Wine Tasting

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Wine Tasting

• January 2006

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Outline

• Evaluating and describing wine
• How wine is made
• Grape varieties
• Wine-growing regions
• Resources

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Evaluating Wine Objective Qualities

• Varietal character
• how well a wine presents the aromas and flavors
  inherent to the grapes from which it was made
• Integration
• How well all the components of wine are balanced
  and complementary to each other
• Expressiveness
• Well-defined and clearly projected aromas and
  flavors
• Complexity
• That indescribable something that makes wine more
  art than beverage
• Connectedness
• The cultural connection a wine has to the place
  it was grown

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Evaluating Wine

• Smell
• Taste
• Sight

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Evaluating Wine - Smell

• Called the nose, aroma, or bouquet
• Aroma actually refers to grape-associated smells
• Bouquet refers to other smells
• 80 of taste is smell
• Stick your nose in it, dont be shy

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Aroma Wheel
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Evaluating Wine - Taste

• Initial taste
• The first impression of a wine on your tongue
• Take a sip, dont swallow yet
• Taste
• Swirl the wine around in your mouth, draw in some
  air
• Evaluate body texture as well as flavor and
  balance
• Aftertaste
• The flavors and aromas that last after swallowing
  the wine
• Evaluate length of finish (the longer the better)
  as well as flavor
• Spitting
• If youre tasting a lot of wines, and you want to
  be able to stand when youre finished, its
  really best dont be shy!

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Evaluating Wine

• Body
• Texture
• Flavor
• Balance

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Components of Wine

• Alcohol
• Acidity
• Tannin
• Fruitiness
• Sugar

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Evaluating Wine - Sight

• Color
• Hold glass don at 45 degree angle against a
  white backdrop
• Is a clue to age (whites darken, reds lighten w/
  age)
• Is not a clue to flavor intensity
• For white wines, also look for clarity
• Legs
• Swirl the wine in the glass note viscosity of
  droplets which form run down glass
• Indicates body possibly alcohol content and/or
  sweetness
• Bead

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Making White Wine

• Grapes are picked
• Grapes are crushed (stems may or may not be
  removed)
• Grapes are pressed, skins removed, and placed in
  tank
• Yeast may be added, and fermentation begins

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Making White Wine (cont.)

• When fermentation ends, wine may be left in
  contact with lees (spent yeast)
• Wine is racked
• Possibly cold stabilized
• Possibly put into barrels to age
• Possibly filtered
• Wine is bottled

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Making Red Wine

• Grapes are picked
• Grapes are crushed (stems may or may not be
  removed)
• Grapes, juice, skins and seeds are put in a tank
• Yeast may be added, and fermentation begins

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Making Red Wines (cont.)

• Cap is pushed down
• Wine is drained (first run) and then pressed
  (first press) off skins after fermentation ends
• Wine is put in barrels to age
• Periodically racked
• Possibly filtered
• Wine is bottled

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Tannins and Oak

• Tannins
• come from seeds and skins,
• provide somewhat bitter component
• is a natural preservative
• Oak
• Used in fermentation, aging, both, or neither
• Provides vanilla and oak(!) flavors

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Advances in Winemaking

• Stainless steel tanks
• Screw top?

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White Wine Grapes

• Chardonnay
• Chenin Blanc
• Riesling
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Semillon
• Other Viognier, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio,
  Gewurztraminer, Muscat

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Red Wine Grapes

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Pinot Noir
• Syrah/Shiraz
• Other Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Zinfandel, Cabernet
  Franc, Grenache, Mourvedre, Tempranillo, Malbec,
  Pinotage, Gamay

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Major Growing Regions

• France Alsace, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy,
  Champagne, Languedoc, Loire, Provence, Rhone
• Germany Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheingau, Pfalz,
  Rheinhessen
• Italy Piedmont, Tuscany, The Veneto
• Spain Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Jerez, Penedes,
  Rias Baixas
• Portugal
• Austria, Hungary
• Greece
• North America California, New York, Washington,
  Oregon, Texas, Virginia
• South America Chile, Argentina
• Australia, New Zealand
• South Africa

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Resources

• http//www.thewinedoctor.com/
• http//www.tasting-wine.com
• The Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil