Relax, it's only Wine

Really!  Lighten up!  Wine can just be fun.  The day you trust your own taste buds and not worry what the "experts" tell you what to drink, is the day Wine becomes a playful thing.

Thankfully wine tasting is a subjective activity.  You "get" blackberries in your taste and your friend "gets" cherries.  Guess what, you're both right!  Isn't that a relief?!

Many wineries these days advertise the various "scores" they get for their wines.  "95 points Pinot Noir."  I would warn against putting too much stock in these numbers.  First of all, these numbers are meant as advertising in that they want you to buy the wines with great numbers.  The problem is that these reviews are one person's take on that wine and not meant as gospel.  They have their opition and you have yours...you're both right.

I'd rather not know if a wine is a "95" and let me discover its worth to my own taste buds without the "suggestion" that this has to be a great wine.  Always start with an even playing field.

The Eight S's of Wine Tasting

 The best advice I can give about wine tasting is to SLOW DOWN.  Savor the experience.  This is a time to really explore your wines.

Let's start with "S" #1: Setting.  Whether your at home or out at a winery, the setting helps set the mood of your tastings.  Remember your mood and mind are very important to your tasting experience.

Start your tasting by looking at the color and texture of the wine.  That's "S" #2: Sight.  Admire the color by looking thru the wine with a white background.

Next you want to give some air to the wine. ( Assuming we're tasting a younger wine) This is "S" #3: Swirl.  The idea is a thin layer of wine up the side of the glass.  Swirl not Shake!

Now let's get our noses inside the bowl of the wine glass and enjoy the aromas that our swirling created.  Slow down.  Just relax and enjoy.  This is "S" #4: Smell

Time to take a Sip; "S" #5.   Don't drink the wine...let it sit on your tongue.  You can even Slosh it around; "S" #6.

Finally, you can opt to Swallow; "S" #7.  But don't rush on to the next taste.  Apply "S" #8 and Savor your taste.  You may get more "information" after you have swallowed the wine.

Does your wine have a fever?

We've come a long way here in the USA with our wine culture.  We had a lot of catching up to do after Prohibition was repealed in 1933.  There are still folks around who lived in a "dry" nation!

Needless to say, we have some ground to cover to get up to speed in the enjoyment and understanding of wine.  Thankfully these days the wine selection has greatly improved.  The days of jug wines are surpassed by quality bottled wines.

Yet there is still a lack of knowledge on the proper serving temperatures of wines.  Believe me, it is vital to serve your wines within a given range, outside these temperatures and your wine suffers.  Paying attention to your wine's temperature will improve your enjoyment.

One example is wine from the refrigerator!  Wrong.  If you want something cold have some ice water. Serving your wine too cold mutes all the wonderful aromas and flavors of the wine.  In wine geek talk: a flabby wine.  A nice white Chardonnay should be served at 48°....that's not a frig temp.

What's an AVA?

These days you don't visit "wine country" you explore an AVA (American Viticultural Area.)  So what's the big deal with knowing which AVA you happen to be tasting wine in?

It really goes to the heart of the matter, or should I say "terrior", of where the grapes are grown.  This French term is often used to describe the various factors that surround the vineyard in question, such as climate and soil. Over the millenniums  grape growers have learned what grapes do well in what environments.  An AVA usually features certain grapes that meet these guidelines.

All this means that as a consumer you can expect a certain level of excellence in the wines that are produced within the geographical boundaries of the AVA. 

Following this line of reason you can expect a good quality Pinot Noir from the cooler Russian River AVA than from the much warmer Dry Creek Valley AVA.  Bottom line is that if you are a Zinfandel fan you should head for Dry Creek Valley AVA where that grape does great things!

A Drop in the Bathtub....

Oh, how we've grown in the USA!  Was a time when a good dry wine was a hard sell in our country.  Truth is that we had a lot of catching up to do after (cringe!) Prohibition.

Back then we had spent years chocking down the home-made bathtub wines that were allowed under the law.  And you can bet that the sales of sugar went thru the roof.
So when Repeal came along the Nation just thought wine was supposed to be sweet.

Thankfully we are moving away from that notion and have a very good selection of not so sweet wines to choose from.  Yet we are still finding our way forward to discover where we do best here in the USA.  The debate over New World vs. Old World wine styles continues. 

The point is not to get stuck in your ideas about wine.  The fun part is exploring new horizons!

Vive la Difference!

The French would say: "Vive la Difference!"  In the wine world this takes on great significance.  The old saw goes: If everybody liked just one wine, there would be just one winery.

Living here in Sonoma County and the Dry Creek Valley area, the wine scene is definitely different than our neighbors to the East, Napa Valley.

The problem starts when you, the wine tourist, want to bring your preconceptions to the tasting bar.  The thing to remember is that wine relects its environment.  Meaning, in a blind tasting your wine will taste "different" depending on where you are. 

This is one of wine's little mysteries.  And that is why I encourage wine travel to experience wines of other regions.  If you try to force your "local palate" onto new wines, you are bound to be disappointed.   Avoid using the word "better", instead say different.  The bottom line is always: Do you like it!

The Shape I'm In!

First of all, relax.  If you happen to drink a Bordeaux in a Burgundy glass you are not going to die!

Like anything, people obsess over the details.  Too often this keeps the "nouveau buveur" or new drinker a bit nervous.  I say, let's get you hooked on good wine, then we'll talk stemware.  

And good stemware does make a difference.  If you think of wine more as an aroma you drink, than something to wet your whistle, then you can improve that experience with a wine glass designed for the wine you are enjoying.  Mostly the different shapes have to do with presenting the particular aroma of that varietal (grape) to your nose.  

All this is rather scientific, but again, relax...until you're making a living writing wine notes you can get by with three standard wine glasses: Red, White, and a Sparking flute.