Tasting Techniques

This was the first lecture of the French Wine Society meeting.

So, what is taste? Without going into a massive scientific description we have 5 primary tastes: salt, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami. Also, we may be able to perceive piquance (sensation of chili peppers), fatty acids, and metallic molecules. The point is that this limited number of options does not cover the sensations we get from wine, and that is because a lot of taste is what we smell. It does explain Dewey Markham's lecture comments perfectly, sweet balances acid (acid is perceived as sour, it is a response to H+ ions); this is a critical point. We have numerous "bitter" receptors, which is where tannin is perceived. Our mouth sensations are limited to those tastes. Umami for the uninitiated is a taste response to the salts of glutamic acids, such as monosodium glutamate, which are a savory flavor (the wonderful flavor enhancer in Chinese food). So, there is what we get in our mouths. I really think that this comes down to acidity, status of tannins, and the balance of the wine.

Smell, olfaction. One needs to recognize that a Nobel Prize was awarded for this in 2004. This really comes down to the binding of volatile chemicals with receptors in the olfactory organ. Admittedly, we cannot keep up with our Yorkies on this end (photo of wine terrier above), but we still are pretty good. Theory aside, we have a vast range of sensations in the world of smells, and this is where a large part of our appreciation of wines lives. Charles Curtis's handout relative to aging summarizes the aroma options well.

This lecture and the associated 7 flights compared similar but slightly different wines to look for the subtle differences in our perceptions. The wines were excellent and clearly made the intended points. The immediate goal was to prepare a format for a blind tasting of 5 wines. In the big picture, this set the standard for how to deconstruct the quality, local, and aging potential for wines. The example wines were typical of their terroir; the blind tasting wines showed the difficulty of perceiving the subtle differences as one attempts to deduce the origin of the wine.

Without tasting notes, the flighted wines were:

1: Cremant and Champagne
Lucien Albrecht, Cremant d'Alsace Brut
Delamotte Brut, NV

2: White Graves and Sancerre
Chateau Coucheroy, Pessac-Leognan, 2007
Vincent Delaporte, Sancerre, 2009

3: Macon, Chablis, White Cote d'Or
Domaines Lefaive, Macon Verze 2008
Simonnet-Fevre, Chablis Grand Cru les Clos 2006
Louis Jadot, Meursault 2007

4: Roses from Provence, Tavel, Loire
Domaine Ott, les Domaniers Cotes de Provence 2009
Chateau d'Aqueria, Tavel Rose 2008
Domaine des Nouelles, Rose d'Anjou Loire 2009

5: Beaujoulais and young red Burgundy
C. Cordier, les Grandes Plantes, Beaujolais-Villages 2009
Domaine Faiveley, Mercurey 2007

6: Right Bank/ Left Bank Bordeaux
Chateau Daugay, St. Emilion 2005
Chateau Lanessan, Haut Medoc 2005

7: Southern and Northern Rhone
Perrin et Fils Vacqueyras 2007
Tardieu-Laurent, Crozes Hermitage Vielles Vignes 2007.

This was an impressive line-up of wines which well illustrated the intended points. This set the stage for the remainder of the meeting. I really think the point here is how does one put together the sensations in a wine to come up with a composite, the typical taste. Grapes and terroir drive this, but the wild card remains what the winemaker does; more to come about funky non-indigenous yeasts and how to make a rose taste like banana.

french wine society annual meeting

it has been a quiet summer for posts, but the next several days should be busy. the annual meeting of the french wine society ended today and we attended, and participated, as civilians. over the coming days i plan on summarizing the topics of the meeting and the wines. this was an enlightening experience for us. it gave us a wonderful opportunity to meet people and learn about a topic we hold dear.

i now have a format for tasting wines. i did not develop this, it was provided by charles curtis, mw (master of wine). i have long thought that there was a need for a standardized language of descriptors for wines and he put it out there. this really becomes an algorithm of aromatics and tastes. this provides logic for the navigation of a realm of sensory overflow, and really emphasizes the importance of one's nose. look at the science of the topic- we have a limited number of taste receptors but an impressive repertoire of olfactory options. always remember, as things age fruit fades faster; acid (h+ ions) is retained but may change in type and thus alter mouth feel which has to be balanced by tannin (astringency) and sweetness.

