“My daughter put it really well — when I smell a glass of wine, it’s like I’m reading the first chapter of a book.” -Kristen Lindelow, graduate of the American Wine Society Wind Judge Certification Program.

Homegrown Huntsville’s Big Spring Crush wine festival took over Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville on Saturday, September 16th. Over 195 wines (and wine ice cream, wine swag, and food made to pair or made with wine) were available for tasting to the hundreds that purchased tickets.

This year, 9 wine suppliers from California were on hand to showcase their selection.

Last year, there was one supplier, who went back to Cali and told the others what a great event Huntsville hosted.

“Every big city has a wine festival and to get national attention is really exciting. It’s great to be a part of the explosive growth of downtown Huntsville.” -Ashley Rylas, owner of Homegrown Huntsville

The great thing about wine is that it doesn’t discriminate. There’s a wine for everyone. And the science of wine, is definitely for the wine aficionados and geeks alike.

“I almost always prefer a Pinot Noir and usually drink that. But this event allows me to open my eyes and try things I wouldn’t normally.” – Georgina Chapman, Founder of Susie’s Wish

Let’s start with a chemistry lesson.

The amount of oxygen a wine gets is critically important. When oxygen reacts with alcohol, it creates acetic acid, or vinegar. So while it helps to bring out that oak barrel flavor of young wine, we all know what happens after too much time…

That left-on-the-counter-for-too-many-days wine turned to salad dressing.

There’s a sweet spot for the amount of oxygen needed. Getting to know your wine and your winemaker’s path for their wine is handy.

“I love finding a wine I love and then researching what the weather was like during that vintage.” -Local meteorologist.

A wine’s soil composition, the weather that year, it’s climate and topography all play crucial roles in a wine’s flavor profile. This is why wines sort by region.

“Wine goes away. I may try one vintage of a particular wine that I like but the next year, it will be completely different… So I wonder, did it rain a little or did it rain a lot? I even change with the weather. In the summer, I love a really crisp white wine and I want to cuddle up with a hearty red in the winter. ” – Stephanie Mell, owner of Church Street Wine Shoppe