Sip Your Wine for a More Enjoyable Experience

I had a recent conversation with another wine lover who complained that whenever their mother came over for a glass of wine she would down it like ice water. And, they noted, they had been serving their mother “really good bottles of wine.” So, they’ve now learned that “…going forward, when Mom comes over for a glass of wine, she’s getting the cheap stuff!”

It’s easy to understand that someone might be inclined to “chug” a glass of wine like a cold beer or an easy-to-down mixed drink. But, drinking wine is a better experience if it is sipped rather than chugged.

One of the reasons for sipping wine is to include and enjoy the aroma. Our nose is actually very important to our ability to taste the flavors in wine. It’s like the old experiment where you pitch your nose and take a bit of an orange - you don’t end up “tasting” it. It’s not that your tongue doesn’t work with your nose pinched, but when your nose isn’t working your brain doesn’t get all the information about what’s in your mouth. So, a slow sip of wine, with your nose above the bowl of your wine glass, significantly enhances the overall ‘flavor’ of the wine.

Another reason for sipping wine is to enjoy the front, middle and finish of the wine. If you take the time to sip and really pay attention to the wine, you’ll notice that the “front end” of the wine will be different than the “middle” and the “end” or finish. On the front, you may experience bright fruit flavors (fruit-forward wines) along with the wine’s texture (usually the astringency of tannin, or lack thereof). In the middle, or mid-palate, is where a wine’s ‘structure’ is discovered. If everything comes together in a balanced manner, a good wine will have lots of interesting flavors in the middle. Conversely, a wine without any structure will seem to be empty or weak. Then, on the finish (after you swallow), you are likely to notice things like its mouthwatering acidity, or you may experience lingering sensations such as tartness or spiciness.

So, slow down and sip your wine. You’ll find that you’ll enjoy it even more. And, you might also consider keeping some of “the cheap stuff” on hand for you wine guzzling family and friends! Cheers!

What Do You Smell When You Smell Wine?

Wine is often described as having aromas of fruits, flowers and spices. But, what do you smell when you smell wine?

The most common response from those just starting to like wine is “It smells like wine.” Well, that’s a good start. But, there’s so much more.

The best place to start is with red wines. They have the biggest aromas. And, you need to do a lot of sniffing.

Start by gently swirling the wine around in a bowl-shaped wine glass. This can significantly enhance the aromas in the glass. Then, don’t be afraid to stick your nose into the glass. You don’t need to take a deep breath, just inhale. Give the glass another swirl and take a second sniff.

Now, this is where you have to open up your imagination a bit and think of other things that could have similar aromas. With red wines it’s easy to start with the black fruits. Do you possibly smell Boysenberry, Black Cherry, Plum or Blackberry? Think of the fruits themselves or maybe the smell of jams and jelly. How about Fig, Date or Raisin? In the lighter red wines, you may get a bit of Cranberry, Strawberry, or Cherry.

You’ll need to be patient with yourself and give yourself lots of time and plenty of experience. And, if you’re in an environment where you can smell lots of different wines you’ll be able to compare and contrast the aromas.

Your nose actually plays a very important role in how you taste something. We’ll get into that a bit more next time. For now, happy sniffing and sipping! Cheers!

Think When You Drink

A co-worker who is into nice wines recently told me that she used to pour her mother nicer wines when she visited. The problem was her mother would down her glasses of wine like water. She tried to have her mother slow down and enjoy the wine, but to no avail. So, she now serves her mother inexpensive wines and pours herself the good stuff. Her mother doesn't seem to notice.

When people ask me about wine, I tell them that there is so much more to wine than simply drinking. One of the simple ways to get more enjoyment out of a glass of wine is to follow the Five S's. When you are served a glass of wine, take a close look at the wine and its color (See the wine). Then give your glass a gentle swirl to help release the wine's aromas. Then smell the wine and pay attention to what you smell. And, yes, use your imagination. Your brain stores lots of information on smells and the wine's aroma surely will spark memories of other smells.  Then sip, don't guzzle, your wine. Let it stay briefly in your mouth. Then, swallow and enjoy the immediate flavors and those that linger.

The five S's, See...Swirl...Smell...Sip...Swallow will help to better enjoy the wine that you are served. And, it makes you "think when you drink." I assure you, it will make your next glass of wine a better one! Cheers!

Where Do All Those Flavors in Wine Come From?

There are only two ingredients in wine: grapes and yeast.  Yet, white wines can be described as having flavors that include lemon, lime, grapefruit, apple, peach, pear and orange.  And red wines can be described as having flavors of cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, plum and fig.  And then there are descriptions of vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, chocolate, tobacco, leather, and even tar, just to name a few.  But, if wine is only made from grapes and yeast, how do wines get all those other flavors? 

In a past blog, we reviewed taste and smell as being the elements by which we get our perception of flavors.

But, let's go a bit deeper and do some further exploration of where all those flavors in wine come from.  Basically, wine's flavors come from the grapes, the fermentation process and through aging.

Each of these components provides its own set of flavor compounds that combine to give each wine its own characteristics.

So, next time we'll dive into the most important influence on wine's flavor - grapes. Until then, Cheers!

How to Reset Your Sense of Smell When Wine Tasting

While our tongue is only able to detect five basic tastes, our nose is capable of detecting millions of different aromas.

When wine tasting, one of the Five S’s is smell.  You stick your nose into the wine glass and take a sniff. You can get a very quick idea of what the wine will taste like and you may even detect some of the fruit aromas. But very quickly, after just about two sniffs, your nose tends to switch off and become insensitive to further sniffs of the same aromas.

One way wineries and wine tasting rooms will address this issue is to re-set your olfactory system by having you smell coffee beans.  This shifts the receptors in your nose and brain to something completely different. That way, when you sniff your next wine, your sense of smell is reset and once again heightened.

But you may not always have coffee beans with you when you are tasting wines. The one thing that you always have with you is your arm. And it can come in very handy when wanting to reset your nose. Just take a quick sniff of your arm (preferably while not wearing any scented lotions, sunscreen or other scented products). This quickly resets your nose and allows you to get back to smelling the intricate wine aromas.

So, here's to smelling your arm!  And, to being better prepared to experience all the wonderful aromas that wines have to offer  Cheers!