Wine Tastings Can Be Truly Eye Opening Experiences

Opening a bottle of wine and drinking a glass will give you the opportunity to taste that one varietal produced by that one winery. For those with some wine tasting experience, drinking that one wine will give them an opportunity to assess the pros and cons of the wine. But, to truly experience differences in wines, you need to sample two or more wines at a time. That’s why doing wine tastings is so important in learning about wine.

The ultimate way to do wine tastings is at a winery or a wine bar that serves tasting flights. In these settings, you get the opportunity to have a couple sips of a variety of wines. And often, it can be eye opening.

At a winery, you usually start with white wines unless they produce rosés or sparkling wines which are a great place to start. White wines are lighter and more delicate in their flavors so that’s why you start there. Then, you’ll move into the red wines that have the bigger and bolder flavors.

But, the most important part of any wine tasting, whether it’s two wines or more, is the side-by-side comparisons and the opportunity to go back and “revisit” a wine. Even those with little or no wine experience will find doing side-by-side tasting interesting. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had multiple bottles opened and served a person one wine and then a second wine. And, the responses are usually the same - “Wow! I like the first one but this second one is really different!” Yes, indeed, they always are!

So, whether it’s a visit to a winery, trying a flight of samplers at a wine bar, or just opening a couple of bottles at home with friends and family, ensure that you take the time to sample the wines, one after the other, to truly understand differences in the wines and to better understand your personal wine preferences. Cheers!

Blind Wine Tastings Allow for the Removal of Any Bias

Have you heard of blind wine tastings? No, it doesn’t involve blindfolds. That could get messy.

What a blind wine tasting means is that the taster is ‘blind’ to things such as where the wine is from, the winery that produced the wine and the price of the wine.

So, in a blind tasting, wine bottles are covered (usually in a bag), the foil capsule that covers the cork is removed, and the cork is pulled and placed out of sight. The price of the wine is also concealed.

The thing that isn’t blind to the taster is the topic of the tasting, such as the grape varietal being evaluated or the region where the wine was produced. So, a blind tasting could be conducted on Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. Or, Pinot Noir from Oregon. Or, wines from Bordeaux France. This way the blind taster at least has some point of reference and common denominator to use when evaluating the wines.

Being ‘blind’ to the wine producer and the price allows for a fair comparison between the wines. This removes potential bias when evaluating wine and allows for wines to be analyzed without any preconceived notions.

Then, at the end of a blind wine tasting, the brown bags come off, the winery labels are exposed and the details of the wines are brought to light. And, even for professionals, this can result in some raised brows. They can be surprised both ways - seeing the label may shock them compared to their notes. A highly touted winery’s wine may not have scored well, or a lesser-known winery may have scored unusually well. That’s the beauty of a blind tasting. Every wine gets a fair chance in the evaluation.

So, this is how the reputable wine publications do wine reviews - blind. This ensures that we as consumers are getting a fair and unbiased evaluation of a wine.

This can also be a fun thing to try at home. You don’t need to have a lot of bottles - two or more will do. Just ensure they are of the same varietal or composition. Then taste them focusing on the sight, smell and taste. Score each of them and then pull off the bags. You just might surprise yourself! Cheers!

Ever Wonder? Why Do People Hold their Wine Glass by the Base?

The first time that I saw someone holding their wine glass by the base I assumed they were a real wine snob. Now, maybe they were a wine snob, but there actually is a good reason for holding a wine glass by the base.

Wine etiquette usually dictates that you should always hold your glass of wine by the stem and not by the bowl. This keeps your hands off the bowl and avoids smudges and marks that could otherwise detract from the appearance of the glass.

But, if you happen to own very fine wine glasses or get served from a very fine wine glass you’ll find that the stem can actually be quite narrow and even potentially brittle. It’s in this situation that holding your wine glass by the base, or foot, is recommended. You’d really hate to be holding an ultra-high-end glass by the stem and find that the small amount of pressure you put on it causes it to snaps. Embarrassing, costly and potentially hazardous to your hand!

So, holding a wine glass by the stem is usually the proper thing to do. But holding an extremely delicate wine glass by the base is actually the practical thing to do. Cheers!

Wine - It's an Experience

A friend was recently talking about wines that he received from a winery’s wine club. He had visited this winery a few years back and really enjoyed their wines. So, he joined their wine club. Every six months he gets a shipment of wine and puts them away for special occasions. A very common scenario.

But, my friend recounted, the last few bottles that he’s opened were just not as good as he remembers.

At the winery, he said, the wines were simply outstanding. They were unlike wines he had ever tasted. They had unique aromas, complex flavors, soft tannins and a finish that seemed to just go on and on. He remembers the wines were amazing!

He talked passionately about returning to the winery soon. To seeing the vineyards, to stand in the quaint little tasting room and sip wine while chatting once again with the very friendly owner. He couldn’t wait.

This is a scenario that plays out regularly with us wine lovers. The wines are often not as good at home as they were when we purchased them at the winery. Are we storing them properly? Does the wine need more time to age? Or, did we wait too long to open the bottle? Why isn’t it as good as we remember?

Or could it have been the vast rolling hills of vineyards, the beautiful winery facility, the fun little tasting room stacked high with wines aging in their oak barrels, the owner standing behind the tasting room counter and telling great stories as he pridefully poured the wine?

I can’t wait for my next visit to wine county. I know I can depend on finding a bunch of outstanding wines and enjoying every moment of the experience. Cheers!