Let’s demystify wine tasting.
Wine tasting is not only for wine aficionados using obscure and bizarre terms to describe what is essentially fermented grape juice. But if wine is just squashed grapes, how can there be so many other non-grape terms used to describe the wine?
According to the classic English cult-comedy Black Books, “No one is willing to admit that wine doesn’t actually have a taste!” Well, that’s not quite true… sorry Bernard.
Although a red wine for example can be described as having blackberry flavours, there is no blackberry in the wine. We use terms such as this, as it’s the closest association that comes to mind when attempting to label a certain flavour we’re tasting. It’s all just about making that connection in your own mind with the what the label says, and what is actually meant by it.
People are often afraid to say what they think of a wine, because they believe there is only one right answer. There is no right answer . Like music or art, wine is subjective. Everyone’s palate is different and will pick up different flavours and associations. However, like many disciplines, there are common terms that are helpful to understand in order to begin to crack the wine tasting code.
General words used when describing a wine’s flavours and aromas can be floral, fruity, spicy, oaky and the list goes on. Sometimes the wine detail can stray a little too far, with slightly amusing poetic licence and embellishments often used (…forest floor anyone?!) . However, it all comes back to simply smelling and tasting the wine, and trying to consciously experience what your drinking.
Another important point is to realise is it’s all relative. One white wine might taste more acidic than another, but on its own what’s your point of reference? The best way to start is to pick 2 bottles of your favourite variety, let’s say Shiraz, then to taste them side by side. One will be more savoury than the other, one will be more oaky flavoured and so on. The easiest way to learn is to look up a few key describing words for whatever you’re tasting, in the case of Australian Shiraz, they would be plummy, jammy, oaky, and peppery just to name a few, and then to start tasting with those particular words in mind. The good news is, the more you practice comparing & describing wines, the easier it will become. That’s perhaps the best homework assignment you’ll ever receive!
Yes, sometimes you’ll see a self-proclaimed expert holding the glass of wine up to the light and staring at the inside liquid like there might be a mystical loch ness wine monster waiting to appear any moment. And after a quick swirl, they’ll stick their nose so far in you’d think they were trying to drink it through their nasal passages. Then when the wine finally reaches their lips, comes the pondering gaze off into space while gurgling the wine in the mouth, before the definitive pronounced swallow. As strange as it might look, just remember there is some method in their madness.
So to all those casual wine enthusiasts out there, next time you find yourself enjoying a glass of wine, stop and think, if only for a brief moment, do I like this wine and why? Because at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
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