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Southpark is the best place in town to learn about wines you’ve never tasted before. We hope to see you soon. Here’s a few tips to having more fun: Beginning Exercises in Wine Tasting Wine is without a doubt the single most complex and pleasurable beverage known to man. Yet this complexity is also what prevents many from ever experiencing the pleasure. The staggering amount of different varietals and vintages—all compounded by the multitude of different growing regions—can be overwhelming. If you’d like to simplify some of this complexity, please take a look at the following six “lessons.” While they won’t qualify you for the next Master Sommelier exam, they will give you a basic understanding about what to look for and how to really appreciate that next glass of wine—whether it’s a $7 Sauvignon Blanc, a $20 Pinot Noir or a $100 Bordeaux.
1. Proper Serving Temperatures 2. Tasting Wines Side by Side 3. Judging Wine by Color 4. How to “Smell” Wine 5. How to “Taste” Wine (Part 1) 6. How to “Taste” Wine (Part 2)
Lesson 1 Are you drinking white wines too cold and red wines too warm? Most people (and restaurants, for that matter) serve whites straight out the refrigerator or ice bucket, and reds at room temperature. These are not necessarily the proper temperatures and usually will prevent you from enjoying a wine to its fullest. Ideal serving temperature for most whites is between 50° – 55° F, a range that allows the wine to release its aroma. This heightens your sensory perception and enables you to more fully savor the wine’s flavor and detect its subtle nuances and qualities. Colder serving temperatures paralyze the wine’s ability to “open up.” Ideal serving temperature for most reds is between 65° – 68° F, a range that maximizes the wine’s fruitiness and flavor. Temperatures above 70° (typical of most U. S. homes and restaurants) cause the wine to have a burning aftertaste, or “hot finish.” (Conversely, temperatures below 55° will enhance a wine’s bitterness.) In this comparison, you will need two identical bottles of a white wine and two identical bottles of a red wine. Keep both reds at room temperature. Chill both whites in an ice bucket. About 20 minutes before tasting, remove one of the whites and allow it to warm slightly. Five minutes before tasting, slightly chill one of the reds in the ice bucket. Then pour everyone a taste from each bottle and ask them which wines they prefer. (Put bags over the bottles so no one can see the labels.) The wines will taste so different that everyone will be shocked to learn that they’re identical—and virtually 100% of the time everyone will prefer the warmer white and the cooler red! Lesson 2 If you want to learn more about wine tasting techniques, the first place to start is by tasting two similar wines side by side. For example, you might want to try two $10 bottles of Chardonnay or two $15 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. The reason is simple. By sampling two different wines, you will automatically prefer one over the other. The differences in each wine become more pronounced because you now have something to compare. (Conversely, when drinking only one wine, it’s easy to do casually without giving it much thought or really even tasting it.) The reasons for your preferences will essentially “force” you to decide why you like one wine over another. “Unconscious” wine drinking will start to become “conscious” wine tasting. In short, your sensory awareness will become heightened and your personal enjoyment will increase immediately. This is the difference between a wine lover and a beverage drinker! For this exercise you will need two or three similar wines. The wines need to be served blind. Allow everyone to taste and compare. Reveal the “winners” only after everyone has reached a consensus. Lesson 3 Wine is an organic beverage and exhibits a color range during its lifetime that can be an indication of its freshness or its maturity. Generally speaking, white wines should be consumed young, while red wines are better suited for aging. By learning how to interpret color, you will be able to determine if a wine is too young or too old, or even if it has been improperly stored. Before analyzing specific color variations though, it’s important to know how to look for them. Do not hold a glass of wine up to the light and look through it. Instead, use an overhead light source that shines down on the wine. Tilt the glass until the wine almost spills out. Do this over a white tablecloth or napkin for maximum light reflection. This is the only way to make an accurate examination. Here’s what to look for. White wines will range in color from green-tinged to brown/amber as follows:
As a general rule, most white wines taste best when younger or “fresh.” Accordingly, green-tinged or yellow-colored wines will usually be your best bets, while brown or amber hues are normally indications of problems. Red wines will range in color from purple to mahogany as follows:
Red wine consists of two dominant colors: red and yellow. Red comes from the pigmentation in the skins of purple grapes, while yellow comes from tannins in the skins, stems, pits and oak aging barrels. As red wines age, the red tones diminish, while the yellows increase. Visually, this results in the wine gradually becoming more red-orange, or “browner.” As a general rule, unlike white wines, most red wines taste better with age. Consequently, reddish-brown tones are usually indicative of a better tasting mature wine than those with, say, purple or ruby tones. Use three bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon—one new release, one with 2–3 years of bottle age, and one with 5–10 years of bottle age. As always, hide the bottle identities. By contrasting the colors side by side you should easily be able to tell which is which. (Tasting should make the differences even more apparent!) Check in later for the next lesson. Southpark Bouillabaisse ½ # leeks Toast garlic lightly in olive oil. Add vegetables and anise seed. Sweat the vegetables until translucent. Deglaze with wine. Add tomatoes, fish stock, herbs, saffron and zest. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 45 minutes. Run sauce through a food mill and then discard herbs. Season with salt and pepper and finish with oregano. Garnish with crostini and garlic aioli. |
