splash of history, a little rock ‘n’ roll, and a few nerdy detours into redox chemistry. 

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From Neolithic pottery shards to golden amphorae sealed for millennia, the world’s oldest wines tell us more than just what ancient people drank — they reveal how wine shaped trade, ritual, and daily life across civilizations. In this episode, we journey through some of the most remarkable archaeological wine finds, explore the science used to identify them, and imagine what these ancient vintages might have tasted like.

Glossary

Qvevri (also spelled Kvevri)

Large, egg-shaped clay vessels used in Georgia for fermenting, aging, and storing traditional wine—usually buried underground or set into the floor. They’ve been integral to Georgian winemaking for millennia.
 

Pithoi

Very large earthenware storage jars used throughout the ancient Greek world—sometimes as tall as a human—used for storing bulk foods or liquids like grain and wine, sometimes even used for burial.
 

Krater

A large, two-handled Greek vessel used for mixing wine with water. In ancient symposia, it stood centrally, and wine would be served from it using other vessels.

Amphora(e)

Two-handled, narrow-necked jars used across the ancient Mediterranean—as storage and transport containers for wine and olive oil. Common in maritime trade and often inscribed with workshop or content details.
 

Symposium (Symposion)

An elite Greek social gathering held after dinner—men reclining, drinking, and engaging in music, poetry, or philosophical discussion. The setting often included kraters and specialized drinking cups.

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 From royal courts in 17th-century France to today’s celebrations around the world, sparkling wine has captured attention for centuries. In this episode of The Wine Lab, host Andreea Botezatu explains how sparkling wines are made, from traditional Champagne techniques to Prosecco’s Charmat method and beyond. We’ll look at the role of secondary fermentation, explore different sweetness levels, highlight the major regions producing sparkling wine, and share the story of La Veuve Clicquot, the woman who changed sparkling wine production forever. 

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In this episode of The Wine Lab, we explore the unseen world of yeast—the microscopic winemakers transforming grape juice into wine. 

From lab-selected commercial strains to wild, spontaneous fermentations and even wineries culturing their own native yeasts, we uncover how these tiny organisms shape wine’s flavor, texture, and identity. 

Along the way, we touch on yeast’s long history in human culture—from bread to beer to Bordeaux. 

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Why does a glass of wine smell like blackberries, jasmine, or freshly cut herbs—when it’s made entirely from grapes? 

In this episode, we explore the complex and fascinating science of wine aroma.

 From compounds naturally found in grapes and flowers to the transformative role of fermentation and microbes, we trace how scent molecules form, evolve, and interact with our senses. 

We’ll also examine how genetics, memory, and culture shape the way we experience wine, and why no two noses interpret it quite the same way. 

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