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The days run together, they run away from us. More quickly than we can possibly imagine, they are gone. It seems just yesterday I was at lunch with my dear friend Karen and she suggested, “You should do a blog on wine.” I, naturally, sat up straight, in true Barney Stinson fashion and declared, “Challenge accepted! Not only shall I do a wine blog, I shall also do a wine blog for each sense!”
So, here we are, months later. Not sure how so much time went by. We’ve gone through a Wine 101, a sight, a smell, a taste and a sound blog featuring that magic elixir, spoiled grape juice. Some of these blogs have been easier than others. I mean, it’s tough to go wrong with taste. Smell and sight were okay as well. Now, sound was a little dicey, but it all worked out. I left the most difficult for the last… welcome to touch, my friends.
Wine relates to touch in two simple yet profound ways. The first is something called “mouth feel” and the second is temperature. Both of these interact with taste and affect how our sensations are perceived, much the same way that we saw in a previous post on how taste and smell are linked.
Mouth feel is not the same thing as taste though it influences and enhances it. Put in its simplest terms, mouth feel is just that, how the wine feels in your mouth. How thick, syrupy or watery does the wine feel to you? The real or perceived consistency or density of a wine is derived from several components. We speak in terms of the wine’s “body”. Real body refers to a wine that truly is thicker in density, while perceived body is a wine’s feel in the mouth whether it is truly denser or not. A full-bodied wine, such as Burgundy, may be referred to as “chewy,” while a wine such as a Bordeaux would be lighter by comparison. A thin or “meager” wine lacks body altogether. For you beer drinkers out there, think of real body in terms of a Guinness versus a Coors. Perceived body would be better expressed in terms of a soda comparison. Diet drinks have the same actual body (thickness) as regular calorie drinks, but their (the diet drinks’) perceived body is thinner to the person drinking them. Commercials usually describe them as “light” or “refreshing” as opposed to thin, still, you get the idea.
Mouth feel is also described in terms of other factors. One of these is the wine’s astringency. You’ll know you’ve had an astringent wine when you experience a sort of rough, puckery feeling. Usually this is attributed to too many tannins. Some tannins and you’ve got a wine with good structure. Too many tannins and you’ll end up with a wine that has an astringent mouth feel. It’s a fine balancing act for the wine maker involved. Other words that you may find appropriate as you try to describe the wine’s mouth feel are : chalkiness, furry-ness or chewy-ness. I swear, I didn’t just make these up.
Here is a chart that can help you identify what you’re feeling. It’s designed for red wine, but the terms can be extrapolated for white wines as well.
So, how can a winemaker change the mouth feel of his or her wines? There are three ways currently in widespread use. These are malolactic fermentation, adding tannins and changing the residual sugars in the wine. There once was a time when mouth feel was just something that naturally happened to good wines. These days, like with so many other products, it can be made to order in every nuance.
Malolactic fermentation tends to produce a broader, fatter mouth feel. Basically, vintners use a special strain of yeast to change harsher malic acids into lactic acid and carbon dioxide. This reduces the wine’s astringent properties and gives the wine taster a fuller, smoother mouth feel experience. The wine is also endowed with a cleaner, fresher taste. Labs have isolated and cultured yeast strains that produce a range of mouth feel effects. For instance, say a wine maker wants a buttery texture without a buttery taste, there are “neutral” strains that simply alter the acid mix, leaving the flavor profile intact.
The second category of mouth feel enhancements are tannin additives, mainly derived from oak, but also sometimes from grapes. Barrels used to do this job; these days, there are more options. There are many oak alternatives giving a range of effects: powders, chips, nuggets, etc. These can all be toasted or untoasted. The toasted tannins would change the wine’s flavor by contributing a caramel or smoky note to the wine. Untoasted oak would have less impact on the wine’s taste. Adding tannins, as I mentioned above, is a double-edged sword. There can be too much of a good thing. We’ve all met someone who used to be able to drink red wine and now no longer can, usually the culprit is tannin. Symptoms can include headaches or gastrointestinal issues. Notice that I said red wine, however, tannins are also added to some whites, though less often and in lower intensity.
Finally, we come to one more method to enhance mouth feel, residual sugar. This is what gives dessert wines a generous helping of body as well as plenty of the expected sweetness. Residual sugars can also change the balance of a dry wine when used in very small doses. The easiest way to define this factor is the percentage, by weight or volume, of the unfermented grape sugar in a bottled wine. The amount of residual sugars in wine has been augmented in several ways through history. One method would be by harvesting the grapes as late in the season as possible, even allowing them to partially shrivel on the vine. Another method would be to stop fermentation early. The last method is simply to add additional sugar to the wine. In the past this was done through adding honey or reserved grape juice, these days a combination of glucose and fructose is added. Wine makers tread a fine line between the luscious mouth feel they want and something too cloyingly syrupy.
The second way in which the sense of touch comes into play during wine tasting is through the temperature of the wine. The temperature you choose to serve your wine at will alter the wine’s taste and aroma. White wines are served traditionally at a cooler temperature than reds, however, many wine drinkers over chill their whites. If the wine is too cold the flavors won’t “open up” and you miss the best bits of the wine. A suggested serving temperature for white is around 45 degrees. Your kitchen refrigerator runs at about 35 to 40 degrees, so when you entertain, take your whites out of the refrigerator about 20 to 30 minutes before you want to serve them.
Most people know the bit about chilling your whites, and while I never want a red to be chilled to that extent, it’s better to serve your red wine too cold than too warm. A red wine served too warm loses its freshness and often ends up tasting too “alcoholy”. Now if someone does chill your red wine, simply cup your hands around the bowl of your glass, smile and nod politely. It will quickly warm to a more drinkable temperature. A common misconception is that red wine should be served at “room temperature”. This makes no sense since depending upon geography and season, your room may be much warmer or colder than my room. A good rule of thumb for storage and serving of reds is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. You are looking for that sweet spot between too cold to get the full impact of flavor and so warm that you’re being overwhelmed with the alcohol notes infringing on the wine’s other tastes.
Again, as with every other blog where I’ve discussed wine, this is all subjective. If you have found a temperature that makes you happy when you drink your wines, go with it. The important thing is that you enjoy that magical elixir, that ambrosia of the gods, that magnificent repast that is quite simply, spoiled grape juice.
Thank you to my writing cohort, Kimberly Emerson, for this giggle!
Slainte!
Hmm, NOW, what do I write on next???
Wine … offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than possibly any other purely sensory thing which may be purchased.”
— Ernest Hemingway
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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
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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
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“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)
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“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!
