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Spotlights
Wine 101
Wine 101
You can certainly review many books written on the subject of wine (and there are plenty!), but the best way to truly enhance your understanding is to taste the wines themselves. While reading covers the more academic side of wine, tasting is more enjoyable and practical. In truth, a little of each will do you the most good.
With that in mind, it is our goal to help you learn how to maximize your wine tasting experience. You may wish to read this section and follow the suggested steps with a glass of wine in hand (tough duty!).
In considering how to pursue your tasting education, we'd like to make a couple of suggestions we've found valuable in our own continuing education. First, we highly recommend you conduct "blind tastings" by using paper bags to cover the bottles you are tasting in order to remove any outside influences which can come from knowing the winery label, vintage, appellation, etc. Second, we encourage you to form a wine tasting group. The more palates there are, the more perspectives on a particular wine you'll have and the better you can increase your awareness of a wine's complexities.
We will begin by breaking down wine tasting into five basic steps: Look, Swirl, Smell, Taste and Savor. These are standard steps for wine tasting, but throughout this section we have sprinkled personal thoughts, suggestions and practices of those of us at Ambrosia. As you taste the wines, remember this most important and basic tenet: Have fun
Look
The best way to get an idea of the color of a wine is to use a white background such as a napkin or a table cloth, and hold the glass of wine in front of it. Our wine tastings at Ambrosia are conducted on a large, all white tasting table. The range of colors you may see depends, of course, on whether you're tasting a red or white wine. Here are some of the typical colors you may see:
| White Wine | Red Wine |
| Pale yellow-green | Purple |
| Straw yellow | Ruby |
| Yellow-gold | Red |
| Gold | Garnet |
| Old gold | Brick red |
| Yellow-brown | Red-brown |
| Brown | Brown |
Color can tell you a lot about a wine. For instance, as white wines age in the bottle, their color goes generally from lighter to darker. Aged Chardonnay may take on deep golden hue, though they generally start out with a lighter straw color. On the other hand, as red wines age they tend to go from a darker color to a lighter one. Cabernet Sauvignon, generally starts out with a vivid, deep purple color in its youth, may develop a tawny, even brownish color as it ages.
It is important to understand that color change in wine is a natural occurrence that takes place with age. Because a wine's color has evolved over time from light straw to a golden hue, does not mean the wine has gone bad. Color is just one bit of information that introduces you to a wine, and further helps you to enjoy and understand it.
In addition to color, you may notice other visual aspects of the wine. A wine that shows "legs" - rivulets of wine that seem to run down the sides of the glass after you swirl it - indicates a high level of viscosity. This results from a higher level of alcohol and thus glycerine in the wine. Sediment is another visual aspect. When sediment accumulates at the bottom or side of a bottle, or in your glass, it is not something to be concerned about. This kind of accumulation is usually due to the wine undergoing only a very light filtration or no filtration at all prior to bottling. Total clarity may imply heavier filtration which can have the effect of removing some of the wines character as well as it precipitates.
Always begin tasting by asking, "What does the wine look like?" This will be your first lesson as to just how different people's perceptions can be. Some will see a wine that is pale yellow-green, while you might be convinced it's golden in color. Imagine what happens when we actually taste the wine.
Swirl
Why do we swirl the glass of wine? So that oxygen can get into it. Swirling releases the esters, ethers and aldehydes - some of the components that make up a wine's aromas.
When these components combine with oxygen they yield the bouquet of the wine. We will discuss bouquet later. In other words, swirling aerates the wine and helps the bouquet emerge.
There really isn't a right or wrong way to swirl wine, with the exception of covering other members of your tasting group with the errant contents of your glass (that's the wrong way!). We must warn you though, you will start swirling everything from your morning coffee to your afternoon soft drink. Just be sure to have an explanation for this behavior handy!
Smell
Now that you've swirled the wine and released the bouquet and various aromas, what does the wine smell like? This is one of the most important steps in the tasting process and yet most people simply do not spend enough time understanding and experiencing a wine's set of smells. Without the smell, the palate is left stranded because the nose gives your taste buds specific attachments to the more general categories of taste. More on this subject later. Back to the wine -- what type of nose does it have? The "nose" is a word used to describe the bouquet and aroma of the wine. To evaluate the nose, let's first talk about the difference between aroma and bouquet.
Aroma: This refers to the pleasant or desirable odors characteristic of the unfermented grape. Generally, varietal aromas are basic to sensory examination. Quite often they smell like other fruits that we are familiar with. Distinct aromas reveal sufficient characteristics to differentiate this wine from other wines, but they are not intense enough to produce varietal identification. By the way, "vinous" is a term used to describe a wine that does not appear to have any distinct or discernible aromas.
