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Okay, so hopefully as we’ve gone through this wonderful journey of wine you are learning the occasional odd fact. Who knows, maybe something you can use on Jeopardy? We’ve covered the basics, then sight, sound and taste in our wine series. Yes, I’m slowly working my way through the senses. Why rush?
To begin let’s simultaneously review and encourage. I hope that you are gaining wine confidence. Have faith in your opinions, loosen up and enjoy the wine. Never worry about what some expert tells you on how wrong you are. You like the wine? Great, you aren’t wrong. Is everyone in their wine tasting happy place? That’s enough review, moving right along then.
Smell is inextricably tied to our sense of taste. We taste what we smell. The two senses are deeply entwined.
Okay, how about some friendly, practical advice on smelling your wine?
Step 1: You’ll need some wine.
Step 2: Do you have your drinking buddy? Everyone needs a drinking buddy… and money for cab fare.
Step 3: Pour the wine and swirl. (For a review on this check my “Tastes Like Street” post) Extra points if you swirl without sloshing that nice person on your left. The guy on your right had it coming.
Step 4: As you finish swirling bring the glass up, stick your nose into the bowl and inhale. Really get a good whiff. (The human nose fatigues after about six seconds, so don’t go nuts. Just one good whiff or people will turn and stare.) Some people like a couple quick sniffs, but I’m a fan of the one deep breath.
Smelling Your Wine- What it looks like
Step 5: Let your mind sort of wander as you process what you are smelling. Is it like a forest (woodsy), maybe fruity? Does it make you think of a garden? If you aren’t sure wait a moment and then try again.
Step 6: Proceed with the drinking.
See how easy that was? Next, a few do’s and don’t's with smelling your wine. First, if you are going wine tasting it’s best not to wear a strong cologne or perfume. These will compete with the wine and can affect how it tastes to you. Second, likewise if you are in a restaurant or your kitchen and someone is cooking an aromatic sauce or fish or whatever, you probably aren’t going to get the aromas you expected out of your wine. There’s just too much competition around. Third, you may be standing next to someone who’s picking out five or six different aromas on the same glass of wine that you are holding. And here you were so proud to have picked up one scent. Don’t worry. Everyone has a different nose; yours isn’t broken. Feel free to practice. When you are at the farmer’s market or cooking, smell the ingredients. Build up a scent Rolodex in your head that you can pull from when you are wine tasting to identify and describe what you are smelling.
Side bar here: for those of you kids out there, a “Rolodex” was a little file that you kept phone numbers and contacts in before the days of your iPhone contact list. It was actually on paper. I know, archaic, but true.
Becoming more aware of the smells in your wine can help you know whether a wine is good or bad before you even taste it. I recently read a very handy piece on the Huffington Post regarding the six smells you do NOT want in your wine. Just click here to check it out for yourself.
For instance, if you smell wet dog or musty sheets you may have a wine that is “corked”. There is a naturally occurring bacteria called TCA which may contaminate wine. Too much of this and it ruins the wine. Other smells which are red flags are rotten eggs or the smell of a freshly lit match. These odors may indicate improper storage or spoiled wine.
Here are some good smells to look for and some bad ones to run screaming from (figuratively). Remember, this list isn’t everything, just a place to help you get started.
Aromas to look for and some to avoid
As always, there’s the vocabulary section. What? It’s true. Stop complaining, I don’t make this stuff up; I simply relay it to you. Talk to someone in charge. Where was I? Right, vocab time. Luckily for you, it’s a short list. When you are discussing wine it’s actually not a good idea to use the word “smell”. This is because “smell” and “odor” are deemed to lend a negative connotation while words like “aroma” and “nose” offer up a more positive spin. What about “bouquet” you ask? Well, technically it is interchangeable for “aroma” in most wine tasting circles but it is a little old-fashioned.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? It’s the weekend, so you’ll have to ask that guy on your right. You need to settle his dry cleaning bill anyway. Me? Oh, I’m off to find a glass of wine. All this typing has made me thirsty!
“Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin. Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved.”
