The Seven Step Tasting Guide

ThiS iS Simple… SeriouSly… juSt conSider your SenSeS and the letter S…

Tasting isn’t supposed to be confusing, mysterious or too pretentious.  It’s supposed to be about enjoying wine in all its wonder.  Whether you’ve been at it for some time or just getting into it, wine is something to be enjoyed and experienced.  That being said, there are certainly things that will enhance ones experience.  One of those things is a moderately refined & systematic tasting technique.  I don’t intend this to be a “what you taste and what it means” entry, but rather a technique oriented article.

What do I recommend?  The letter S… think about your Senses… and the other S words detailed below…

See the Wine…

Look at the wine, enjoy the brilliance of it, the clarity and gorgeous colors.  Tip the glass this way and that and note the color variations and viscosity.  Color can give you a hint of the age, the grape varietal and maybe even a bit about the region of the wine.  The presence of sediment or debris can give you a heads up that the wine could be funky or perhaps insight into the style of the wine.  The lack of brilliance and clarity may be your first hint that something is amiss.

Swirl the Wine…

As you continue to visually examine the wine, swirl it around in your glass.  This allows the wine to “open up” (breath) and prepare for the next step in the process… Smelling the wine.  As you Swirl the aromas break free and collect in the glass, plus you get to See the wine in action… crawling up and down the side of the glass.  Theories on the legs, or tears, of wine are many – while some say they don’t mean a thing, others suggest this may give you hint of the alcohol content and therefore, body of the wine.  Want to look like a master?  Leave the glass on the table and swirl it around and around, sliding it (perhaps on a napkin) in little circles.  This is much easier than doing it free hand!  At some level this becomes unconscious and you will be swirling your wine almost constantly… and at its’ worst, you’ll find yourself swirling your coffee, tea, milk and water!

Smell the Wine…

This is to some people the absolute best part of drinking wine.  Our sense of smell is an amazing tool, so deeply rooted in our brain that it can elicit memories that we never knew we had.  We have learned (and can teach ourselves) thousands of aromas – many of which are so integrated with our sense of taste that the taste of something is often more how we experience it through and in conjunction with the smell.  So what’s the technique?  Don’t be shy… stick your nose right into the glass and smell deeply several times.  Vary your rate of inhale – I’ve been accused of smelling too hard and missing nuances.  Smell from the top of the glass to the bottom… up and down across the opening, and smell with your mouth open and your mouth closed.  You’ve probably seen people do the one nostril smell, cup their free hand over their glass and nose, smell the wine and then smell the back of the hand or arm (in theory “zeroing” their olfactory palate), or other odd gesturing techniques.  Whatever it takes… just smell… think… smell… think… and so on and so forth.  One thing that may help you come up with descriptors of how a wine smells is to do some free association with friends (or yourself!).  As you start thinking and talking, often the aromas can refine themselves in your brain – but be careful.  The power of suggestion is strong and can lead you down the path of what someone else smells – but it can also help bring your thoughts to the forefront with words you weren’t quite able to grasp.

Sip the Wine…

Take enough wine into your mouth… but not too much.   You don’t want to have so much in your mouth that you feel like you have to swallow it right away, but instead just enough to wash across your tongue and gums – you should be able to comfortably hold the wine in your mouth for evaluation purposes.  This is the time when you should start thinking about your sense of touch, after all, you’re “touching” the wine and it’s about tactile sensations and texture you feel on your tongue, gums and cheeks.  Do sort of a chewing motion and think about what’s going on in your mouth.  It’s at this stage of the game you should get an idea of the body (light, medium, heavy), the mouth-feel (smooth, luscious, creamy, rough, simple, etc. etc.), the acidity and tannin of the wine.

Slurp the Wine…

This is the loud and sometimes unpleasant sounding portion of the tasting process – but with practice can be done in such a way as to not draw too much attention to yourself.  Technically called “trilling” it’s simply drawing air across the wine while it’s still in your mouth, which in turn engages your sense of smell with your sense of taste- the wine has warmed in your mouth and more aromas have broken free, which find their way to your nose.  Basically what you want to do is, with the wine still in your mouth, tip your head slightly forward and slurp air through the wine- as though slurping soup from a spoon.  Do this a couple times and again analyze what you taste, smell and feel.  Two pitfalls await you… if you tip too far forward you may drool and if you tip too far back you may choke as you inhale.  Practice it in private and once you get the hang of it you’ll be slurping like a pro.  And eventually you’ll be trilling (like swirling) all your beverages!

Swallow the Wine…

At some point in time during “tasting” you have to drink (swallow) the wine.  No special technique involved, but be prepared to start analyzing as soon as the wine slips down your throat.  The sensations at this point can be hugely informative!  It’s after you swallow that you’ll feel the affects of high alcohol (hot/burning), high acid (mouthwatering) or tannic (mouth drying) wines.  Some of these post-swallow sensations can be short or long – which is why we…

Savor the Wine…

Think about all the things that have been going on in your mouth or what’s happening “residually.”  Breath out through your nose and your mouth – perhaps again doing a little chewing action to move air around your mouth/nose.  Consider whether all those tastes and sensations disappear quickly or linger forever – this is what is referred to as the “finish” of the wine.  Much like smelling a wine, this can sometimes be one of the most enjoyable stages of tasting.  This is when you contemplate your overall impression of the wine – if it was complete, whole and balanced or had some gaps or spikes along with way.

