Wine

Elegant wine tasting event with cheese platter and detailed tasting notes for a refined experience.

Taste Wine Like a Pro

Have you ever heard someone talk about wine and think to yourself… what are they talking about? Here you’ll be introduced to the basics of wine tasting. Try these steps the next time you open a bottle and see if your favorite wine tastes a little different after thinking about it a bit. The more your practice, the better you get!

Wine professionals don’t actually consume all the wine they taste. After each sip they spit it out into a cup or bucket. As you progress and to help sharpen your nose…smell and/or taste some of the fruits, herbs, flowers, oak etc that are commonly found in wines to help you identify them in your next glass.

STEP ONE:  Look at the wine

You’re checking for clarity, color, gas

  1. Is it clear? Hazy?
  2. What color is it?
  3. White wines: light straw, yellow, golden
  4. Red wines: purple, red, garnet
  5. Is there gas? Still (no gas), sparkling (full bubbles) or effervescent (a light fizz)?

STEP TWO:  Nose/Smell the wine

You’re checking for fruits, herbs, minerality, oak, off odors

  1. Do you smell wet cardboard? Vinegar? Barnyard?
  2. Fruits, non fruits, herbs
  3. White wines: citrus, peach, pineapple, apple, wet stone, flowers, honey, petrol, yeast, yogurt, oak
  4. Red wines: dark fruits, oak, mushroom, tobacco, chocolate, vanilla, cherry cola, forest floor, bell pepper

STEP THREE:  Palate/Taste the wine- take a small sip to “shock” your palate, then take a second and start thinking about what you’re tasting

  1. Sweet or dry?
  2. Confirming anything you smelled… anything extra? Different?
  3. Acidity- did your mouth water?
  4. Body/Mouthfeel- how did it coat your mouth? Like skim milk (light body), whole mild (medium body), heavy cream (full body)
  5. Tannin- did your mouth dry out?
  6. Finish- did it disappear quickly or linger?

STEP FOUR:  Overall assessment

  1. Was it well balanced?
  2. Was any one note overpowering?

And that’s it! That’s how all wine professionals learn how to taste wine. The next step is to learn what is all means! In the meantime, have fun sharpening your new skillset.

CHEERS!

Two glasses of white and rosé wine clinking in a refreshing outdoor setting with green plants.

Dry Riesling

When I learned about dry Rieslings my mind was blown… I didn’t understand, Riesling was sweet… really sweet and I didn’t care for it much. I think I had heard about, and read, and learned about dry Rieslings before I actually tasted one. I attended a class on Riesling. We went over the different Riesling producing regions and tasted from each main region. Alsace Rieslings quickly became the most interesting wines to me.

They were bone dry, they made my mouth water, the nose was SUPER funky. I was intrigued…

A dry Riesling can be hard to find because not every grocery store will bother to give up the shelf space to carry one. Additionally, you usually need to know how to read the label to know if it is sweet or not. It isn’t usually plainly stated on the label.

I don’t usually hold on to bottles of wine. I think anytime is a good time for good wine, and I have about zero time for bad wine. I was holding on to this particular bottle because I knew it needed food and I needed to share it with someone who would appreciate it.

Penfolds Bin 51, Eden Valley Riesling 2019. It was rich in color, a deep gold. When I first opened it, it smelled of petrol. It was very acidic on the palate; it made me salivate. I took a few sips and said, “this gem needs food.” I didn’t purposely pair it with anything. I decided to open it because it was one of only a few white wines in my fridge and it was hot outside and I wanted a glass of wine. We grilled bratwurst that evening for dinner and the fat from the sausage helped soften the acid of the wine. If I could have paired it with cheese I would have paired it to a chevre. The tangy notes of the chevre would have complimented this Riesling while the creaminess would have been a lovely contrast.

There was one glass left on day three and it softened up quite a bit. It was more floral on the nose and sweeter on the palate. It didn’t need food this time and I finished it while preparing dinner rather than while eating dinner.

The old vintage held up beautifully and the nose and palate were just like I remembered the current vintage. The only real difference was the golden color rather than the straw color of the current vintage. It’s a fun wine to introduce people to and one that intrigues wine enthusiasts.

You can’t always find it, but when you do grab a bottle or two.