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  Wine Education

        How to Taste Wine || Wine Appreciation || Top Selling Wines and How They Taste                                                                                 Glossary of Common Wine Terms || Wine Do's & Don'ts

 

With wine, it all comes down to knowledge. It’s what lets you judge a wine by its taste, not its label.

  So, it’s no surprise that a little wine education is the heart of the experience. We’ve made it our mission to de-mystify the entire process. No snobbery. No hype. No "if you have to ask, you can’t afford it" attitude. In everything we do, we give you the tools and information to truly learn hoe to make many of the world’s greatest wines. To us, it’s just good business. Because the more you know about wine, the more you’ll appreciate the value of your Own Wine.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Taste Wine

OBSERVE color and clarity. Observe wine by holding the glass up to white background in a well lighted room.

Wine color is affected most by:

  • The age of the wine.
  • The grape variety
  • whether or not the wine spent time in oak

White wines vary from clear to deep golden brown and gain color as they age.
Red wines range from ruby to brick. As they age, they lose color and begin to brown. Also, observe
the body of the wine by the way it coats the sides of the glass. If the "legs" trickle down slowly, it has more body. If it falls down in sheets, it has a lighter body.

SMELL
What is the very first thing you think of when you smell a wine?
Common aromas include different fruits, spices, herbs, floral and vanilla. While different people will smell different things in the same wine, there are characteristic smells generally found in specific varieties. Make sure to smell the wine several times. A wine with complexity will offer different aromas each time as well as several smells at one time. There are hundreds of smells in wine. The aroma wheel on the following page helps define some of those smells.

Note: "Off smells" include:
Sherry-wine has oxidized from age or improper storage
Vinegar-excessive acetic acid
Cork/Mustiness-defective or inferior cork affected the wine.
Sulphur-excessive sulphur dioxide

TASTE
The overall "taste" of a wine is a combination of smells and flavors, so don't skip the smelling stage to get to the tasting. Different parts of your tongue are designed to taste different things:

  • Sweetness-tip
  • Sour/Acid-sides
  • Saltiness-center
  • Bitter/Alcohol-back

Roll the wine across your taste buds, keeping in mind that a balance of the following characteristic is ideal:

Body-Fullness or thinness. A function of both alcohol and glycerols.
Acidity-Gives the wine crispness and freshness without which the wine is flat and sour.
Tanni-The bitterness you taste comes from grape skins and seeds. It is essential to the finish of a wine. Most obvious in reds.
Sweetness-Comes from the wine's fruit flavors as well as any fermented grape sugars left in the wine. If there is no perceived sweetness, a wine is "dry".
Friutness-Intensity is a function of the variety, growing conditions and winemaking techniques.

EVALUATE THE FINISH
After swallowing, notice the aftertaste:

  • Did you like it? Why or Why not?
  • What did you notice the body?
  • How long did the impression/flavor linger?
  • Sweet? Acid? Tannic? Fruity?


 


 

Wine Appreciation 

Using the 20-point System

There are four primary characteristics, or qualities, to the wine you are about to judge. In assessing each quality, you will employ a different sense. The four characteristics are not of equal importance in reaching a conclusion on the overall quality of a wine, and are, therefore, assigned different numerical values in the 20 point system. The breakdown:

  • Appearance:or How does the wine look? Total points:4
  • Nose:(also call Bouquet) or How does the wine smell? There is much evidence that this factor is most crucial for memorizing the wine. Total points: 4
  • Palate:that is, how does the wine tastes, and feel, in your mouth? This category is obviously the most important in reaching a subjective decision on weather or not you enjoy this wine. Total points: 10
  • Exceptional Qualities:This is a catchall phrase for any perceptions of excellence or unusual worth above and beyond the sensorial inputs. It is here, too, that many tasters record the basic conclusion about the wine, or what they found most memorable. If a wine is a good value, that is, above the ordinary in its price range, the numerical score will not be affected. But this is the place to note that factor for future reference. Total points: 2

  It is important to remember that the judging of wine is, first and foremost, a subjective experience. One's personal judgment should not be lost in excess quantification. However, the regular use of a numerical system, in which the same four characteristic are always assessed in the same order, will give the taster a consistent and meaningful base of reference as she or he builds up a memory banks of wines. In so doing, the person's knowledge of wines is greatly expanded, while his or her appreciation and, even more important, enjoyment of wines is deeply enhanced.