But of course tasting is like washing your hair… lather, rinse, repeat.  Do it again and again and again.  It takes practice and brings new things with each new sip and each new wine.  Discovering what different wines from different regions from different grapes from different price points offer is part of enjoying and exploring wine, and most certainly part of expanding your palate.

Keep drinking and thinking!

Ron

New Mexico Sparkling & Still

If you are into wine (which you likely are since you’re reading this), it comes as no surprise to you that there are wineries EVERYWHERE!  And based on the number of people we talk to who are or know home-winemakers and the the increase in wine consumption (the United States is poised to become the top wine consumer within a few short years) this trend will definitely continue. So next time you’re traveling, check for wineries around your destination – like I did on a recent trip to New Mexico!

New Mexico is billed by some as the oldest wine producing region in the United States, beginning with the first Spanish explorers and settlers in the 1500’s.  New Mexico can be broken roughly into three regions: the Northern, Central and Southern.  The Southern region is considered the best and most prolific area for growing grapes.

Gruet Winery, located in Albuquerque, NM, was established in 1984 when Gilbert Gruet, owner of Gruet et Fils in Champagne, France, bought land and planted vines for the sole purpose of making fantastic sparkling wines in the traditional methods of Champagne.  Gilbert’s son Laurent (winemaker) and daughter Nathalie moved to New Mexico to oversee the newly created Gruet Winery.  The 1987 harvest (their first) was produced by strict Methode Champenoise with equipment shipped from France, and released in 1989 to critic’s acclaim.  The first year of production was 5000 bottles and obviously the start of something great!

They now produce over 80,000 cases – including many sparkling selections and still wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (of course).

I had the pleasure of being strolling the winery with Donald as he explained the facility (which is currently undergoing the construction of a despearately needed addition), the making of sparkling wines, and the history of Gruet.  Of course this led back to the tasting room…

   

Gyropalette – a mondern-day remueur!

When it comes to Champagne and sparkling, I will admit I’m not too experience, nor am I often thrilled by the prospects.  I think my visit to Gruet may have moved my considerably further down the road of appreciation.  We tasted through the entire portfolio: Brut NV, Blanc De Noirs NV, Rose NV, Demi Sec NV, Blanc De Blancs Vintage 2002 and 2004, Grand Rose Vintage 2002 and the Gilbert Gruet Grande Reserve Vintage 2000 (an exceptional treat!)… and that was just the sparkling!  Next we hit on the still wines: 2006 Chardonnay, 2006 Chardonnay Barrel Select, 2006 Pinot Noir, 2006 Pinot Noir Barrel Select, 2005 Syrah and then two more awesome treats (thanks to Laurent who had opened them for another guest!) the 2001 Chardonnay Barrel Select and 2001 Pinot Noir Barrel Select!

I don’t dare attempt to decipher the scribbles on my tasting sheet, however, one things is clear – I liked the wine!  The consistency from product to product, with increasing quality (remember, just like many things in life, you get what you pay for), was striking.  Sipping through so many sparklings was amazing.  If you’re in the market for sparkling, be sure to check out Gruet… and you’ll soon see (like this week) Gruet on the shelves of Cafe le Grand.

My second wine-stop in New Mexico was to a beautiful little estate in somewhat odd surroundings.  Casa Rondena ( http://www.casarondena.com/ ) is oddly situated in what I would consider an average neighborhood – but once you pull through the front gate and up the vineyard lined drive, it’s as though you have been transported. 

   

John Calvin, musician and builder/designer, was inspired by wine, music and architecture while spending time in Southern Spain, and started Casa Rodena in 1990.  Since this time he constructed a gorgeous winery and wines to match.  I had a great visit in the tasting room, moving through the 2007 Viognier, 2006 Meritage White, 2005 Cabernet Franc, 2005 Meritage Red, 2006 and 2007 Serenade, 2006 Clarion, 2005 Founder’s Reserve and the 2004 Animante Port.  The standouts for me were the Cabernet Franc and the Clarion – an interesting blend of Syrah, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.  One thing I found of all the reds is that they were lighter in body and color – something perhaps attributable to a shorter growing season and less extraction in the making of the wines.  Casa Rodena sources grapes from their own property, growers in Southern New Mexico and Colorado… hmmm… Colorado?  I may have to plan another trip!

If you find yourself headed toward New Mexico, be sure to check out Gruet and Rondena, as well as many other wineries in the area – or wherever you find yourself.  After all, wine is so much more than an alcoholic beverage.  It’s places, people, history, soil, weather, technique, innovation and exploration.  So explore – yourself and your palate!

Regards,

Ron