– Medieval German saying
Hi, all! Well, I came busting out of the gate for blogging in the New Year and then promptly got sick. It’s nice to feel a bit better. I made it without a nap today and tomorrow I hope to wear something more attractive than sweatpants. (It’s important to have goals.)
We have tackled the introduction to wine, which hopefully got your proverbial palate warmed up and we’ve moved smoothly through the sight and sound of wine. Now we stride onward to the Big Kahuna (it’s a technical term), the Queen of the Wine Senses… taste. Because when one gets right down to it, ultimately, we all want to drink something that really tastes great. I mean, no one brings a bottle of wine to the party hoping to see people spit it into the sink as they curse your ancestors. (Okay, there was this ONE guy I knew in high school who might, but to be fair, he was always a bit twisted.)
When we speak of wine and our enjoyment of this heavenly beverage, it’s usually in terms of taste. Mind you, a great deal of what we taste is dependent upon what we smell but obviously, that’s another blog. There is a bewildering amount of information in the world on wine tasting. I have come to the conclusion that most of it, whether on the internet, in tasting rooms, at your table with a sommelier, in a class or from a book seems to be designed to make the typical wine drinker feel two inches tall and about as knowledgeable as Sarah Palin speaking on foreign policy. When I talk to people regarding wine the most frequent comment I hear, generally prefacing all other remarks, is, “Well, I don’t know anything about wine, but…” I take exception to this self deprecation. Of course, you know something about wine. You at least know when you drink it what you like or do not like.
I’ve yet to ascertain why so many elements of the wine world indulge in this systematic belittling of the wine drinking fan base. Still, there is no denying, the intimidation factor looms large.
So, the semantics of snobbery aside, let’s talk about taste. First and foremost, everyone has their own sense of taste. Now, there may be some debate amongst individuals as to what qualifies as good taste but remember, it’s all subjective. There are plenty of reasons why this is such an individual experience.
Most of us know that our tongue is covered with tiny sensors called taste buds. The tip of the tongue has sensors concentrated on the salty and sweet flavors while bitters are to the back. The sides specialize in sour flavors. There are far fewer taste buds in the center of the tongue. Did you know that the roof of your mouth also has taste buds? That’s why someone who is particularly adept at identifying flavors is said to have a developed palate.
As babies we had taste buds all over our mouth and as we grow older we lose some of these. Also, the proportion of the type of bud : salty, sweet, bitter and sour changes. These changes in amount and type of sensors explain why our tastes change as we grow older. Tastes that were overwhelming to a child’s palate become much more pleasant as we age. Interestingly, women typically have more taste buds than men which at least partially accounts for the discrepancies in a man’s versus a woman’s observations on wine flavors and notes.
There are many factors which can affect your sense of taste. Head trauma, certain medications, smoking, tumors, and various types of radiation (i.e. for thyroid disease) can drastically change how you process, or do not process, the sensory input from your mouth. While we spend an amazing amount of our time in pursuit of things that taste delicious, taste is actually the weakest of the five senses. (Weird, huh? I would have thought smell but as it turns out, not so.) Like enjoying art, experiencing wine is a highly subjective and personal experience. While there may be certain common trends, say black pepper notes in a particular Cabernet Sauvignon or pear in a Pinot Grigio, do not ever feel badly if the person next to you makes an observation and you find yourself shaking your head in disagreement. We’re each our own little homunculus driving our own unique bodies around this place; we aren’t going to experience things the same way. Take this quote from the 2004 movie Sideways, it’s exactly what I’m talking about:
Miles: [while tasting wine] It tastes like the back of a f***ing L.A. school bus. Now they probably didn’t de-stem, hoping for some semblance of concentration, crushed it up with leaves and mice, and then wound up with this rancid tar and turpentine bullshit. F***in’ Raid.
Jack: [drinks the same wine] Tastes pretty good to me.
Now that we’ve established that anyone who tries to make you feel bad about what you taste or what you like can take a long walk on short dock, let’s talk wine tasting. Okay?
