Wine tasting

Is There Butter in My Wine?

If you have spent time around people who drink a lot of wine (or maybe you have been hanging out with our winemaker, Milan) you have heard them describe the wine with terms like “citrus notes,” “buttery,” “cherry,” “baking spices,” etc. (And those are commonly used terms. Some wine descriptors can be downright crazy: rubber hose, barnyard, dirt, grandma’s purse, and more.) When people hear others describe wine using terms like these, they often have a couple of questions:

  1. Do winemakers add cherry to wine to make it taste like cherry? Where does this taste come from? How does that taste get into the wine?
  2. Does everyone taste the same things in the wine? What if I don’t taste wet saddle? Am I wrong? What am I missing?
  3. How do you know what grandma’s purse tastes like? And do I want to drink a wine that tastes like that?

Question 1- No. Winemakers do not add these “flavors” to the wine. How a wine tastes is generally determined by 3 things: the type/s of grape from which it is made, where the grapes were grown, and what the winemaker does to the wine during fermentation.

If you ever have the chance to take a vineyard tour and are allowed to sample the grapes, you will notice that a Chardonnay grape tastes different from a Merlot grape, which tastes different from a Viognier grape. Then, a Merlot grape grown in California is going to be different and taste different than a Merlot grape grown in France — or Delaware, just by virtue of the soil in which it is grown. One example of this is a grape grown in rocky soil vs. a grape grown in a non-rocky soil. The grapes grown in rocky soil will likely have more of a mineral-ly taste that the others don’t have. Another example of how location can affect taste is in the difference between grapes grown in hot, dry climates vs. those in cooler/wetter climates. When grown in hotter climates with longer growing seasons, grapes have the chance to get riper and, hence, sweeter. That sweetness and fruitiness can come through in the wine — sometimes manifesting itself in a higher alcohol wine. And finally, once the winemaker gets his or her hands on the wine s/he might do things like age the wine in an oak barrel. Different wood imparts different flavors. For example, the interior of some barrels are toasted/charred — and that will give wines unique flavors (e.g. buttered toast, vanilla, etc.) without actually adding ingredients like vanilla.

Question 2- There is a LOT going on when you drink wine: what is happening on your tongue, what is happening in your nose, what is going on for you visually. Maybe you are with friends, maybe you are drinking alone (no judgment). Maybe you’ve had this wine 100 times, maybe it is the first time you’ve had it. Maybe you have a cold. So let’s begin by saying that the playing field isn’t exactly even.

There are certain wines where a particular flavor is very strong and more easily recognizable. Pass a glass of that type of wine around and many people might be able to pick out that flavor. Or at least have that “a-ha moment” when someone near them calls it out. “Ahhhh. Yes! That’s what it tastes like.” It might be the power of suggestion… or just the power of the wine. 😉

Other times, someone might pull out a more obscure descriptor. Lychee? Cassis? I know I have eaten thyme — but not enough to know or remember what it tastes like on its own. Are you missing anything by not picking up on it? Maybe, maybe not. If you have never tasted a lychee, you would never know if a wine tastes like it. A lot of picking up the flavors in wine has to do both with exposure to wine, and also other exposure to foods, smells, etc. A lot of wine tasting IS subjective. A smell or a taste might conjure up a memory for you and allow you to pick out something that someone else doesn’t get. If you go online and read reviews or tasting notes for popular wines, not even industry folks agree and will describe wines in different ways. There may be some common threads but they are all using their own senses and pulling out different things. If that happens amongst wine “experts,” it can happen to any wine drinker.

Question 3- A lot of wine terms are based not on what people actually taste, but instead what they smell. If something smells like “grandma’s purse,” it likely (hopefully) has a flavor that reminds them of how grandma’s purse smells. (And again, this could be subjective based on one’s experience — and one’s grandmother. Usually it refers to sort of a perfume-y, musty smell, but I guess if your grandma smoked cigars, it might be different for you.) Do you actually want to drink a wine that tastes like that? I’ll leave that up to you. Your call.

