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Tasting logic Forming a logical approach to how you taste a wine will aid in judging a it's quality and where it was produced. If you can't remember a word or definition go to tasting vocabulary. Learn to recognize the grape variety Recognising the colour of a wine (red and white) will reduce the number of possible varieties by half. Red varieties include; Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah (Shiraz), Grenache Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Barbera Tempranillo, Zinfandel and Gamay. White varieties include; Rieling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc (strictly mutant clones of Pinot Noir), Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Gewuerztraminer, Viogner, Muscat, Albarino, Arneis, Aligote, Marsanne, Muller Thurgau, Trebbiano, Palomino. Different grape varieties have different smell profiles and memorising the dominant characters of these profiles gives the basis for describing a wine. The more you read and memorise the characteristic smell of each variety the greater your ability to communicate the sensations you are having. European countries have a strong tradition in marketing their wines in terms of region rather the grape variety. Fortunately, only certain varieties are permitted in each region, so by knowing the region, the variety can be established. Work in progress... |