First off, this should be fun. Wine tasting should be a pleasant time, hopefully with friends. Second, be open to learning. My husband and I have been pretty serious tasters for years now and we’re constantly learning new factoids. It never stops and it is unlikely you’ll ever become an expert; there’s simply too much. The process and fresh information gleaned from each tasting adventure should interesting and enjoyable.
Here are some practical hints for wine tasting:
- Take your time. Yes, the waiter may be watching you or the pourer in the tasting room. Let them. You aren’t doing tequila shots in college anymore. (I know, evidence of a misspent youth, don’t let me digress.)
- Do not over fill your glass. A good guideline is about a third full. That way you can swirl your wine and allow it to react with air. As it does so the wine will open up and you’ll start picking up more flavors.
- Speaking of swirling, invariably there will be someone nearby that will be expertly swirling their wine around like they’re twirling a baton one-handed. I can do this, too, uh, until I’ve had my first glass. Then I’m likely to spill red wine all over my neighbor. Oops. So, I fake it. Just put your glass on to the table and make itty-bitty circles with it. Your wine will swirl like a pro’s and no sweaters will be harmed in the process.
- Tilt your glass at a 45 degree angle against a light source or a pale background and enjoy the color.
- Bend your glass toward your face and stick your nose in its bowl. No, I mean it, really get in there and breathe the wine. You’ll love it. As my friend Wendy would say, “Bow-chicka-waa-waa”. (And stay tuned, the Smell-o-vision blog is coming soon to a computer or iPad near you.)
- Next, it’s time to taste the wine. Pay attention to the flavor, and the finish. The finish is that last hint of wine after you swallow it. A stronger finish lingers longer that a weaker one. Don’t be surprised if the finish is quite different from the wine’s first taste.
In the serious wine tasting world there are two widely accepted methods of tasting your wine. The first is to swish it around. This would be similar to what you do with mouthwash. The idea is that it emphasizes the alcohol qualities of the wine. Sadly, this actually works but I don’t like my wine quite so, well, alcoholicky. (I think I just made that up, err, the spelling, I mean.) The second method some swear by is to intensely suck air into your mouth. It’s the one that makes all the funny noises. Boy howdy, what a choking hazard that one is! The odds, at least for moi, of something going down the wrong pipe are really, really good. Of course, I often have choking fits on my own saliva, so I’ve got that genetic quirk going for me.
Long story short, what do I do? I sip my wine. I’m not going to judge any contests, award any medals, no one is going to pay me for my opinions but I can, usually, insure my sweater avoids stains and I don’t choke to death while having my wine. Oh, and another thing, I don’t spit out my wine, usually. There have been a few even I couldn’t drink.
One fun, depending on one’s viewpoint, aspect of wine tasting is the opportunity to compare notes with your friends on the various wines you’ve tried. I should emphasize this is not a test. Please review the first part of this blog if you still have questions. There are no wrong answers. Just call them like you see them. That being said, I can’t promise that some uber-helpful person isn’t going to try to fancy up your wine language. Don’t feel bad, it happens to the best of us, and by the best of us, I mean Eric and me, ha-ha. For example:
- I called a wine “zippy” and was gently admonished that I meant “peppery”.
- Eric said, “something about the wine tastes like I just licked the street”, at which point the winemaker frowned and said stiffly, “Those would be notes of tar, sir.”
- Syrup-y equals “jammy”.
- FYI, if you say your wine is “dirty” you’ll be steered to the adjective “earthy”.
- My bestest wine tasting pal Cindy and I were at a barrel tasting of a really yummy old vine Mouvedre and we both got weak in the knees, mumbling “Hum-min-nah, hum-min-nah, hum-min-nah” over and over again. We were frowned upon and told, “that would be ‘full-bodied”. Yeah, whatever, my way is more fun.
- “Sweet” or “Sugary” translates in wine to “fruity”.
- And “there’s a party in my mouth” actually is an indication of high acidity in your wine. Seems like a waste of a lot of dirty (I mean “earthy”) jokes to me on that one.