Wine is no different than any other food. Each person has their own frame of reference. Depending on what you are used to eating, what you grew up eating, the kitchen smells with which you are familiar– all will dictate how easily you can pick out those flavors and smells in your food. Similarly, with wine, familiarity with certain tastes and aromas will determine what you get out of wines. The more you smell and try, the more you will be able to train your palate to identify those things in the wines you drink.

And while some flavors are subjective based on our backgrounds and experience, some are more objective based on treatment of the grape, where it was grown, and the kind of grape it is. Remember this when you sip your next buttery Chardonnay or a jammy Zinfandel.

 

 

From Wine Newbie to Wine Connoisseur

At Harvest Ridge, we want you to relax and enjoy. Wine is meant to be enjoyed; it is meant to be fun! We love wine and love learning about it. We do our best to provide information to help YOU enjoy it more. Our blog postings will often focus on informational elements about wine. We hope you find these interesting (and/or entertaining). We encourage you to try new things and experiment with wine; however, ultimately, what you like is what you like. There is no “wrong” with wine. So all that said, here are OUR Top 10 Wine Tips (a la David Letterman)!

10. Don’t judge a wine by its label – or its price. Great and enjoyable wines can be found in all sorts of packaging and prices. Don’t assume that a less expensive wine is going to be awful and don’t expect that a super-duper cool label is going to indicate it is a super-duper wine. Keep an open mind.

9. Sparkling wines do NOT need to be reserved for special occasions. They pair well with a variety of foods (that’s a whole other blog topic) and can be enjoyed more often than once or twice a year! Bust out the bubbly!

8. Swish out your mouth with water often when drinking red wine. Keeps your teeth pearly white! (Or, at the very least, keeps them from turning a dull grayish-purple.)

7. When possible, attempt to enjoy wines at an appropriate temperature. Red wines are often served too warm and white wines too cool. Reds’ best temperatures are 55-65F (lighter reds in the cooler range, heavier the warmer), whites’ are best served 50-55F (again, darker/heavier on the upper end, lighter – and rose on the cooler end), sparkling is best served at about 45 degrees. These are guidelines. And, it is ok to err on the side of cooler. It can always warm up while you hold the glass!

6. Serve your “best” wine early in the evening. Having a party? Don’t save your good stuff for later. Share it with your guests while they are “fresh.” (Once they’ve had a few glasses/tastes, what they are drinking becomes less important.)

5. Like something? Order a case. Many stores/wineries offer a case discount. Ask about it and take advantage of it. Always a good idea to have something you like on hand.

4. Food pairings. (Again, we’ll come back to this topic time and time again.) Drink what you enjoy BUT be open to pairing suggestions. Some foods and wines/drinks just naturally enhance each other. (Cosmopolitans and brie cheese do NOT enhance each other. The cosmo suddenly tastes like cough syrup. Just take my word for that.) Be willing to consider suggestions of sommeliers and others.

3. Never stop learning about wine. Have your favorites but enjoy others. Check out new ones. If you are a note-taking type of person, keep notes. (They actually sell wine journals for that!) If you are not that type of person, just try a wide variety. Different countries, different grapes, different blends. Branch out! (No pun intended.)

2. Drink in moderation. Wine is almost always better when you don’t regret it the next day. And, though I know you know, I’ll say it anyway. Don’t drink and drive. No one wants to wrestle the keys away from you at the end of the night. It ruins everyone’s fun. Let’s just avoid that awkwardness and imbibe responsibly. Enough said.

****Drumroll ****** And the number ONE Harvest Winery wine tip is:

1. Enjoy wines with those you love. (Except for the occasional family reunion when you might enjoy wine to tolerate family you rarely see.) Wine goes hand in hand with food and family. Wine+food+good company= good times.