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I am often asked how to improve your palate and sensory evaluation skills. The golden rule is taste, taste, taste. But there is another basic strategy that you can employ to further your skill and enjoyment - take advantage of sensory experiences in your daily life. You can learn and explore by simply going to the Farmer’s market or the grocery store, hiking in Muir Woods, visiting the florist or nursery, and cooking at home. These are just a few examples of opportunities to establish standard sensory reference points for later tasting.

Once you make a small adjustment in recognizing these opportunities and practicing, you will expand your abilities and enjoyment.  Here are some common descriptors:

Reds

In French reds, look for forest floor in Bordeaux, and more specifically, pencil shavings in Pauillac Bordeaux; mushrooms in Red Burgundy, underbrush in Chateauneuf du Pape, and bacon in Cote-Rotie. For the Italian reds, there are truffles in Barolo and Barbaresco, spice box in Chianti Classico, and rose in Nebbiolo. Other common characteristics are tar or asphalt in Syrah, and eucalyptus in the Aussie rendition; mint in Napa Cabernet, and bouillon in Spanish Tempranillo.

Whites

In French whites, you’ll find Meyer lemon and key lime in Sancerre, honey in Vouvray, and wet stones in Chablis. In Sauternes and Viognier, look for stone fruits, lychee in Gewurztraminer, petrol in Riesling, cut grass in Sauvignon Blanc, and apple pie and crème brulee in new world Chardonnay.

Being aware of these sensory markers and opportunities will make you a better taster and make wine tasting and evaluation that much more rewarding.  Have fun with this.

              

This post was inspired by two articles in the NY Times that discuss ideal glass shapes and how different stemware can affect the way someone experiences the aroma, taste and harmony of a wine. “This Glass Is for the Cabernet, That One the Pinot Noir” (9/16/07) discusses Riedel Crystal’s theory of designing varietal specific stemware, while “A Tall Glass Makes The Best of Bubbles” (12/25/96) rates 18 different Champagne glasses priced $2.75 to $85 each. While informative, both articles incite you to do more testing on your own.

As a wine enthusiast, I often contemplate whether I have the ideal stemware for my wines and whether buying a more specialized glass (such as one designed for Riesling or Sangiovese) will improve my tasting experience.  Overall, I do subscribe to the view that the best glasses provide sufficient space in the bowl for the wine to “breathe” and have a rim that is both thin and tapered (such as those made from crystal instead of glass) so that the wine flows smoothly into the mouth. I once attended a Riedel tasting seminar that contrasted various glass shapes and thicknesses by pouring the same varietal wine into multiple glasses. I must admit that I was won over by the results. However, the biggest difference I found in tasting was between the “joker” glasses (small, non-crystal, clunky glass or tumbler) and generous sized crystal stems. The subtleties between the varietal-designed glasses were much more subtle. Unless one has extensive storage space, I wouldn’t invest in more than four basic styles. Below are some general style descriptors and a selection of my favorite wines that could pair with each category:

Tall Champagne flute – Tall flutes are better than coupes or saucer-shaped glasses at streamlining your bubbles, although a “tulip” shaped stem will provide additional focus and space for the aromas to gather.
    1997 Laurent-Perrier - Grand Siecle Cuvee Alexandra Rose $99
    1996 Pol Roger - Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill $159

Narrow white wine glass – A narrow Sauvignon Blanc styled glass will focus the aromas at the top of the glass. Since this glass has less surface area than a red wine glass, it allows less air to circulate around the glass, keeping the wine cooler. This style is also good for Riesling and other acidic whites. 
    2006 Cotat, Pascal - Sancerre Chavignol Reserve des Mont Damnes $47
    2005 Pichler, F X - Riesling Durnsteiner Kellerberg Smaragd $66

Burgundy-style goblet – The larger bowl of this glass is important for Pinot Noir, Grenache and full-bodied Chardonnay to accumulate its aromas as well as expand in flavor as it enters your mouth. The glass directs the wine to the tip of the tongue.
    2005 Drouhin, Joseph - Meursault Les Perrieres 1er Cru $71.95
    1998 Mortet, Denis - Gevrey Chambertin Combe du Dessus 1er Cru $69

Bordeaux-style wine glass – This glass is tall with a wide bowl so that it directs the wine to the back of the mouth. This style is best for medium to full-bodied red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel.
    1995 Guigal, E - Cote-Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis $75    
    2000 Cos d'Estournel $139

In addition to breathing and effects on the palate, the four styles of glasses described above follow a progression of light to more full-bodied varietals, and also reflect a relative progression of wines’ serving temperatures. The narrowest glass is meant for chilled Champagne whereas the larger Bordeaux-style glass is meant for “bigger” reds served at room temperature.