Bouquet: This refers to odors produced by the interaction of aroma substances with the container, with small amounts of oxygen, and with one another. These odors that develop in wine after fermentation are called tank aging bouquet and bottle bouquet. Tank aging bouquet encompasses most of the odors that come from oak, if it is used, and the compounds formed by aroma substances interacting with air entering through the walls of the cask. When a wine is bottled it contains an abundance of compounds in high states of oxidation. The gradual reduction of these reactions gives rise to new substances whose odor is designated as bottle bouquet.
A good example of the differences between aroma and bouquet are those descriptors found in the "fruity" category versus those found in the "woody" category. Another is that aromas are more often simple scents found in nature, such as mint or pine, while bouquet is often the result of the processing of the wine, such as oak or butter.
Another interesting point is that you're more likely to recognize some of the defects of a wine through your sense of smell. Below is a list of some of the negative smells in wine:
| Smell | Cause |
| Vinegar | Too much acetic acid in the wine |
| Sherry, nutty | Too much oxidation |
| Musty, corky | Defective cork |
| Burnt | Too much sulfur dioxide |
Sulfur dioxide is used in many ways for winemaking. It kills bacteria in wine, prevents unwanted fermentation and acts as a preservative. However, a good wine should never retain the smell of sulfur dioxide. This smell creates a burning and itching sensation in your nose, not smells we would generally like to associate with a glass of wine; especially if it happens to be one we are drinking
Taste
To most people, tasting wine means taking a sip and swallowing it immediately. This is a common misconception. Tasting is something you do with your taste buds. You have taste buds all over your mouth. They're on both sides of the tongue, underneath, on the tip, and they extend to the back of your throat. When you sip and swallow immediately, you bypass a lot of these important taste buds. By tasting properly and allowing the wine to reach all of your taste buds, your nose is also able to help your brain pull together specific pictures which accurately reflect the different aspects of a wine's taste.
To clarify, let's review some of the tastes of wine, keeping in mind the most important sensations of taste and where they occur on your tongue and in your mouth.
Sweetness: This is tasted on the tip of the tongue. If there is any sweetness in a wine, you'll taste it right away since the tip of your tongue is highly sensitive.
Fruit and Varietal Characteristics: These are tasted in the middle of the tongue after the sweetness has been established.
Acidity: Tasted at the sides of the tongue and on the insides of the cheeks -- acidity is more apparent in white wines than red wines.
Tannin: This is also tasted in the middle of the tongue. Tannin frequently is much more prominent in red wines or wood-aged white wines. It can "dry" the palate to excess when too much tannin is present. Tannin tends to feel astringent on the palate. We like to call it the "wool sweaters on the tongue." Tannins are frequently apparent in bananas, and walnuts and teas.
Finish: The finish, or aftertaste, is the overall taste that lingers after you have swallowed or spit the wine. How long does the taste linger? Usually a sign of a high quality wine is a long, pleasing aftertaste lasting from 15 to 20 seconds after you've swallowed the wine.
As you familiarize yourself with the various tastes of wine, we recommend taking notes on the wines categorized by the sections contained in this booklet, look, smell, etc. Also, we recommend having a cracker or two (unsalted), or another bland substitute, in order to cleanse your palate between tastes. The taste of one wine can influence that of another.
Keep in mind too, that your palate can be influenced by seemingly unrelated things such as what you ate for lunch, or what you smell cooking nearby, etc.
Everything we've discussed so far -- the look, the swirling, the nose and the taste -- happens within a few minutes or so. It is now time for the final step. (And the most fun!)
Savor
After you've had a chance to taste the wine, sit back for a few moments and savor it. Sometimes it's easy to get too caught up in the clinical aspects of wine tasting and forget that this is supposed to be above all fun! Equally as important is what you take away from your tasting. In order to learn the most from your experience, it is necessary to interpret your impressions of the wine. A good place to start is to ask yourself some important questions. This will help to focus your impressions. Like anything else, ambiguity in wine tasting can be frustrating.
Here are some questions you should ask:
- Does the wine have a light, medium, or full body?
- Is the wine's acidity noticeable? How about the tannin?
- Is the wine balanced and well integrated or is it too strong or astringent?
- Is the finish long and lingering, or does it fade abruptly?
- Most importantly, did you like the wine and would you drink it again?
This last question is really the most important point. The first thing you should consider after you've tasted a wine is whether or not you like it. Is it your style? The style of wine you like will evolve and become more personal with every wine you taste. You may never be able to (or want to be able to ) tell the difference between a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and one from Bordeaux, but you will probably know right away whether or not you like a particular wine. And remember, the most important definition of a good wine is one that you like - not your friends or a particular wine critic.
Wine Glasses
There really is no right or wrong glass for wine tasting - or for drinking wine for that matter. However, there are some glasses that are better than others for evaluating wines. First of all, we like to suggest using glasses that you are comfortable using. Aesthetics aside, there are really only two things to remember when considering a wine tasting glass: the size of the glass and the overall shape of the glass.