Luckily, there are a plethora of wines and amazing wine makers on this wonderful earth. My all time favorite wine maker? Easy, I don’t even need to think about it, Tom Lane in Paso Robles at Bianchi Winery. Their link is on my blog- on the left-hand side, just click on “Good Wine Here”, A-MA-…wait for it…-ZING. And, if you ever have time I’d love to sit and chat with you about my many, many ties for second place… over a nice glass of Barbera, of course.
Now, having said all of this, remember, this was just my humble opinion. To other people wine is serious business and who am I to say they’re wrong? Besides, if it wasn’t for the wine snobs, the palate geniuses, and those for whom their highest aim on earth is to better last year’s vintage the world would not be full of so many delightful wines. So, as you drink your next glass, secure in your right to like the wine no one else does and call it “dirty” just because that’s what you think it tastes like, be sure to raise a toast to the wine snobs of the universe. Bless ‘em!
Yummy food, awesome friends and that ambrosia of the gods: Tom Lane's wines
“May you never lie, steal, cheat or drink.
But if you must lie, lie in each other’s arms.
If you must steal, steal kisses.
If you must cheat, cheat death.
And if you must drink, drink with us, your friends.”
- An Irish Toast
I begin my post with a shout out to Danica for determining the direction this particular column would go. Thanks, D!
So, as I continue down my exploration of wine through the five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell, we come to sound. Not something that immediately leaps to mind when you are speaking of wine. I mean, who asks, “Nice bouquet, love the hints of blackberry & cherries but I’m stumped, what’s that I hear?”
I guess one could argue that speech could be a sound of wine, the happy babble of conversation between friends. Or perhaps the slurred, sloshy syllables of one who has had more than is good for them (of course, that might be the sound of winos, not wine). No, for me, the sound of wine is the merry echo of glasses clinking in a joyful toast and the words spoken marking the occasion, be it little or big.
Naturally, in Western culture, such as it is, being what it is, there is a history behind what we know today as the “Toast”. While there are differing traditions regarding toasts from different countries and cultures, I’m your typical Irish-German-Italian-French American mutt (countries naturally given in the order of racial make up: 1/2 Irish, 1/4 German, 1/8 French and 1/8 Italian… unless my mom, the genealogist, tells me different… there’s a chance that the 1/4 German could be 1/8 German and 1/8 Scandinavian something. But I differ to her learned opinion and in the meantime I’m still 100% American mutt-thank you for asking.)
However, clearly, I digress.
My point, aside, from my ethnicity, which I’ll have you know, contrary to typical government forms is NOT “white”, but that’s whole another blog, is that I approach the subject of the Toast from largely a Northern European/American viewpoint. Sorry, guys, that’s just how I roll. Not a great deal I can do about it. I can pass your complaints on to my folks, however, I think they were pretty much enjoying their honeymoon, so hey, lay off. I’m here. I’m not going to represent every culture… no one can, sorry.
Now that we’ve established where I am coming from, the history of the toast as we now know it is pretty simple. Like the handshake, (originally conceived to convince the other party that one’s hand did not, in fact, hold a knife) the toast is also a tradition born of self-preservation. Aw, the classics.
For most of mankind’s history when a party, feast, dinner, celebration, go ahead, pick your term, was being held, the host poured the night’s alcohol, after all, it was the star attraction, the Lady Gaga of beverages, and said a toast. Everyone then drank from the communal cup. This served two purposes. First, it proved that the host had not poisoned said wine and second, it inoculated everyone in the county. If there was a cold everyone got it and the strong survived.
What? I’m not wrong.
As mankind developed through the ages we went from the communal share-a disease-cup to our own glasses. I know, exciting, right? Just a step from Purell… that’s a whole ‘nother post titled “Building the Bigger, Badder Bacteria, a Home Owner’s Guide” (obviously, I need to blog more often). I think, and this next bit is just my own personal Willie Wonka thang, I believe that having our own glass for the first time, like EVER, was sort of intoxicating. It was like when you graduated from the Kids’ table to the Adults’ table, I know! Exhilarating, right? So, after eons of seeing one lord dude have The Glass and make The Toast now you have your own glass and YOU can make a toast. You’re dizzy with power. And THAT, my friends, is why at weddings, graduations, retirements, and any occasion of note you NEED to have plenty of liquid in your glass. Because, honestly, everyone is going to make a toast.