In the end I’m not yet ready to break the bank by buying every varietal inspired glass (Riesling stemware will have to wait), but I’ve been convinced that employing glasses that allow appropriate temperature control and breathing for a particular wine style will provide an enhanced drinking experience. What do you think? Select, swirl and sip towards your own opinion…

What happens when a group of people attend a blind tasting and taste the same wine but come up with some very different opinions on what that wine could be?  A few weeks ago some of the Vinfolio wine staff and I attended an informal wine tasting where all the wines were tasted blind and we used the recommended WSET approach to tasting.

The first 3 whites set the tone and after we started going over our general thoughts about aromas, flavors and structure some of the first responses were “wait, are we talking about the same wine”?  We even had to double check the order to be sure someone didn’t switch their glasses.  We were tasting a set of 3 different Chardonnays grown in different parts of the world, but one wine (2005 Marc Colin St Aubin En Remilly 1er Cru, $33) sparked a debate because some thought it had to be New World with its toasty-oak notes and lush fruit, while others pointed to a restrained use of oak and good acidity so that it had to be from Burgundy.  Could some White Burgundies taste like New World Chardonnay or vice versa?

We did have some variation in the type of glass used which can have an effect on the way the aromas are brought out but in this case it wasn’t a major factor.  I think it had more to do with the individual experiences of each person at the tasting.  While some had tasted more wines over many years in the wine business, others had less experience but were still able to communicate the main attributes of the wine and use that ability to accurately identify the wine.

Each person builds their olfactory memory (the ability to recognize things by their smell) and their wine palate differently.  This is why it is important to taste the wine and not just drink it.  Each time you taste a new wine, it is an opportunity for you to work on building your palate.  If you are able to pull out a few descriptors on what you smell (fruit, flower, spice or oak), or how it feels on your tongue when you drink it (lush, acidic, tannic or sweet), just by thinking about it for a few minutes as you taste will help you remember what you did or did not like about that wine and you’ll remember it next time.

Building up your wine tasting skills is not just for figuring out what you like, but also how to identify flawed wines.  How do you know when a wine is corked or flawed?  Well, we had a few of those at our tasting too.  Two out of our twelve wines were flawed/corked so we were in the statistical average that 10% of the wines you try may be corked.  As much as we all had varying levels of ability to identify the aromas and structure of the wine, we were all pretty adept at spotting the “off” wines.  You don’t have to be an expert to know when a wine has gone bad, your nose will tell you so.  Think of wet cardboard, musty basements and general stinkiness that just won’t go away.  The real test is the taste and when you get some very harsh effects (acidic, bitter), you know that something is wrong.  If you are in a restaurant having a great meal, you certainly don’t want to drink (nor pay) for a flawed wine, and if you are unsure, you can always ask the sommelier for a second opinion.  

We continued through our tasting moving to a couple of different red varietals (Grenache, Carignan and Cabernet) that proved to be hard to pin down (such as the 2003 Marti Fabra Seleccio Vinyes Velles, $18) because they showed some variations in the basic qualities we had come to expect from those varietals.  We draw from our own experience but we know that other factors – climate, soil, new winemaking techniques - will make us think twice.  We loved the challenge and we were surprised by an older Cabernet from Chile (1997 Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon Gold Reserve, $60) that showed the elegance and structure of an Old World wine.  

We enjoyed the wines and had some surprises, but the goal was to really work on identifying the wines properly using a structured format, past experience, newly acquired knowledge and sometimes our “gut feeling.”  We started off tasting, but in the end, we drank.  The best advice I ever received in all my wine tasting adventures was, “taste as much wine as you possibly can.”  I try.

One of my favorite ways to learn about wine is to do a “blind” tasting where you sample several different wines (as in a “flight”) without knowing what they are. Whether you sample blind or not, using flights of wine as a way to study a particular theme (grape varietal, region etc.) is a fun way to learn. For example, when you compare three wines from the same grape grown in diverse climates, you will discover similarities in the grape’s flavor profile, but also recognize subtleties due to a particular climate. You may find it helpful to employ study guides that describe grape flavor profiles and wine style profiles (old vs. new world, cool vs. warm climate, etc.), as well as employ the WSET Systematic Approach to tasting that I explained in a previous blog post.