  The ritual of judging wine can be made more comprehensible by going through the four characteristic and listing specifically what to look for.

Appearance:

Clarity:
Reds-bright(or clear); lacks brightness; hazy; cloudy; heavy with sediment.
Whites-brilliant; star-bright; then on down to dull, then finally cloudy.
Depth for both types of wine goes from very light to Opaque or deep.

Color:
or hue: reds-purple; garnet; red; tile(or brick) red; brown tinged red-brown; mahogany. Note also the "legs" of wine, that is, the beads that run down the inside of the glass when swirled. These are caused by the extract or glycerin and give you an indication of the body of the wine.

Nose:
Aroma: Either there is a distinctive scent or there is not, hence wine gets one point on aroma, or none. Note varietal character of the grape used. Also fruitness-plums? cherries? Also note if there is any wood aroma from the aging barrels: its scent will remind you of vanilla. In describing aroma, use any analogy that fits. Example: violets; underbrush; mushrooms; green olives; beet-root(pinot noir); black currants or blackberries (cabernet sauvignon); earth; pungent cabbage (chardonnay).

Bouquet: Three components:
Condition: clean or unclean? (sulphur? oxidization? musty)
Development: immature: well-developed (ripe);
closed (dumb): open and forthcoming; penetrating.
Quality: poor (limited); ordinary; good; fine or very pleasant; great (full, rich); magnificent (very full, complex, and highly pleasing.)
Some descriptive terms: aromatic; perfumed; flowery; fresh; grassy herbaceous; wet; moldy.

Palate:
Body: Feel of the wine on your tongue and in your mouth. Does is have weight or does it feel thin and watery? Does it seem extra smooth or silky, even velvety? Is it so thick that if feels almost chewy? Is there any effervescence, or spritz?

Flavor: Look for the four components of flavor; fruit, tasted up in the front of the tongue as sweetness; acid, detected along the upper edges of the tongue, gives wine life and zip; tannin, detected in small triangular area at back of the mouth or top of the throat, can seem overly bitter, even mouth-puckering, in a young red wine, but mellows out with age; alcohol can sometimes feel "hot", but should not be pronounced. If wine seems lacking in flavor, say so in your notes. For White wines, described the level of sweetness from bone-dry, dry, medium-dry, medium sweet and sweet. Describe the flavor in any way meaningful to you. Use analogies. Some descriptive terms: green apples; plumy; jammy; nutty; pineapples; spice-y (cinnamon, cardamom, curry, pepper, etc.); tart; bitter; piquant; zesty or tangy; baked or hot; meaty or fleshy; complex; metallic; flinty; smoky; creamy or butter.

Balance: If any flavor component overpowers the other, the overall balance of the wine is off and it loses points. For instance, is too fruity or heavy with no acid and tannin to give backbone or focus. If so, the wine is flabby and should lose points. If there is so much tannin the fruit or flavor is lost, the result is an undesirable mouth-puckering astringency that should cost points.

Finish: The sensation as one swallows should be long and lingering with a pleasant aftertaste that hangs at the back of the mouth after swallowing. Note whether the aftertaste is an "echo" of flavors perceived earlier, or does it have nuances of its own?

Exceptional Characteristics:
List here anything that adds to your enjoyment and/or appreciation of the wine, or that serves to make it memorable. Be poetic! Some terms used to sum up wines: luscious; sensuous; focused; manly or masculine (a big wine, aggressive, positive); feminine ( a wine that is attractive, not heavy or severe, having a certain charm-to some the wines of Germany's Mosel River are "feminine").
Also note whether the wine has breeding, in other words, is it a noble and distinguished wine? Also look for finesse, that is, delicacy and grace, a certain balance shown in the making.
Also important is the potential of the wine, that is, does it exhibit an ability to age further in bottle and improve for many years to come? Note, too, whether the wine would marry well with various foods. in other words, is it a compatible wine?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Selling Wines and How They Taste

The following are some of the wines you will be serving most often. With a little practice, you will pronounce them like a native and recommend them like a pro.

