Jun 11 2012

Introduction to Wine, part I: looking, smelling, and tasting

Last Thursday (07 June 2012), I went to my first wine class. The class was entitled “From Vine to Wine: Wine 101,” and was held at Wine Authorities in Durham, NC. Though I have enjoyed wine for several years, I have just recently started researching various aspects thereof–different varietals, regions, and so on. There was a lot of information presented in this two-hour class, and I plan on sharing some of the key points over the next couple weeks.

In this first post, I’m going to share some information regarding a method for tasting (or sampling) a wine that will allow you to get the most of out the experience. The process can be broken down into three stages: looking, smelling, and tasting. Though they are separate processes, the culmination of the three will result in something greater than any of the three individually; they will combine to bring about your overall experience of the wine.

Looking:

The first stage involves visually examining the wine in the glass. There are two parts to this process. The first is to simply tilt the glass to the side, which allows the wine to spread across a greater surface area within the glass. The main area of investigation is the colour of the wine. There will generally be a concentrated colour in the centre, with a more faded derivative toward the edges. The difference between those two colours can be minimal or stark. The colour of the wine will tell you a bit about its age, in that wines get darker with time. Therefore, if it is a darker hue, it is likely an older wine. The colour will also tell you a bit about the grape(s) used, and the corresponding varietal. For instance, pinot noirs tend to be more ruby-coloured, while cabernets show more purple tones. For whites, lighter ones tend to be brighter and more crisp (indicating a slightly higher acidity), while darker ones may have a more buttery, mellow taste.

Tilt the glass to examine the colour of the wine

The second part of the “looking” stage is to swirl the wine around in the glass. You want to make a circular pattern with the glass, and provided that it wasn’t overly full, it should swish around the sides of the glass without coming over the top. Not only does this process help aerate the wine, which is necessary for the “smelling stage,” but it also allows the wine to leave “legs” or “tears” down the side of the glass:

Wine legs or tears on glass

These legs essentially tell you two important things about the wine:

  • The alcohol content
  • The sugar content

Thicker legs indicate a higher viscosity (resistance to flow), and thus, a higher alcohol and lower sugar content. This can also be seen in the number of legs or tears that appear. Again, the higher the number, the more alcohol.

Smelling:

As the sense of taste is highly reliant on the olfactory sensations (the sense of smell), it is very important to take in the aromas of the wine before tasting. To do so, swirl the wine just as you did during the “Looking” stage. This time, though, stick your nose well into the glass, and breath in deeply. Do this two or three times in order to pick up on the nuances of the aroma. If you stop being able to distinguish the scents, smell something entirely different (such as coffee beans, or [more readily available] the sleeve of your shirt).

Dr. Ann Noble came up with a categorisation system for the aromas (and corresponding flavours) that are generally present in wines, and has made it available in her Aroma Wheel. Some of the major aromas are floral, spicy, fruity, nutty, earthy, and woody.

Tasting:

Ah, the stage you’ve been waiting for, right? Now that you have visually examined the wine, and taken in all of its aromas, it is time to taste. There are two steps to fully tasting the wine, and both of them help you experience all of the flavour complexities of the wine. Firstly, you need to take a sip and vigorously swish the wine around your cheeks and to the back of your tongue. As your tongue has receptors that are more or less sensitive to certain tastes, you swish so that the wine comes in contact with as many of them as possible. Secondly, you need to swallow the wine and immediately breathe out of your nose. Doing so will allow you to truly taste the wine in its entirety. Breathing out through your nose heightens the back taste, which is commonly known as “the finish,” and is the part of the taste that is generally used to judge the overall quality of the wine.

These three stages and multiple steps may seem like a lot to do just to sample a wine, but after you have done so a few times, they come naturally. Further, and more importantly, they allow you to fully take in everything that a particular wine has to offer. It seems obvious, but if you don’t like the wine during the tasting, why would you ever want to drink a full glass of it?

Cheers,
Zach

Jun 10 2012

Rise Biscuits and Donuts

You might remember that recently it was National Doughnut Day, and that I was pretty excited about it (simply because I love doughnuts). You might also remember that I was longing to be in Saint Louis, MO, USA for it, as they have three incredible doughnut shops. As of this morning, I have now found a place in Durham, NC, USA that might offer some competition to those wonderful bakers in Saint Louis.

Rise Biscuits and Donuts is the new project of Chef Tom Ferguson of Durham Catering Company. Though the new store won’t be open until sometime in early August, Chef Ferguson was generous enough to showcase some of his new creations this morning for free. On the menu were some modified versions of classics (traditional glazed with white icing, but now with Froot Loops), and some completely new and zany ideas (like a maple-glazed doughnut with a piece of thick-slab bacon atop it). Some of these new creations make me think of the style of Voodoo Doughnut in Seattle, WA, USA.