Below are some regional groupings that can be used to create Varietal Flights comprised of affordable (under $60) wine selections (choose one from each region) from Vinfolio’s inventory:

Pinot Noir
    1)    Russian River, Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Santa Barbara, Willamette Valley
            a)    2005 Joseph Swan Pinot Noir Cuvee de Trois $27
            b)    2005 Lemelson Pinot Noir Stermer Vineyard $42
    2)    Burgundy
            a)    2005 Robert Groffier Pere et Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir $33
            b)    2004 Mongeard-Mugneret Chambolle Musigny $41
    3)    Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
            a)    2005 Amisfield Pinot Noir Central Otago $33
            b)    2005 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir $35

Cabernet Sauvignon   
    1)    Left Bank Bordeaux
            a)    2004 Chateau Armailhac $32.95
            b)    1990 Chateau Meyney $54
    2)    California, Washington (Napa, Sonoma, Columbia Valley)
            a)    2004 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon $39.95
            b)    2005 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley $51
    3)    Australia (Barossa, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra)
            a)    1999 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon $25
            b)    2004 D'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Coppermine Road $58

Other possible tasting themes include:

• Verticals (several vintages) of the same wine to study vintage and age variation.
• Wines from the same region that reveal a common growing climate through various grape varietals, i.e. Alsace with Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer.
• Wines from the same region, but representing various levels of quality. In Burgundy, for example, you could choose a Bourgogne, a Premier Cru, and a Grand Cru wine. Quality levels can also be examined in terms of price.
• Winemaking techniques such as the use of fermentation methods (whole berry or carbonic maceration), use of oak vs. stainless steel, and various methods of fining & filtration or lack thereof.

Have fun tasting at home or in a local wine bar! Learning to recognize the differences and similarities between wines will help you to discover your personal preferences. By keeping an open mind you will be exposed to new wine styles that will likely influence your future buying decisions.

As an introduction to my first set of tasting notes, I wanted to explain the tasting approach that I have adopted from the London based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). This organization offers vocational training to those in the Wine & Spirits industry as well as catering to the enthusiastic amateur by providing tastings and courses internationally on the subject of wine and spirits.

As a candidate for the WSET’s diploma (a two year course divided into six units), I have been practicing their “Systematic Approach to Wine Tasting.” While this is not the only approach to wine tasting and can be a bit cumbersome, it is very thorough. Using the systematic approach, I evaluate wines based on a checklist of criteria that evaluates the wine’s appearance, nose, and palate. Based on those descriptions, I come to a conclusion on the wine’s quality, geographic origin, grape variety, price, age, and readiness for drinking. In the notes that I write for this blog, I will not taste the wines blind, but rather will give my evaluation and personal score based on these criteria.

Below is a description of each of the evaluation categories:

1) APPEARANCE - At first I look at the wine’s appearance and decide on its level of clarity (bright – clear – dull – hazy), the color and intensity of the core versus rim (i.e. deep ruby core going to a thin garnet rim), and any other observations such as legs, deposits (tartrate or sediment), or bubbles.  

2) NOSE – The second category evaluates the wine’s aromas in the nose. First I decide if the wine is clean or unclean (i.e. faulted by cork taint, oxidation, heat, or volatile acidity). Next I evaluate the intensity of the aromas (light, medium, pronounced) and its development (youthful, developing, developed/mature, tired). Finally I list the aroma characteristics from such categories as fruit, floral, spice, vegetal, and other (i.e. animal scents, minerals and ripeness).

In describing aromas, I sometimes find it helpful to employ such tools as the Aroma Wheel that was created by University of California at Davis professor emeritus Ann C. Noble in the early 1980s.

3) PALATE – The third category evaluates the wine on the palate. I rate the level of sweetness (dry to luscious), acidity (low, medium, high), level and nature of the tannins (i.e. medium fine-grained tannins), alcohol level (low to high), body (light to full), flavor intensity (light to pronounced), flavor characteristics (fruit, floral, spice, vegetal, and other), other observations (such as texture or balance), and the length.

4) CONCLUSIONS – Finally, based on my assessments in the previous categories, I make several supported conclusions for the quality, age and origin of the wine. I will need to defend my reasoning for why a wine shows poor or excellent quality and why it merits a particular price range. I will deduce the grape variety/varieties and its location by suggesting production methods and climatic influences. Lastly I would decide on its relative age and readiness for drinking. Again, in these postings I will already know the identity of the wine and its price range.

Hopefully these notes will guide you in evaluating wines by reminding you of the various criteria that determine its quality and identity.  It is also of my opinion that the particular situation of the tasting experience (family dinner, restaurant, vacation) and its food pairing will also play a large influence on the overall impression that a wine makes and how it remains in your long-term memory.

May you enjoy the sensory and sensual experience of discovering each new wine, whether it brings novelty or reinforcement to your mental wine library.