Is that so wrong?
I have to defend the excessive Toast Masters here. Yes, sometimes, it gets a bit hairy. There are times when we almost run out of toasting liquid (damn those stingy waiters). Helpful tip, worst case scenario, you can toast with water, just drink extra alcohol later to make up for your faux pas, come on, you can do it. I have faith. In some cases, I even have video evidence.
There are a million toasts the world over. Emily Post even has a whole slew of Toast rules and regulations. However, I believe that those very rules miss the point. The perfect Toast is about combining the bittersweet with the hilarious. It is that beautiful moment when the sweet and the bitter and the absurd combine in a symphony of the drinking class. A good toast makes one simultaneously appreciate what one has, right now, and still inspires them to reach for the next stage, the fruit just out of reach. In fact, we continue the search for something better, we are led to it.
I don’t mean to overstate the Toast. At a wedding or a wake it is everything I’ve outlined above and so should it be. On the other hand, when one is at a pub with one’s buddies, should it be something so grand? No, of course not, but bittersweet still fits. It’s a toast of everything comfortable and good about today and at the same time it’s an acknowledgement that things were not always so good and perhaps tomorrow will not so be again. As the Grass Roots sang, “Live For Today”, my loves.
Therein lies the magic of a good toast. It says, “Learn from yesterday. Celebrate today. And hope for the future.” Much the same could be applied to wine making, in fact. Which is why, in the end, we come back to the wine.
"Happiness is time spent with a friend and looking forward to sharing time with them again."- Lee Wilkinson
Wherever you roam, wherever you call home, I leave you with a veritable plethora of toasts to choose from. For me I will simply say what my grandmother said at every family gathering for as long as I can remember, and no one says it quite the way she did, “Sláinte!” (pronounced “Slan-Cha”). More than a prayer, more than a blessing, more than a grace, it was all of these and yet beyond them. It was an affirmation of all things family and good.
Sláinte, my friends, sláinte indeed.
Toasts from around the world- but in every tongue a toast is the language of friendship and good cheer:
English: Cheers!
Irish (Gaelic): Sláinte! (to your health)
French: Santé! (health)
Spanish: Salud! (health)
Italian: Salute (health)
Chinese: Ganbei! (dry your cup)
Dutch: Prost! (health)
German: Prost! (cheers)
Hebrew: Le’chaim! (to life)
Japanese: Kanpai! (dry your cup)
Welsh: Iechyd da! (health)
Russian: Vashe zdorovie! (to health)
Наздраве” (health) (Bulgarian)
“Şerefe” (to honor) (Turkish)
“Na zdrowie” (health) (Polish)
Na zdraví” (health) (Czech)
Budmo” (let us be!) (Ukrainian)
Priekā” (to joy) (Latvian)
“Į sveikatą” (to health) (Lithuanian)
“Egészségünkre!” (for our health) (Hungarian)
“Iechyd Dda” (Good health) (Welsh)
“Nazdravlje” (for the health) or “Živjeli” (let us live) (Bosnian)
“Blind tastings are to wine what strip poker is to love.”- Kermit Lynch, Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
For most people we begin almost everything with our eyes. The light, the spirit in another’s eyes draws us to them, it attracts us. Perhaps it even changes us. The sight of a trail off the beaten path excites us. We must explore it. We drive by a restaurant or a shop and something makes us want to stop, to see more. Each time we sit down to a meal we begin eating with our eyes first. The plate before us gives us clues of what’s to come. The anticipation grows.
It is the same with wine. What our eyes see sets our brain afire to taste what’s next. When a glass is placed before us the first thing we instinctively do is lift it up to the light and look at the liquid thus contained. And, as in so many situations, instinct is the way to go. Do pick up your glass and gaze at its contents. The best way to really look at your wine and see its color is to pour a small amount in your glass and then tilt the glass at a forty-five degree angle. Wine is actually quite lovely.
