Great Wine Made Simple - Andrea Immer [19]
Step 4. Open the wines and pour them in number order, or one pair at a time, depending on which tasting option you have chosen.
If you are tasting just one pair of wines at a time, keep track of the order by pouring the wines left to right, with the List A selection on the left, and the List B wine on the right.
Again, one to one and a half ounces is good for a tasting portion. Afterward, you can pour more of your favorite, ideally with dinner.
Step 5. Taste the wines in order.
The First Wine Pair—Dry
This tasting will give you a clear understanding of dry and its opposite, sweet. Your first two wines are both Rieslings (a light-bodied white grape, as you learned in Chapter 1). The first Riesling has virtually no residual sugar, and is dry. The second Riesling contains a lot of residual sugar, and is sweet. Before you drink, follow the steps in this chart. Here is what you will find as you compare them:
Give yourself time and go back and retaste these wines. After Wine 2, drink some water or take a bite of plain bread to clear your mouth of sugar before you go back to the dry wine. Otherwise, it will be like drinking orange juice after eating a brownie–kind of sour. I always find that people are enchanted by the sweet wine in this tasting. This type of wine is irresistible with, or as, a dessert.
The Second Wine Pair—Crisp
In this tasting, we explore wine’s acidity, one of its most distinctive ingredients. As I pointed out, crisp is the word most often used by wine pros to describe wines with vivid acidity. Tangy, tingly, bright, mouthwatering, and lively are also ways to describe the acidity in wine. I don’t usually refer to wine as tart or sour because these words sound slightly negative, and acidity in wine is anything but.
The two wines for this tasting are both made from the white Sauvignon Blanc grape (which is medium-bodied, as you learned in Chapter 1). The first Sauvignon Blanc has very prominent acidity and tastes very crisp. The second tastes a lot less acidic or crisp. Here is what you will find as you compare them:
I have found that this comparison surprises many tasters. People often start out expecting not to like the crisper, tangier Sauvignon Blanc style. But by the end of the tasting they are usually asking for the name of the wine and where they can buy it.
The Third Wine Pair—Oaky
In this tasting, we explore wines with an oaky style. The two wines for this tasting are both made from the white Chardonnay grape (which is full-bodied, as we discussed in Chapter 1). The first Chardonnay has no oak flavor, just the pure character of Chardonnay. The second tastes notably oaky. Here is what to look for as you compare them:
Your taste told you that the differences were dramatic. The oaky character in wine, when present, is so distinctive, it is no wonder that oaky wines get a lot of attention from wine critics. My students often tell me they come away from this comparison with no clear preference. If you liked both wines, then this gives you a taste of why Chardonnay is so popular these days. It can be made in a variety of styles and still puts its best foot forward.
If you had a very strong preference for one wine or the other, you have learned some valuable buyer’s info: If you strongly preferred Wine 5, you probably are not a fan of oaky wines. You can spend your time and money exploring the fabulous world of nonoaky wines. I have two things to say about that. First, when it comes to the big-name winery brands that you see in every store, proceed with caution. They usually cater to the oak-lover. Second, there is a world of exciting unoaked wine in store for you. Look at the list of wine suggestions above for a starting point. Then look in Chapters 5 and 6 for more suggestions.
If you strongly preferred Wine 6, oak is for you. It will be pretty easy to find what you are