Taking wine on ski trip

I’m heading to Lake Tahoe at the end of the month, which will perfectly coincide with the end of Dry January (well it’s actually Whole30 for me). I would like to open some nice stuff to celebrate the end of the 30 days + the much needed time out of the city. However, I find that wine just doesn’t taste the same up in the mountains. I think it’s a combination of the elevation affecting my palate and possibly bottle shock. Anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this? Right now, I’m thinking I’ll just stock up on NV champagne and <$40 robust red wines and not think too hard about it.

Others with more knowledge may well correct me. As I understand it, the issue with altitude is actually the decreased humidity that comes with it. The drier air means drier mucous membranes and less smell/taste compared to sea level. So, I think you are on track to go with robust reds. I would think the different atmospheric pressure would affect champagne once opened, but I don’t know how. I am sure th physicists here will chime in.

As far as bottle shock, I don’t think that is altitude-dependent. I assume Tahoe would have retail options where sub-$40 reds are available and have been at that location, so unless you are set on bringing certain bottles, this may be a time to buy local.

I’m also in agreement with your plan (robust reds). I don’t think bottle shock (hmm, if it exists at all) is a major issue if you’re driving and will have the wine in a box in the back of your car. I live in San Francisco and have driven up to Tahoe with wine quite a few times and haven’t had any problems.

We drive up to Tahoe all the time with wine and don’t really have issues. I have a variety of decent plastic stems I use for these trips. I do agree that if you’re taking delicate, older bottles they aren’t going to be at their best. Apres ski is a good time for throaty young Rhones, IMO

The drier air affecting sense of smell/taste makes 100% sense. I thought it had something to do with that. Definitely less concerned with bottle shock.

I’ll consider the young rhones. That and moderately priced Zin I think does ok. Maybe a moderately priced Riesling spatlese would do all right too.

I was suggesting NV champagne simply because of the bubbles. Even if you can’t taste everything, the bubbles are fun!!

Jon,

I presume you know how hard it is to remain hydrated in a high, dry, cold environment, while getting a good workout every day. You don’t really feel thirsty in the cold, and water is not always close at hand. Drink plenty before you travel, drink on the way, drink every hour of every day, even if you don’t feel like it. I mean water, of course.

You might also consider Riesling the first night.

Yup, not my first rodeo. Hence why I know from experience that the wine doesn’t taste the same. No matter how diligent one is about hydrating, the drying of the nasal passages is the bigger issue imo.

I do like the Riesling idea… I’ve also got some Grieve Double Eagle that’s an absolute chocolate oak bomb that I think would be delicious up there

I go to Tahoe several times a year and always bring wine, whether driving or flying. I am a total nonbeliever in travel shock (other than perhaps stirring fine sediment in old wines or that sort of thing), but others are into that notion, and no sense in arguing that issue generally for the umpteenth time.

I don’t know that low humidity is really a bar to enjoying fine wines – think of all the people who enjoy wine in Arizona, Las Vegas, Denver, and many other places that have similarly low humidity. But perhaps it plays some role. It is good to force yourself to drink much more water than usual up there – and fortunately, the tap water in Tahoe is cold and very delicious (frankly, better tasting than bottled waters), so it lends itself to that plan very well.

But I do also believe that an open minded wine enthusiast with a diverse cellar and palate can tailor wine experiences to different situations, and I tend to agree with Arv that on cold winter nights in the mountains, after skiing or other outdoor activity, bold flavors probably fit the bill more than delicate types of wines. So if that is your sense of it as well, then definitely bring wines to fit the situation.

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I have lived above 8,000 feet for over 10 years and still spend 3 mos a year at elevation. I have heard this repeatedly and honestly think the main differences in perception/taste is just acclimation to elevation. It is super dry, less Os, and you are generally wiped after a day on the slopes. I think all three of those things can have a large impact on perceived wines taste. On champagne it does seem to bubble less at high elevations. Once acclimated, like a resident, I have not had wines taste different at sea level or elevation.

With that said when I travel with wine I do generally keep things more robust and simple. Just seems to be a safer bet than schlepping a prized bottle and having expectations unmet.

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Shouldn’t it bubble more? Or bubble more quickly and then fizz out? Lower pressure at altitude means the dissolved CO2 should bubble off more quickly . . .

I’m with you Chris. I live at over 5,000 ft here in Utah and at 2100 Ft in the Santa Cruz Mountains and always bring wine in the car or in the wineCheck if I’m flying. Never had an issue with travel shock or the elevation effecting my perception of the wines. I’d assert the OP is possibly suffering from acclimatization. Glad to hear others are hitting the slopes too. Today will be Day #40 of the season. Headed out for some afternoon sunshine.

Sean

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Yes the above is the correct science. I’ve just had so many friends say champagne at my mtn place tasted “flat”. I did not drink enough to have a control. And the exact glass makes a huge difference in the amt of bubbles depending on the surface imperfections. So yeah, I should have said nothing on champagne or replaced it with “flat” rather than less bubbly. Maybe the bubble release faster due to the pressure difference and then the wine tends to go flat faster which is probably what has been observed.

With that said, my favorite after ski quaffer is Cerdon du Bugey. Super refreshing, bubbly, fruity, and low alcohol.

Yeah - I could see it tasting flat faster. That would be consistent with faster degassing. But I wonder how much faster - I’m sure one could estimate it if one knew the science better than I do. But I wouldn’t think it’s a huge difference.

Anyway, even if so, solution - drink more faster!

I drive up to the Sierra’s and notice all my chip bags and stuff inflate, alot. One time I did have an ever so slightly elevated cork and bit of dribble from a couple bottles. Maybe they were already leakers? As to drinking at higher altitude, yeah, I noticed my BiL who almost never gets hungover, looking a little rough one morning, but that was after draining a bottle of scotch. Stay hydrated, B12 and Ibuprophen can be your friend after a couple bottles. I bring a mix of syrahs, zin, cab and white rgones/chards. Have fun, stay safe.

The atmospheric pressure at 2000M is 80% of the pressure at sea level. The rate of degassing should be inversely proportional.

I spend a lot of time drinking wine at altitude, and I recommend a product called Ayr to keep the nasal membranes moist - it’s a saline gel, so it stays up there a lot better than a spray. It’s got a bit of a minty tingle, so not ideal for just before or during the wine drinking, but if you apply it a couple of times a day, it will make a big difference.

Alan

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Will definitely look into this…

Jon,

I moved recently to Sun Valley, where I am at about 5,900 ft. I have been here about a month, and I drank some real wines for the first time last week. I was concerned about the same issue, but I was happy to find everything tasted right. Bordeaux, Burgundy, champagne, rhone, all seemed on the money. Some ripe wines in particular like 90 Cheval, 90 Chave, 2013 Rousseau Beze, 99 Engel VR brulees all had plenty of structure. Admittedly, we didn’t drink anything super old and delicate.

I’m not sure if the key is getting acclimated or not getting over a certain altitude or what. I have noticed in the past that if I go somewhere high like taos just for a couple days, things do taste funky.

Best of luck and get some good turns.

Bottle shock is real, at least in the context of transferring wine from barrel to bottle - I’ll never forget the first taste of a high-end Napa cab poured for us at a well-known steak house in St. Helena a few years ago; tasted exactly like sour milk. Turns out it had only been in bottle for a short time. Utterly undrinkable.