WHITE
Chardonnay (Shar-doe-NAY) "Top of the line" white - a dry, rich wine with a wide range of complex flavors. Usually oak aged. A complement to chicken, seafood and cream sauces.
Sauvignon Blanc / Fume Blanc (SO-veen-yon-BLAWNK) / (Foo-MAY-blawnk) Ranges from grassy or herbaceous to citrus and grapefruit. Flavors are both dry and crisp. Great with grilled chicken and seafood.
Johannisberg Riesling (yoe-HAN-iss-berg-REES-ling) Ranges from sweet to semi-dry and tends to be fairly light-bodied. Serve alone as a cocktail and with lighter dishes.
Gewurtzraminer (guh-VERTZ-tra-MEE-ner) Ranges from delicately sweet, to semi-dry. Most typically spicy and medium bodied. Complements Asian foods, light spicy dishes, poultry and smoked meats.

BLUSH
White Zinfandel (wite ZIN-fan-dell) Fresh and fruity. Light to medium bodied. Serve as a cocktail or compliment to lighter dishes or luncheon fare.

RED
Pinot Noir (PEE-no-nwar) Generally the lightest body of reds. Often earthy and spicy. Great with salmon, pasta salads, lighter cuts of meat and oilier poultry.
Merlot (mare-LOE) Typically smoother and softer than Cabernet, but needs less aging before the flavors reach maximum richness. Shows well with meats (especially lamb) and barbecued salmon.
Cabernet Sauvignon (ca-ber-NAY so-veen-YON) Ranges from medium to full-bodied. Aging brings out the best flavors of this dry, yet smooth wine has to offer. Serve with meats, pasta with red sauces and hearty foods.
Zinfandel (ZIN-fan-dell) Varies in body from light to heavy. Typically a bit spicy. Serve with pizza, pasta and red meats.

SPARKLING
Brut (BROOT) Generally a cuvee (blend) of grapes, including Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Styles range from creamy and tasty to crisp and refreshing. Usually has a dry finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary of Common Wine Terms

Acidity: Indicates the degree of tartness in the wine due to natural acids in the grape itself.
Aroma: Refers to the smell of the wine as it relates to its varietal fruit character.
Balance: The right proportion of fruit, acid, tannin and varietal character. Harmonious.
Barrel
Fermented:		 Fermentation of the wine takes place in oak barrels instead of stainless steel tanks, adding richness, complexity, and more oak character. Most commonly used for Chardonnay.
Body: The impression of fullness or roundness in the mouth.
Bouquet: The aromatic scent as expressed by the winemaking process; the combination of varietal fruit character with all the elements of aging wine.
Buttery: Rich, oily texture. Usually used when describing Chardonnay.
Complex: Shows an integration of aroma and flavor, often with subtlety; one of the highest compliments to a wine.
Corked: The smell of the wine when it has been spoiled by a bad cork. Typically musty or wet cardboard-relatively uncommon.
Malolactic: A second fermentation in which the malic (sour) acid in converted to lactic (softer) acid. Creates softer, silkier, more approachable wines.
Mature: Exhibits the benefits of aging where all the elements have come together.
Nose: The combination of aroma and bouquet of the wine.
Oaky: The smell and/or flavor associated with aging wine in small oak barrels. When properly integrated, a positive element.
Smooth: Soft, balanced.
Sulphur /
Sulfites:		 A compound that forms naturally during fermentation. Winemakers traditionally supplement with minimal amounts to protect fruit quality and prevent oxidation.
Sur Lie: Wine is aged on the spent yeast "lees" (cells) after fermentation, gaining added flavor and complexity.
Tannin: The natural components from grape skins and oak contact that make young wines lightly astringent and sometimes bitter. Tannin subsides as part of the aging process and contributes to the wine's complexity.
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wine Do's & Don'ts

We put together this simple wine primer, a set of dos and don'ts for the budding wine maker.

   "How should I begin if I want to make wine"?, 

 Start with simple and premium wines, and work your way up to the power house bottles. There's no point in opening an expensive $ 35.00 - $50.00 bottle style of wine as your first wine experience. Start with an $10-$12 Merlot or Pinot Grigio and save the big guns for later. You will appreciate the Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel or Italian Amarone all the more when you get to it.

 Do try a variety of wines because trying everything is the only way to build your sensory memory and discover your own tastes. You'll never make any progress with wine if you stick to the same Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, no matter how much you      like them.

 Do go with your instincts. There is no point in suffering through a wine that you really don't like just because you have read that it's supposed to be good. I've tasted plenty of expensive bottles that were not to my liking, and there are certain varietals that I've simply never warmed up to. Wine, like art, is subjective. As you become more experienced, your opinions will become more informed, but meanwhile, don't hesitate to voice an opinion about a wine that you're tasting.

