HOW TO TASTE WINE
By
Jerry Greenfield

It has recently occurred to me (albeit belatedly) that I’ve been writing about wine for quite a while, and have never touched on the most basic of topics. I’ve dealt with the different grape varietals, the growing regions of the world, bargain bottles, and all like that, but not what may be the most important thing of all: what to look for (and taste for) so that you can appreciate wine more deeply.

Like most things, what you get out of enjoying wine depends on what you bring to it. The more you know, the more you’ll be able to appreciate. So this month, let’s take a step back and find out what it is about the experience of wine that makes it so engaging and fascinating. Aside from water and milk, it is, after all, one of the most ancient beverages.

Okay, so. All wines have basically five aroma and taste components, so when you swirl, sniff, and sip, try to identify them. They are:
• Fruit
• Floral
• Spice
• Vegetal
• Oak and oil

FRUIT FLAVORS --Let’s take them in order. Wine is made from grapes, but the last thing it tastes like is grape juice. That’s because the fermentation process rearranges the fruit sugars, giving some white wines (like Sauvignon Blanc) notes of grapefruit, say, or pineapple. Obviously, white wines will have white and pink fruit flavors, like peach, pear, lychee, and maybe quince. Reds, depending on the varietal, will show blueberry, blackberry, currant, cherry, and the like. Example: Pinot Noirs made in the Sonoma and Central Coast areas of California often give you a very marked strawberry flavor at first. So when you sip, close your eyes and try to decide what the flavors remind you of. Go with the first thing that comes to your mind.

FLORAL NOTES – The sensation of flowers is an important dimension in wine, especially in the better wines that offer more complexity and levels of flavor. Again, the division between whites and reds is pretty clear. White wines often give you white flowers: honeysuckle, jasmine, gardenia, and the like. In red wines, you’ll sometimes sense roses. The aroma and flavor of violets is often quite pronounced in wines from Bordeaux and the Rhone.

SPICE – These flavors and aromas are more common in red wines than in whites, because they mainly come from fermenting and/or aging wine in oak barrels. Probably the two most common notes you’ll encounter are cinnamon and nutmeg, the former being the more usual. Black pepper is very common, especially in Shiraz from Australia.

VEGETAL – Don’t be put off by the idea of vegetables in wine. There are several flavors and aromas that add a lot of interest and dimension to both withes and reds. These flavors run the gamut from bell pepper to subtle hints of hay, new-mown grass, dried leaves, and the like. In whites, like Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, there’s often an herbaceous note of hay or grass. Some Old World reds might give off a little bit of dried leaves, or even scents that remind you of the floor of a forest. Sounds icky, but it’s not.

In fact, there’s a French word – "garrigue" – that describes a flavor in wine sensed as a mix of sage, tarragon, thyme, and similar herbs.

OAK AND OIL – This is a toughie. I mentioned above that oak does all kinds of things to wine, most of them good, especially when the oak is applied in moderation. There is a very popular style of California Chardonnay where the flavor and aroma of oak is strong and unmistakable. Depending on how the barrels are made, you may taste a bit of vanilla or toast. Oak does all kinds of things to reds, such as imparting flavors of smoke, toffee, and caramel, among others.

Of course, there are many wines (especially whites) made with no exposure to oak at all. The wines from Sancerre and Pouilly in France’s Loire valley are often made this way, as are many Chardonnays from Burgundy and Chablis.

Oil is a different story. There is a range of flavors that fall into this category, and they’re not unpleasant. In fact, the hint of fusel oil or petrol in some whites is highly desirable. You won’t find many wines that contain these flavors, but they do exist, and you’ll know it when you taste it.

All that being said, here’s my wine of the month. It’s not cheap, but I’ve been writing about bargain bottles for months, so it’s time for a splurge.

Domaine de la Vougeraie Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot Monopole 2003 – Found this one at Total Wine and bought it for my birthday. The Cos de Vougeot is one of the most desirable and famous winegrowing areas in Burgundy, and this Chardonnay offers sweet oak, smoke, and toast along with flavors of quince, pear, apricot, and other stone fruit. In short, there’s a lot going on in the bottle. It’s round and unctuous on the palate with a long finish that spreads out across the back of the tongue. Yummy stuff, and at 13.5% alcohol, it may give you the giggles. About $80, and I give it 94 points.

Sample widely. Write me. And see my website at www.thewine-whisperer.com