Wine Tasting for the Rest of Us
Submitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Friday 15th October 2010- Understanding the basic concepts.
- Choosing your fellow sharp wine connoisseurs and preparing for the event.
- Getting down to the tasting.
Wine tasting has never been so popular. The trend of drinking wine over beer in the U.S. has risen considerably in the past few years.
Don’t know much about wine? No problem. Wine tasting is not a science; there are no absolutes. After all, does it really matter whether you can pinpoint a particular wine to some obscure village in the middle of the Loire valley?
No way. To be a proficient wine connoisseur is to be able to choose from the wine list with confidence, take great wines to dinner parties and to enjoy the experience of drinking the stuff.
So how do you mature from novice drinker to connoisseur?
With your friends, of course.
Consider starting a wine-tasting club to taste a variety of different wines at a lower cost and learn as you drink and socialize. Check out the basics:
Club Basics
Numbers. Consider limiting the number of tasters in your club to 12. This size is small enough to be intimate and large enough to encourage conversation and diverse opinions; sometimes it is the least experienced wine taster that can detect the subtlest of flavors.
Location. Each club member takes a turn playing host. The frequency of the evenings can be flexible, but monthly meeting are advised for keeping the momentum going and ensuring a breadth of selection.
Setting up. Three glasses should be placed in front of each guest, ideally against a backdrop of a white tablecloth to allow for better color viewing. Pour a small amount of each wine into one of the glasses and label them a, b and c. Wines are tasted "blind." No more than three at a time, maximum six wines for an evening.
Because it will be helpful for tasters to cleanse their palettes between sips, set up a small amount of mild cheese, plain crackers and mineral water.
Check the temperature. Before serving, ensure that the wines are at the correct temperature. White and sparkling wines should be chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours. Red wines should be at room temperature and opened around two hours prior to tasting, to allow them to breath. The cooler the wine, the more diminished the aroma; the warmer, the more pungent.
Scoring. Provide each taster with a list of questions and a pencil for "scoring" the wine. While there are many methods of scoring wines, consider starting off with a relatively simple list of questions about the color, smell and taste of each wine. Each question is assigned a maximum number of points. The wine scoring closest to 20 is that member’s pick. For your first scoring card, consider the following sample:
| Question | Score |
| Color: Deep gold or deep red. Washed out? | 0 - 2 |
| Aroma/Bouquet: Does it smell good? | 0 - 4 |
| Aroma: Can you smell vinegar? | 0 - 2 |
| Acidity: Does it taste too sharp, too flat? | 0 - 2 |
| Body: Full & viscous, or thin and watery? | 0 - 2 |
| Flavor: Does it taste good, clean, rich? | 0 - 2 |
| General quality: | 0 - 6 |
| TOTAL | 0 - 20 |
Choosing Your Wines
Where to start? Wines can be divided into two categories, by region or by grape. Chardonnay, for example, is the name of the grape, where as Chablis is the region in France where this type of wine is produced. French wines are labeled by region and often make no mention of the grape or grapes used. Simply being able to differentiate between the main grape varieties (or "varietals") will make you much more comfortable with choosing wines.
When first choosing wines for your tasting club, keep it simple. Start with a single grape varietal such as a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. If you prefer the reds, taste a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Pinot Noir.
Once you feel more comfortable identifying the varietals, you can be more adventurous and move on to lush velvet Merlots and more robust Burgundies.
How much is too much? Do you need to spend a lot to taste great wines? Not at all. Choose wines in the $10 to $15 range. Ask your local liquor store proprietor for recommendations; you may even get a group discount. Every now and again, you may choose to test the club by throwing in an expensive bottle to see if anyone can identify it, but this is by no means necessary. Remember that all wines will be tasted blind.
Getting Down to the Tasting
After years of swigging back "beers," many SharpMan aren’t sure how to go about "tasting" an alcoholic beverage. Fear not. Try the following basics to get you started:
Smell it. The sense of smell plays an enormous part in tasting and appreciating the flavors of wine. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc or a smooth buttery Chardonnay can be so aromatic that they will be unmistakable. On the other hand, the more subtle wines may require you to lightly swirl the liquid in the wine glass to release the scent molecules. Smelling, or "nosing," wine will make you more aware of the various flavors you can expect when you taste the wine, from lush red berries to hearty hazelnuts.
Look at it. Does it look clear and inviting, or dull and cloudy? After swirling it around the glass, does it run down the sides in streaks (called "legs")? Notice the varying shades of the wine. The darker the wine is towards the rim, the older the wine. The finer the wine, the clearer, crisper it will appear. Wines that look opaque are often heavily treated with chemicals to enhance the flavors. Taste it. Finally, sipping the wine will allow you to identify the degree of sourness, sweetness or bitterness. Does it taste rich or watery? Does it cause your tongue to tingle, indicating a high amount of tannin?
As you taste each wine, go through the checklist on your score card and make notes. If you keep you notes they could be a useful reference for future wine picks. Remember to cleanse your palate between wines with crackers or cheese.
Starting to understand what wine tasting is all about? Becoming familiar with wine is as simply as "practice makes perfect." By tasting a wide selection, you’ll develop an understanding of your personal preferences and — bam! — suddenly you’re a "discerning drinker." In other words, you are the judge and juror; wine tasting is completely subjective and nobody can be wrong. Enjoy.
For more information on wine and wine tasting, visit the following online resources:
www.tasting-wine.com
Includes information on wine and taste, tasting techniques, serving techniques and the science of wine.
www.wineloverspage.com
An excellent site providing a wealth of information on all areas of wine and tastings. Claims to be the oldest, largest and most popular independent wine-appreciation site on the web.
Suggested Tasting Club Schedule
Month 1: Chenin Blancs from South Africa, California and New Zealand
Month 2: Chardonnays from Australia and Chile
Month 3: California Carneros vintage wine, red and white
Month 4: Cabernet, Chianti and Rioja
Month 5: Almost Chardonnay: Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon
Month 6: Tolerably Cabernet: Cabernet Franc, Anjou-village and Brunnello
Month 7: Champagne Brut, Sec, Rose and Blanc de Blancs