To understand how to taste wine we should first look at the meaning of the word taste. It refers to the perception of sensations that we call sweet, acid, salt and bitter. However these four are just the simple sensations you will get from wine. Wine is quite complex but it doesn’t have to be a huge task when tasting a wine. Your nose and mouth together will help you identify quite often, an abundant combination of descriptions that describe the wine.

When tasting a wine it is important to understand various factors contributing to the final taste of the wine. The taste, sight and the smell all contribute to that final assumption. There are three steps to tasting wine. Altogether these three aspects form the true art of tasting and assessing the wine. Using these three rules will help you understand and be comfortable with assessing a wine yourself.

APPEARANCE:

Some say the color has little to do with the quality of a wine, however it can give us a clue to the grape variety, age and quality to an educated taster. When you look at a wine it should have clarity. Brightness of a wine can give you a clue of good health and freshness. White wines should be water white to golden, it should never be brown, it should never be dull or hazy as this will indicate the wine is of poor quality. Red wines should be a regal purple through to brick red to tawny as age persists, the color tends to become pale with age. Rose wines are normally drunk young so color isn’t an indicator to age. The different colors found in rose wines are an indication to how long the grape juice is kept in contact with the skins. The grape varieties can also alter the final color of the wine. Holding it up to the light or to a white background will reveal its color more accurately. When people say viscosity or tears it generally means alcoholic strength and sugar content however it is no indication to the overall wines quality.

AROMA:

The nose of a wine can reveal much more than you think. It will give an indication of its identity, quality and origin. Some of the most seductive smells are found in quality wines that have been given time to mature in the bottle, anything from a couple of years to even a couple of decades. Always swirl before taking a gentle sniff of the wine to awaken any sleeping aromas. The wine’s nose should be free of any obvious offensive odors however it should have several pleasant smells, which would indicate a wines quality. Higher quality wines have increasing superior smells than lower quality wines. But don’t smell it too much as it can decrease your senses.

TASTE:

The wine’s palate is where the fun begins. It can also be somewhat of a negative experience when we taste something that has a fault. One important rule to remember when tasting wine is that balance should be achieved. A good wine should be balanced with fruit and acids or tannins. A wine that has strong bitterness flavor can come from numerous sources normally from unripe tannins in barely ripe red grapes or from new barrels used in the aging process in white wines. If a wine is sweet the tip of the tongue will react. However if you have a sweet tooth then your perception of this sensation will be slightly impaired. If a wine is acidic generally derived from the grape in a cool climate, or added before fermentation, the sides of the tongue towards the back will detect it. If a wine is full of tannin the mouth and gums will have a drying effect. If a wine has high amounts of alcohol there will be a warming sensation at the back of the mouth. Any tasting of a wine will lead to a conclusion of its maturity and state of quality, so trust your taste buds and let them do the talking.

TASTE SENSATIONS:

SWEETNESS:

Is perceived on the tip of the tongue, if you are a sweet tooth you will probably be less aware of low levels of sweetness because you indulge in it more frequently. Therefore if you dislike sweet things you will be more sensitive to it. The sweetness comes from fructose and sucrose sugars in the grape’s juice, which has not been fermented into alcohol and commonly referred to as residual sugar.

ACIDITY:

Is perceived on the upper sides of the tongue. High levels of acidity can thin your saliva and create a feel of astringency. The common acid found in the grape juice is tartaric and malic acid.

BITTERNESS:

Is perceived at the rear of the tongue and can reach the back into the throat. The taste is like strong black tea. Bitterness comes from a number of sources: unripe tannins in barely ripe red grapes, bruising of grape skins and pips during both red and white winemaking, excessive extraction during maceration in red winemaking.

SALTINESS:

Although wines do contain salts the taste of saltiness is very rare but can be found on the front of the tongue after sweetness.

Part 2 will give some common wine faults found in wines.

Part 3 will give you wine serving temperatures and common tasting terms.

Happy Sipping.

Sincerely,

Corey Norsworthy

Winemaker/Marketer

Grande River Vineyards

We began harvest last week here at the winery. So far we have pressed 16.5 tons of Sauvignon Blanc and will have more coming in next week. Looks like a good year for grape yields so far! More to come……

 

CELLARING YOUR WINES AND WHY?