The more universally used tasting glass is called a chimney shape. Broader on the bottom of the bowl, it tapers upward to a smaller opening. The broader bottom will enable you to hold enough wine and give you plenty of room to swirl the wine, while the smaller opening at the top will help to trap and focus the aromas, allowing you enough of a scent to assess the wine. For the most part, if your glass is of this shape, the actual size of the glass is not important other than it needs to be big enough and have a big enough opening for you to be able to get your nose inside to really smell the wine. Some people swear by large "Burgundy" style glasses that allow as much of the wine to come in contact with the air as possible, therefore releasing as many of the aromas and flavors as possible. Others like the convenience and ease of use of a smaller glass. Other considerations that will enhance your tasting experience include glassware that is clear (no colors) and free of cuts or engravings within the glass.
Many glass manufacturers have designed specific glasses for specific wine types or varietals, taking in to account different aspects of the individual wine type. While this is wonderful, it is not a necessary purchase for a complete wine tasting.
When it comes time to clean your glassware, try to avoid using soap. Instead use hot water and rinse thoroughly. Soap can become trapped within the glass and release soapy odors the next time you use it. Although you may become quite proficient at identifying various brands of dish soap, this ability and the soapy glasses that taught you will not add to the enjoyment of a good glass of wine.
To summarize, it's important that you find good glassware for your wine tasting experiences, but "good" does not necessarily mean "expensive." Find glassware that you are comfortable with and adequately serves its purpose: presenting wine for your evaluation and enjoyment.
Matching Food and Wine
Contrary to popular belief, there are no hard and fast rules for matching food with wine. The best way to learn is try any wine with any recipe. Look for how the food complements the wine or doesn't complement. If the food overpowers the wine, then obviously that isn't the right match.
The old rule of red wine with meat, white wine with fish also can be thrown out the window. Although it can be a good starting point, we have often had salmon with a lighter red like Pinot Noir or even an older Cabernet Sauvignon. Conversely, there are some bigger styled white wines that have matched well with meat. Please try the Food & Wine Pairing Advisor on our website. It will recommend up to three wine varietals for almost 200 different dishes and flavors.
The message here is go with what you feel is right. Just enjoy the type of wine you drink and the foods you eat, don't let anyone tell you what's right and what's wrong. We reiterate our original thought: Experiment!
Wine Storage
We would all love to have a temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar, but space limitations, expense or too little wine can make it difficult to justify. If you are lucky enough to have space for a wine cellar, bravo, you're a step ahead and probably don't need to read the rest of this. But many of you just want to know what you can do to prevent your wine from turning to vinegar without going to a lot of trouble and expense. Read on.
There are three important things to remember before selecting a proper wine storage area, location, location, location. Wines are fragile and need certain conditions to give them a chance of surviving.
Temperature: This is probably the most important factor to consider. Suggested wine storage temperature is 50F to 60F. Maintaining that temperature in your house would probably freeze you to death and substantially increase your energy bills. Even if you can't achieve those temperature goals, we recommend you find the coolest closet in your house or apartment, place a thermometer inside and check it once in the morning, again at midday, and finally at night. Compare them and see how consistent they are relative to each other. More than anything, wine needs a consistent temperature to mature properly. If, for instance, the temperature in the morning is 68F, midday is 78F and at night 80F+ then this may present a problem and you may need to seek another place. If, however, the temperature stays pretty consistently in the 60s, then you've found a good location.
Direct light: This can be a problem too. Direct sunlight presents two problems, light and heat, so definitely keep your wine away from outside windows. Even lamps can be hazardous to your wine's health so avoid them too. Keeping your wine on top of the refrigerator may look nice, but it certainly isn't doing your wine any good.
Vibration: Another potential disaster is storage in an area with heavy foot traffic, near household appliances or anything that can create vibrations. Wine is delicate and its components can break down over time if exposed to heavy vibration. This is why an old refrigerator does not make a good wine cellar. First, the highest setting is probably too cold for red wines, and secondly, refrigerators are not dampened against vibration from the cooling unit.
Wines need to be stored either on their side or cork side down to keep the cork from drying out and allowing air to enter through the cork. This can cause excess oxidation. If you can't use proper wine racking or bins, we recommend using old wine case boxes for storage. If you receive wine via mail order (from Ambrosia for example), use the packaging material for extra insulating protection against temperature fluctuations.
You don't need to spend a lot of money to store your wine. Remember, as cool as possible, but more importantly as consistent in temperature as possible; keep the wine away from light sources, and stay away from anything that can jostle the wine such as the washing machine. Give your wine a good chance and you will be rewarded handsomely!
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