Rise Biscuits and Donuts, Durham, NC

As you can see from the picture above (click it for a larger version), I’ve shown the Maple Bacon concoction, but also two of the others that greatly interested me; a Crème brûlèe doughnut and a Basil Cream doughnut. The Crème brûlèe was exactly that–a custard-filled pocket with a hard caramel shell on top. The Basil Cream was similarly a pocket, but glistened with a mild, tropical pineapple glaze, dusted with pistachio crumbles, and filled with an exquisitely fluffy basil cream. I’m willing to bet that you can guess the one that I chose for my sample. The Basil Cream was an incredible mix of flavours that reminded me of several Thai deserts, combining sweet and savoury.

I feel certain that I will be visiting Rise once their new location opens later this summer. Until then, it seems that they don’t have an official website (only a splash page). Maybe that is something that I can propose to Chef Ferguson in exchange for some of his wonderful creations. 🙂

Cheers,
Zach

Jun 09 2012

Wine tasting review – 09 June 2012

Now that I have been to my first wine class (“From Vine to Wine: Wine 101,” about which I am planning several posts to share the information that I learned), I have started taking tasting sessions more seriously. There are two great wine merchants in The Triangle, and they each have tastings on Saturdays. So, each Saturday that I attend, I’m going to take notes and share them here. Today, I started out with the one at Wine Authorities, which focused on French wines from a few different areas:

Wine Authorities tasting on 09 June 2012

The first one (from left to right) was a 2010 white from the western coast of the Loire Valley in France. The only grape that is allowed to go into this type of wine (known as Muscadet) is the Melon de Bourgogne. The Amphibolite Nature was very light in colour, and had a faint scent of citrus. It was a little salty but crisp, and had nice acidity.

The second one was a 2010 Riesling from the Alsace region in north-eastern France, near the German border. Produced by Vincent Stoeffler, it was deeper in colour (more like a light gold) than the Muscadet, and had a sweet and lightly floral aroma. After swirling, it left medium-light legs. Though it was slightly sweeter, it had fantastic acidity, and a bright front taste.

The third bottle was a 2008 Malbec produced by Clos Troteligotte in the Cahors region of south-western France. It had a deep red centre, with light but bright purple hues at the outside ring. There was a mild, yet obvious raspberry aroma. As Malbecs generally have higher tannens, it was very dry, but this particular vintage was fruity as well… too fruity for my liking.

The last bottle was a 2009 blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre. It was produced by Chateauneut de Pape, and had a deep red centre that barely faded to the outer ring. It had a significantly higher viscosity, and corresponding higher alcohol content. It had an earthy aroma, but not even a hint thereof in flavour. It was very fruity, and I didn’t find it personally appealing either.

After this tasting, I went to this week’s event at HV Bottle Shop. In contrast to the previous tasting, they were sampling wines hailing from Spain:

HV Bottle Shop tasting on 09 June 2012

The first offering (this time from right to left) was a 2010 white from producer Protocolo in La Mancha. It was made from the Airen grape, which is one of the most widely planted white grapes in the world. It was almost clear in colour, and had a somewhat tropical aroma. That aroma was fulfilled by its pineapple flavour. It had a low viscosity, and was fermented in 100% stainless steel barrels. While it was refreshing, and had an interesting flavour component, it wasn’t my favourite of this session.

The second white was a Albariño, which translates to “White Rhine” (as in the river in Germany). It was a Riesling from the Rias Baixas region, and was vibrantly golden in colour. Interestingly, it was aged 80% in stainless steel and 20% in large oak barrels. It was mid-weight, mineral-driven, and had an excellent preserved lemon flavour. It actually ended up being the bottle that I purchased today, which is unusual given that I normally prefer deep reds. I believe that this wine will go beautifully with shellfish (especially scallops).

The third was a 2011 Rosé from the producers Bodegas Muga. This varietal, when produced in the old world, comes from grapes that are picked much earlier. Therefore, there is more brightness and acidity than in a new-world Rosé. It was almost peach or salmon coloured, and had very mild flavours of wild strawberry. It would be enjoyable on a very hot summer day.

The fourth was a red offering from Protocolo, and was 100% tempranillo. It had a low viscosity, and was very fruit-forward (especially with the corresponding black cherry aroma). Personally, I didn’t like the taste, and I didn’t think that it was even nicely produced, but it was a good value at under $10 USD.

The last wine was also from Bodegas Muga, and was a Reserva from Rioja. It was a deep purple-ish red throughout, with a negligible viscosity. Though there were earthy, woodsy aromas, the taste was more of pepper, clove, and spice. It was very bright in the front, and had high acidity. It was primarily (70%) tempranillo, but also had a bit (20%) of Grenache, with a remainder of other blends. I also was not particularly fond of the fruity flavours of this wine.

Overall, it was nice to taste a bunch of different wines that I generally wouldn’t purchase or drink. I’ve always enjoyed wine, but now I’m starting to get a better understanding of various aspects thereof. I’m certainly nowhere near an expert, but I have a better understanding with each tasting that I attend.

Cheers,
Zach