Whether straw yellow or golden amber, whether translucent cherry or a deeper ruby, the color of your wine should be clear and bright. Murky wine is a bad thing, my friends. You are looking for jewel tones. The look of the wine is your first indicator as to its quality, age and ultimately, taste.
A young white wine can start out a pale, almost pear colored greenish-yellow in a Sauvignon Blanc or a rich citrine in a full-bodied Chardonnay. White wines tend to darken in color as they age. They become more and more golden. Their color depends on a range of factors: the varietal (type of grape), whether the wine spent any time in barrels (some whites are aged completely in steel tanks and have less color as a consequence) and how much contact the wine had with oxygen in the vinification process and during subsequent bottling.
On the other hand, reds will tend to go in the opposite direction. Red varieties begin with brighter hues such as garnets (Merlot) and reds so deep they verge on purple (Petite Syrah) which mellow towards brick reds as they age. Red wines that start to show hints of yellows or browns may be past their prime however, decant (aerate) the wine and try it anyway. I’ve had some brown-red wines that were still quite drinkable.
Besides color you’ll hear many wine drinkers talk about the “legs” or the “tears” of a wine. This is simply when you swirl your wine there will be an almost syrupy effect as the wine drips back down the side of your glass in rivulets. Some people will say this phenomenon is an indicator of the wine’s sugars, quality or viscosity, however, that is not the case. A wine’s legs actually tell us about the alcohol content of a wine and are the result of good old-fashioned surface tension. Alcohol has a lower surface tension than water so the higher the alcohol, the more prominent the legs. Indeed, California wines tend to be so high in alcohol content (often 15% compared to 12-13% in other regions) that I have been known to comment on a wine’s “cankles”. Oh dear, I hope that didn’t make the wine feel self-conscious.
So on your next glass of wine sit back and admire the color, note the legs and most of all, enjoy the moment.
A wine's color should be bright and clear.
All this writing about wine has me wanting a glass. Drat, it’s only 10am, that’s too early… even for me!
“Here’s to the corkscrew – a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly.”
W.E.P. French
(From the wine list of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, LA courtesy of John McDonald, Dallas, TX)
I begin with such a quote because, as you shall see, it is appropriate, both to my life and to the subject at hand.
I was so fortunate last weekend as to spend some time with my dear friend Karen. She has recently moved to San Diego but still travels every other month to the SF Bay Area for Book Club. That, my friends, is dedication and a damn fine reason to open a bottle of the good wine. Which brings me to the reason we’re all here (well, virtually). Karen looked at me and said, “I’ve been meaning to tell you. You should do a blog on wine. I’ve been wanting to tell you that for weeks.”
I have had two columns on the back burner forever. One is on the death penalty and one is on the oil companies’ record (yes, again) profits. I’ve done a ton of research yet somehow, that work keeps being shunted to one side. Oh well, it’s the holidays. Serious minded writing perhaps does not have a place at the moment.
As soon as Karen said I should do a piece on wine, something clicked. I mean, come on, you all know Eric and I have already done the research. And it is perfect for this time of year when parties and hospitality seem to be everywhere. Besides, it would be fun. As she was speaking I had an inspiration. I would do six blogs! I know, right? Overkill much? Still, work with me, people, I thought one intro piece (welcome to the intro piece, my friends) and five follow-ups; one for each sense.
Niceties being thus dispensed… ready?
When approaching the subject of wine I feel it is imperative to dismiss certain myths. I am constantly amazed at the number of friends and acquaintances who are laboring under the misapprehension that one needs to be an expert, perhaps a member of a select society and otherwise a complete snob, even a total tool, to enjoy/know about wine. C’mon people, at the end of the day it’s just spoiled grape juice.
Well, really yummy spoiled grape juice.