 

If you have found a wine that needs some more time in the bottle good storage conditions can help its development and your enjoyment. It is recommended that a wine should be in a dark environment which is free of odors and vibrations. Sounds easy, but wait there’s more. Ideally a wines storage temperature should be about 55 degrees ^oF and about 70-80% humidity, but who of us have a limestone cave easily accessible under our houses. A minimum of temperature fluctuation is what is most important. Extremely high temperatures (in excess of 75 degrees ^oF) can advance the development of the wine as extremely low temperatures (below 30 degrees ^oF) will accelerate the precipitation of tartrate crystals and solid matter. With temperatures fluctuating over a large range it is very detrimental, as it will cause rapid aging and or precipitation. As temperature increases and decreases, expanding and contracting will put pressure on the cork, causing cork movement and ultimately leakage. If the atmosphere is too dry, corks can lose moisture and hence their elasticity, resulting in a poor seal thus the need to store wines with cork closures on their sides so the wine moistens the cork.

If conditions are too damp, there is a possible of fungal growth occurring on the top of the cork, and labels may be moisten and damaged as well. While very few of us will be able to store their wines under precise conditions that are sometimes called for, don’t let that discourage you from finding the best conditions you can where you are and getting started with storing and aging wines and watching them change over time. While the “ideal” conditions can seem elusive, often a dark spot in the basement or a closet that doesn’t have an outside wall such as under a staircase or even a spot in the pantry will work.  Many of these types of solutions will ensure that your wines can age within near optimal conditions.

 

Some wines will require many years or even decades of aging before they have reached their peak. If you ever encounter these types of wines and considering the purchase for an investment or simply a special occasion you may want to purchase a high quality wine storage cabinet. Most of these cabinets come in a variety of shapes, sizes and finishes, while offering digital cooling systems that offer the right conditions for storing and aging your wines. There are many stores online that can provide you with a wide range of selections, some of my favorites are http://www.vintagecellars.com/ and http://www.winecellarinnovations.com/ they both offer great advice and can even custom build to your needs. There is one other option if space is an issue or your teenage kids have found your ‘secret stash’. Off site storage facilities that are temperature and humidity-controlled can provide quality service. This is by far the most expensive option and you don’t have 24 access to you wines, however this option is great for wines that you don’t plan to drink for some years and it has the added bonus of being out of reach for those of you who can’t keep a good bottle hidden.

 

WHICH WINES WILL IMPROVE WITH AGE?

 

            The ability to age is influenced by several factors which include the grape variety, viticulture practice, winemaking styles and cellaring. Without knowing the history of a wine an indication of the cellaring potential can be the price point, for instance a $8-$10 Cabernet Sauvignon may only last for 1 to 2 years but a $30-$50 Cabernet will likely improve with age for up to 10 years. Some other wines with big tannins are the Bordeaux inspired Meritage Reds wines made from Caberent Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdo, Malbec and the rare Carmenere, other wines that have the ability to successfully age are acidic and tannic Syrah (Shiraz), Nebbiolo, and Sangiovese’s. High acidic white wines have great aging potential such as Chenin Blanc and dry Rieslings, while Chardonnay and Semillon if barrel aged and minimal malolactic fermentation has occurred, can be successful. Again look for the price point for a rough guide. Sweet wines such as Riesling, Semillon and Ice wine also have potential longevity as well as Vintage Ports.

 

WHAT HAPPENS WITH AGE?

 

            For most of us, drinking a soft smooth wine is one of the most pleasurable experiences you can have when it comes to consuming wine. Drinking a wine when it is at its peak is what makes it so exciting. Let’s talk about what happens when a wine is aged. The young wine that is laid to rest for a long period will undergo a remarkable transformation of sight, smells and taste. During the aging period the wine will develop complexity as chemical reactions occur creating complex aromas and tastes. Those harsh, raw tannins that we often experience in young reds and the tart acids in young whites can slowly diffuse when aged, leaving a wine that has a much smoother mouthfeel texture. If a wine does not contain any of these characters it is pointless keeping it. My general rule is “If its good now why wait, drink it!”

 

            Wines can be categorized in-groups from light to medium to full body. Most whites and lighter bodied reds are best enjoyed as young wines, one to three years, as their primary fruit characters are their most appealing features. More full-bodied whites and reds can be aged for three to eight to even ten years to soften the tannins and smooth the tart acidity. The flavors of youth will intermingle with those of age and develop more complexity.  As bottle the aging progresses the wines aroma can evolve into more delicate complex smells. In order to decide how long to cellar a wine, be guided by your own assessment. A good way of doing this is by purchasing a case and regularly enjoying the wine over a number of years. This is the best way I have found to build up your cellar of good mature wines.

 

Most all of the Grande River wines have been cellared for your benefit in a controlled environment and are ready to drink when released, however we do have our Reserve Selection and Meritage red and white wines that tend to age gracefully. If you have any questions about this or any other wine topics be sure to contact me and I will be glad to talk wine with you.

 

Happy Sipping.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Corey Norsworthy

Winemaker/Marketer

Grande River Vineyards