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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Components of Wine

• Alcohol
• Comes from fermentation affects body, texture,
  aroma, flavor
• May be sensed as a hot smell or burning
  sensation in the nose
• Acidity
• Comes from natural acid in the grape may be
  sensed as tartness
• Wines lacking acidity taste dull, flat or flabby
  and do not age well
• Tannin
• Comes from seeds, skins and stems adds
  backbone and character to the wine is a
  natural preservative
• In overabundance, wine tastes harsh or bitter
• Fruitiness
• Propensity of wine to display fruity aromas and
  flavors
• Sugar (sweetness/dryness)
• Depends on how much of the grapes original sugar
  content was converted to alcohol
• Not the same as fruitiness!

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Evaluating Wine

• Smell
• Taste
• Sight

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Evaluating Wine - Smell

• Much of taste is smell, so getting a good whiff
  is important
• Aerate the wine by swirling it in the glass
• Stick your nose in the glass and inhale
• Called the nose, aroma, or bouquet
• Aroma traditionally refers to grape-associated
  smells
• Bouquet refers to other smells (e.g. oak,
  vanilla, nutty or buttery)

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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
• Spit or Swallow?

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Evaluating Wine

• Body
• Light, medium, or full? (think about the
  difference between skim milk, whole milk, and
  cream)
• Texture
• How does the wine feel in your mouth (e.g. soft,
  sharp, smooth)?
• If you had to describe the wine as a fabric, what
  would it be?
• Flavor
• What specific components can you taste? It may
  help to run through lists of choices.
• Balance
• Is the wine overwhelmed by any components
  (alcohol, acidity, tannin, fruitiness, sugar)?
• Length
• How long do the flavors and aromas linger after
  swallowing?

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Evaluating Wine - Sight

• Color
• Hold glass down 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

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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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Oak

• 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

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White Wine Chardonnay

• Originally and most famously from Burgundy in
  France as Chablis. Also grown in most wine
  producing countries world wide.
• Blended with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier to
  produce Champagne
• AKAFeinburgunder and Morillon
• or Aubaine, Auvernat, Beaunois,
• Epinette Blanche, Petite Sainte-Marie
• Melon Blanc and Weisser Clevner

Flavors fresh, fruity, melon, peach, oak,
flinty, very dry, lemon, nutty, hint of tropical
fruit, and buttery
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White Wine Sémillon

• botrytis cinera, or "noble rot".
• Sweet or dry
• Tempered by Sauvignon Blanc which add acidity and
  liveliness wines.
• Found all over the world but especially in
  Bordeaux in France and the Hunter Valley in
  Australia
• Forms heavy bunches that can reach high alcohol
  levels.

Flavors lemony, beeswax, lanolin or banana,
buxom, full-blown wine of generous proportions
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White Wine Sauvignon Blanc

• Geography France, New World, especially New
  Zealand.
• Often mixed with Sémillon in dry and sweet wines
  of Bordeaux.
• Californian winemakers tend to minimise the tart,
  crisp characteristics of European Sauvignon Blanc
  by ensuring that the grapes are very ripe before
  harvesting and then ageing them in new oak
• Chile produces softer styles.
• and fruitier and fig-like.

Flavors Sharp, tangy, gooseberry, smoky grassy,
crisp, light, nettles, elderflower asparagus and
cat pee.
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White Wine Chenin Blanc

• Home is the Loire Valley in France. Also grown
  often in the US.
• Sometimes affected by ''Noble Rot,'' and used for
  making dessert style wines
• Mainly used as a varietal
• grape (not mixed)
• A.K.A. Pineau de la Loire
• and Blanc d'Anjou

Flavors Possesses extraordinary flavour, with
contrasts of honey, guava, quince with hints of
light floral fruitiness. Highly acidic. Light,
fruity, unoaked to rich
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Red Wine Cabernet Sauvignon

• Famous for its hardiness
• Grows extremely easily, therefore needs
• to be pruned quite severely and hedged
• during the summer months
• Grown everywhere but expecially in
• Bordeaux
• Often mixed with Shiraz, Merlot and
• Cabernet Franc.
• Ages really well.

Flavors distinctive blackcurranty flavor mint,
cedar, truffles, plums, full-bodied, and tannin.
Brash
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Red Wine Merlot

• Grown mainly in Southern France, North East
  Italy, Eastern Europe and New World, especially
  California.
• Used to soften Cabernet Sauvignon based wines
• Subtle, soft and velvety. Lower in tannic
  bitterness higher in alcohol, and faster to
  mature than Cabernet Sauvignon
• Ages very well

Flavors Juicy, fruity flavors of blackcurrant,
black cherry, mint, complex texture, Purple, and
full- bodied
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Red Wine Pinot Noir

• Home is Burgundy, France.
• Does not travel well. Outside Burgundy, with a
  few exceptions, lacks colour and depth. There are
  some successful Californian Pinot Noirs.
• Varies from complex and silky to
• plain and insipid
• Used (without skins) as a white
• ingredient in Champagne
• Also known as Spätburgunder in
• Germany and Pinot Nero in Italy

Flavors Predominantly raspberry strawberry,
with a hint of game
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Red Wine Syrah/Shiraz

• This grape is grown in France and California as
  Syrah wine, and in Australia as Shiraz. In
  France, it is associated with the Rhone Valley
  and Hermitage red wines.
• Although used for blending in Châteauneuf-du-Pape,
  is capable of fine quality wine as a varietal

Flavors minerally, blueberry, Intense, rich,
tannic, velvety (texture) spicy, Intense and
complex sweet fruit flavored, particularly
blackberry and raspberry, with a peppery
overtone. At its best in full-bodied, intense,
deep colored wines