Five Things Everyone Needs to Know About Wine (or Five Myths to Debunk):
1.) There’s no accounting for taste. You like what you like. Just as in sixth grade you had the crush on some boy or girl and your friends looked at you like you were crazy, “You like WHO???” Hey, you were right to pick your own crushes then and it’s still true today. If YOU like a wine then it’s a good wine. If someone else spits it out, that’s their opinion (and for heaven’s sake grab their glass before they dump your new favorite down the sink). Remember, some people love sushi, others not so much. Likewise, you get to decide which wines you like. Ignore the “experts”.
2.) Another myth (or delusion) is that if you smell a cork after your server has opened your bottle of wine at the restaurant you can tell if the wine has spoiled. Err, not likely. A cork smells, umm, like cork. Smell the wine. This will tell you if there is a potential problem. Does the smell of the wine make you want to dive into the glass? Excellent. Do you think you smell vinegar? Ugh, we may have a problem. However, honestly, the odds in any reputable restaurant of a truly bad wine are slim to none. What you really want to do when you look at the cork your server or sommelier just handed you is check and see if the cork matches the bottle that you actually ordered, particularly if you’ve splurged on a more expensive bottle. (Buyer beware.) Look for the name or the logo. If it is a higher quality wine, check to see that the date stamped on the cork matches the vintage you’ve ordered. While fraud is not widespread, it is something you can catch.
3.) Older wines are better. If only. Actually, most wines do NOT get better with age. Almost all whites wines are meant to be enjoyed now or in the coming year. I say almost, there are some winemakers who have been getting jiggy with their whites. So if YOUR winemaker says “Drink in three years”, go for it. However in general, drink your whites. Reds have the reputation as the wines to lie down. That’s sort of true. Actually, only a few reds have the structure to age for several years. Trust me, Eric and I learned that lesson. You’ve got a stellar Zin the winemaker said was only going to get better? Great, drink it in five. Do NOT wait for ten. A good Cabernet, a Mouvedre you may be in business. Just be careful. There’s nothing worse than dumping a bottle that you know used to be delicious down the sink. Talk about money down the drain. Buy what you are going to drink and be careful what you lay down. (So true in so many venues, yes?)
4.) Myth number four: open the bottle and let the wine breathe. Are you kidding me? It’s true, when a wine reacts to the oxygen, good things happen. Tastes blossom. That being said, you open a bottle, it has this narrow little neck and somehow that’s supposed to be enough surface area reacting with the air to open your wine up? PLU-leeze. Decant that bad boy. A good decanter doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get them at the Wine Steward on Main Street (shameless plug for a great local business http://thewinesteward.com/ ). Don’t have a decanter? (I smell a Christmas List idea.) No problem. Pour your wine from up really high like the waiters in Italy. It’s messy and splashes a bit, but it’s a quick and cheap way to decant your wine. Yum. You’re welcome.
5.) Many people believe they are not wine drinkers. Why? Because they tried wine and started right in with Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon. Or worse yet, for the girls in the audience, you tasted what your boyfriend or husband told you to try (to be fair, maybe it was vice versa). Here’s a great reason for female/male emancipation (and one place where the homosexual couples have it up on the heteros). Your palate and your significant other’s are so very, very, very different. Eric and I sometimes enjoy the same wines but almost never for the same reasons. Men and women process flavors and experience tastes differently. Neither is better or worse, just completely different. So, try your own wine picks and see what you like (see Rule/Myth #1). Oh, and why is starting with Chardonnay or Cabernet a problem? It’s sort of like getting into math, trying calculus and saying, “Wow, I suck at math.” Of course you do. You needed to begin with arithmetic and work your way up. Typically Chardonnay and Cab Sauv tend to be the heavy hitters in the wine universe. You needed, forgive the simile, a gateway wine. For whites begin with a Pinot Grigio or a Chenin Blanc, something more accessible and food friendly. With reds try a fruit forward Malbec or a peppery Chianti. No need to break out the big boys on your first rodeo. Baby steps, my friends, baby steps.
Most of all, wine, like so many other things in life, is about fun and friends, good food and conversation. It’s the whole enchilada. So take a big bite, make sure you get some sauce and dive in to enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving, my dear ones!!!!
A friend, a meal, a glass of wine- I am happy. Slainte Mhath!
