Back to Basics – Wine Appreciation
A regular Thursday Life reader approached me recently, to tell me thanks for writing these weekly columns on the topic of wine. He then went on to say that he really wished I would explain some of the fundamentals of wine appreciation and wine tasting. This led me to look at the 140 or so articles that I’ve written so far and come up with this “Back to Basics” series.
What is all this fuss about wine, anyway?
The world of wine is a truly fascinating one. What other libation do we enjoy alone, or as a group, that can appeal to all our senses and our intellect at the same time? Each glass of wine we consume is connected to some specific geography, has some interesting history, is truly enjoyed by people who are passionate about the subject. We are not talking about wine snobs here…. nobody likes wine snobs. Just like art, wine is subjective. There is no ‘best art’ and likewise there is no ‘best wine’. In the same way that art appreciates in value over time, wine also develops over time, sitting in the bottle or even in the glass, it changes characteristics the instant it is exposed to air, hence the reason that you need to get rid of that open bottle on the kitchen counter or in the refrigerator for longer than four to five days.
Look
If possible, go get a glass of wine right now; it does not matter if it’s white, red or rosé. Take a good look at it and try to describe the colour. Do it against a white background if available. A wine’s appearance can give you an idea of its bottle age: white wine gains colour as it ages, red wine loses colour. A wine’s colour also varies with its grape varietal type – more on this in another Back to Basics article.
Sniff
While it is in the glass, take a whiff. Go ahead and stick your nose in the glass and take three or four sniffs, then gently agitate the wine by swirling it in the glass (Let’s hope you did not fill it too much, the way most waiters incorrectly do.) Nose (winespeak for taking a few sniffs) the wine again. You should notice an abundance of aromas. Try to identify a few flavours. Did you get any fruity aromas? Was there tropical fruit or berries? What about wood or earthy tones? Unfortunately, when we were growing up we were taught NOT to smell our food; in the wine world, smell is everything.
Taste
Next, taste the wine… never, ever judge a wine by the first sip if it is the first taste of any wine or alcoholic beverage for the day. Swish the wine around in your mouth, swallow (or spit) and sip again. Think about all the flavours and also about the texture and body of the wine. In my wine class, I suggest that my students think about whole cream milk, 2 per cent milk and skim milk – representing full-bodied wine, medium-bodied wine and light-bodied wine, respectively. This is usually associated with the amount of alcohol in the wine.
Hold your nose and try the next sip. You will discover that your sense of smell is one of the most important senses in this business of food and wine. Much of what we think we taste really comes through our nose. People make a living going through these steps almost daily in order to critique wines for books, magazines, wine shops and restaurants all over the world.
So now that we have gone through the four famous “S’s” of the wine-tasting process of SEEING, SWIRLING, SNIFFING, SIPPING, we swallow or spit, depending on the circumstances. In the trade it is normal and acceptable for tasters to spit. Who wants to get drunk on the job? Don’t answer. Otherwise, drink and be merry.
Chris Reckord – Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. He and his wife Kerri-Anne are part owners of Jamaica’s only Wine Bar – Bin26 Wine Bar in Devon House, Kingston. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com . Follow us on twitter.com/DeVineWines