It used to be fashionable to bash wine snobs and their impossibly convoluted descriptions of wine e.g. something like “ingratiating without being obsequious” What?!!?
A wonderful trend is taking place where young folks are diving onto, or at least jumping feet first into the California, Washington, Oregon and international wine scenes seeking a social and culinary experience beyond bland domestic beers (not to disparage the incredible artisan offerings of micro brews…).
In the words of Henry Ford, “Anyone who stops learning is old, either at twenty or at eighty.”
Julie and myself as college professors feel compelled to both share and absorb knowledge (learn). One of my favorite sayings is “The day you stop learning is the day you start dying” – it sounds a bit ominous on the surface but it is really a positive message communicating a goal or motivation for life-long learning –a glorious thing!.
In the context of wine tasting – we’d like nothing better than to see wine novices – (we all start out as novices in new parts of our lives) become wine lovers and with time, maybe even experts – and bring all their friends along for the journey.
An earlier discussion group posting (Five S’s”) discussed some very basic wine tasting concepts, for consideration below takes a few tiny steps beyond that:
As the title suggests moving beyond keg stands, wine is an enjoyable and complex full-sensory experience you can focus and linger at any stage of the process that suits your senses, and mood. Swilling (rapidly consuming) a wine cheats you of the full experience.
Wine enjoyment is a measured process, fully enjoyable like a developing valued relationship.
First: The visual aspect of wine is important – knowing the type, and source of the wine and the scent characteristics gives you a possible hint of taste characteristics of the wine – sometimes you’ll be mislead but it’s like being a detective investigating a wine crime or better laying the foundation for a enjoyable event.
Check out the Color and Clarity. Use a clear glass, pour and then take a leisurely look at the wine. Tilt the glass away from you holding it against a white well lit object – piece of paper, tablecloth, or in pinch the sky, and check out the color of the wine from the rim edges to the middle of the glass.
There are a million shades of colors, even blacks and whites. Like a peacock, a red wine can display the colors or maroon, purple, ruby, garnet, red, brick or even a brownish hue. A white wine can display clear, pale yellow, straw-like, light green, golden, amber or golden brown.
Beyond color, how clear is the wine? Is the wine cloudy or clear? Dark and brooding, a translucent or opaque character dulling its brilliance, or a crystal clarity and a sparkling gem-like brilliance? Is sediment or other floating or minute suspended particles visible?
Second: The all important bouquet or scents of the wine. Your olfactory (smell) senses are an integral part of your taste experience. If you don’t’ believe this think back to the time you had a really bad head cold and how bland food tasted – it wasn’t just that you didn’t feel good – your sense of smell was impaired in turn degrading your taste experience.
Swirl the wine in the glass to release / vaporize its aromatic characteristics, take a quick whiff of an initial impression followed by additional swirling to recharge the glass with additional swirling for secondary deeper smells. For the really telling sniffs, stick your nose down into the glass and take a deep inhale through your nose (only). It is helpful to use common scent terminology from your everyday life experiences like oak, berry, flowers, vanilla or citrus.
Third: Finally!!! – some would say – You can take a moderate gulp and mouthwash your taste sensors or you can begin with a tentative sip. In either case “chew” or let the wine roll around your tongue and mouth.
Conceptually, there are three main stages of taste – Beginning, Mid-palate, and Finish, others say the Attack, Evolution, and Finish. In any case the terminology seeks to convey the early, middle and late phases of the tasting experience. A well made balanced wine has a credible presence I all phases. contributes to all p
3 A. The beginning or attack phase, is the initial impression that the wine makes on your palate. You’re looking for four primary and hopefully balanced, elements here alcohol content, tannin levels, acidity, and residual sugar (sugar left after fermentation ended).
Beyond these elements, the experience rests upon an overall combination of elements, they meld together to offer impressions of intensity and complexity, softness or firmness of taste, a light or heavy character, crispness (acidity) or creamy (malolactic induced character), sweet or dry(non-sweet).
3 B. The mid-palate or evolution phase is the core or main tasting event. The taster is seeking to experience and identify for the record or experience the flavor characteristics of the wine.
Red wines could offer notes of fruit – berry, plum, prune or fig. In the area of spices – pepper, clove, cinnamon. Finally look for characteristics the wine maker imparted to the wine – e.g. a woody flavor like oak, cedar, smokiness from barrel treatment.
White wines could offer notes of fruit – apple, pear, tropical or citrus fruits. The tast could also include the less familiar for Anglos, a floral nature, or more familiar honey, butter, herbs or a bit of earthiness.
3C. The closing game is the finish, the lasting (or not) flavor impression lasts after the wine is swallowed or deposited in the ignoble spit bucket. Consider here the length of finish a few or many seconds, did the experience compel another sip? What back of the tongue or retrograde scents were experienced by your sinuses?
Keeping tasting notes are an excellent way to pace yourself through the tasting experience and to maintain a record of your tasting experiences.
Above all else wine is for the enjoyment of – wine, good food, friends and family. It’s about the finer things in life.
Life’s an adventure – live it to its fullest!!!
Do you agree or disagree with above – any comments/experiences of your own to share abut your early wine tastings experiences?!?!?