 Realize that the most important characteristic of a good wine is balance. A wine's flavor can have many different elements: fruit, tannin, spice, oak, etc. The best wines have all these things in a complex harmony, and no one flavor overshadows the others. You want your wine to be like a smooth ensemble, not an assemblage of discordant divas, each vying for attention.

  Do use stemware. It may seem snobbish to beginners, but the right glass really does enhance the taste and increase your appreciation of a wine. You need not spend $50 per stem for the finest crystal, but do look for glassware that is delicate, balanced, and has a large bowl, which will allow the wine to "breathe" (interact with the air, thereby releasing all its aromas and flavors). Opt for clear, classic stemware; avoid colored glass or cut crystal (which disguise the appearance of wine).

 Do serve wine at the right temperature. I don't know how many dinner parties I've attended where the Chardonnay arrives freezing cold (hence closed down and tasteless) while the Cabernet feels like it has been stored next to the oven. Whites should be cool but not icy; serve them between 43°F and 53°F. Pour sparkling wines and Champagnes on the cool side (around 45°F). Reds should be served at cellar temperature (between 55°F and 65°F), not room temperature.

 Do save leftover wine for up to three days, or perhaps a little longer if it has been resealed properly and refrigerated. Some wines, especially newer reds, can actually improve when they are kept open overnight (because the by-products of fermentation have a chance to disperse). Most wine, however, loses something after the first go-round. You can buy a canister of inert gas specially marketed for spraying into wine bottles, the purpose being to eliminate oxygen contact, which causes wine to oxidize and spoil. Perhaps the best and easiest solution is to use that good Hand Vacuum to remove the air or use the  leftover wine for cooking!

 Do discuss wine with your friends and colleagues at every opportunity. You might even think about starting a tasting night, where you gather regularly with friends to share bottles of your wine and your thoughts about them. Central Virginia Winemakers

 Before making your wine, try a wine you know of good quality. Some supermarkets have well-tended wine departments, but if yours doesn't, then go straight to a reputable wine dealer. Having a personal relationship with a favorite wine merchant who knows your taste and your budget is invaluable. Talk to other home wine makers.  You will get better advice, and wines that have been selected with more care.


 

 

 


For some novices who are curious about wine, here are a few don'ts:

  Don't think you have to know everything about wine to appreciate or serve it. The best wine professionals readily admit that no matter how much they learn about wine, there is always a lot more to discover. Everyone has to start somewhere. The know-it-all "wine connoisseur" is a bore.

 Don't be put off by wine jargon. In spite of a wine-geek friend , who may toss out wine terms or rattle off endless statistics the bottom line is to decide whether you like what you're tasting.

 Don't pay too much attention to archaic, stuffy rules. The old saw that red wine goes with red meat and white wine with white meat should be taken with a liberal dash of salt. I regularly enjoy red wines with fish, especially if the seafood is prepared with a meat-derived sauce. Drink what you like, and again, don't be afraid to experiment in combination with foods.

 Don't think that white wine is only for women, or red only for men. Although certain whites may sometimes be referred to as having feminine qualities, white wine is not a woman's drink any more than red is a man's. Rosés are also appropriate for everyone at certain times (mostly summer lunches). If you like dry wine and your friends like sweet wines. An easy way to please a crowd is a 'White Merlot'

 Don't store white wine in the refrigerator for weeks. This will cause a loss of flavor and can turn corks moldy. Chill your whites for an hour or two before serving, or use an ice bucket to chill them at the table. As I recommended on my list of dos, white wine should be served cool — between 43°F and 53°F — not icy cold.

 Don't fill your wineglasses to the brim. A wineglass should be filled approximately one third full. This leaves room for the wine to breathe and provides space in the glass for swirling the wine, which releases aromas and flavors. A wineglass that's too full is also top-heavy and tends to tip over more easily. When you order a bottle of wine in a restaurant, a good waiter will refill your glass periodically (before it becomes empty). If you're taking on the task of refilling the glasses, fill other guests' glasses first, then your own.

 Don't take a wine to a dinner party with the expectation that the host will open and serve it. Your host may have planned the dinner with a wine that will be an integral part of the meal. If you bring a wine to dinner, make it understood that it is for their later use. It's entirely appropriate to say, "Here's a gift for your cellar," thereby relieving your host of the obligation to pour the bottle immediately. Also know your host if they do not normally drink wine, bring a cork screw.