old wines are not a bad thing. i see no reason to dump an old bottle before tasting it, sometimes one will find a diamond in the rough. this was demonstrated over and over as bottles one would think were beyond their time based upon age were presented and showed amazing range.


dewey markham (the 1855 classification...) used sauternes to beautifully illustrate aging of wine and the evolution of "tastes." sugar balances acid.

of course, the highlight for me was the range of grenache and syrah looking at the rhone and the south of france. we tend to overlook the absolute wonders, and production difficulties, of rose wines; this probably is because of "white zinfandel/merlot/anything else" which is the enologic equivalent of a crime against humanity. these wines have a broad range of styles, and pair wonderfully with a multitude of foods. tavel is king, as louis XIV would agree. it can age marvelously as we saw with a 21 year old offering. kelly mcauliffe did more than justice to the subject of tavel and chateauneuf du pape.

the coming days should be eye opening. my perspective has been influenced. i will try to go through this session by session an pick out the salient points, and list the wines. the key issue here was that most of the wines used (over 120) are available in the states and the real focus is regions and styles. salut!

communal producer ownership

i am fond of southern rhone wines. single producers make their own wines (frequently with the help of a consultant), negociants buy grapes or must to make wine, and there are communal productions or labels owned by a group of wine growers. all are unique but hold true to grenache based wines, typically blended with lesser amounts of syrah and mourvedre. as i have come to know the villages, certain styles have come to become favorites- particularly vacqueyras and gigondas. the grower owned producer vigernons de caracter has a large number of wines they produce and represent an excellent value; thus, their products provide a wonderful opportunity to learn about the tastes of the region with typical wines of high quality at reasonable cost. many wines from this group of growers have been highly rated; i have tasted a number and enjoy them.

tonight's wine is CUVEE PRESTIGE VACQUEYRAS 2007, from vignerons de caractere. it was tasted last evening and retasted this evening about 24 hours after the bottle was opened, so the wine has "seen some oxygen." the wine is maroon, but shows no visible signs of oxidation. it has a nose of red fruit and spice, and tonight may have a bit of tobacco smoke as well as lavender and herbs. the taste of fruit is quite forward with ripe dark red cherries balanced by smoke and tannin on the finish. the wine is 70% grenache, 20% syrah, and 10% mourvedre. i suspect that the tannins will soften further when this is retasted tomorrow. i suspect this wine will improve with a bit of cellar age and should be quite good for 3 to 4 years.

this is a very nice wine and i would strongly recommend it, as well as multiple other wines from this producer. i do think that it is one of the top wines they make. it helps that 2007 was an exceptional year; i have had 2005 and 2006 from this producer and it is consistent year to year. i like to taste the land where the grapes were grown, this group and their wine maker generate wines which represent their terrior well. this wine, and the others from the producer, are readily available. my opinion is that this is one of the better offerings, but the entire portfolio is quite good so it is a safe bet at a great price.

and the importer says:

"Location : On the “plateau des Garrigues”, a tableland near the village of Vacqueyras (Vacqueyras means stone valley in French)
Size of the vineyard / Total Production (in cases) : 56 acres / 10,000 cases
Terroir : Clayey soil, ranging from sandy to pebbly.
Age of the vines : Around 45 years
Yields : 35 Hl/Ha – 2 T. per acre
Grape varieties : 70% Grenache - 25% Syrah - 5% Mourvèdre
Vinification : Crushed and whole grapes are combined and fermented together in vats. Carbonic maceration is also used. The application of these two methods, which differs from year to year, helps to achieve a well-balanced wine.
Winemaker : Serge Ollivier
Owner : Group of producers
Type of ageing : in concrete and stainless steel vats with early bottling (March-April) to “trap” the fruit."

i would note the slight discrepancy relative to the amounts of syrah and mourvedre, i have seen this on numerous wines from this region. regardless, i think they make a great product and strongly recommend them.

producer: www.vigneronsdecaractere.com
importer: www.terrisson-wines.com