But It Tastes Like Wine!

But It Tastes Like Wine! Often times when you taste wine and you are thinking about how to describe the aromas and the flavors, the wine descriptors escape you. So you think “It smells like wine and tastes like wine!” The words used to notate aromas and flavors of wine are the keys to understanding more about the wine itself. Flavor "See, swirl, smell, and sip" is the phrase used in the smell and taste stages of wine evaluation. It is the combination of these nasal and tongue reactions that define flavor. The back of your tongue is sensitive to bitterness. The sides of your tongue are areas that pick up sourness and saltiness. The front of your tongue is where sweetness is perceived. The weight or the body of the wine is detected in the middle of the tongue. Wines also have "feel" in the mouth, which we often describe as "body." A light-bodied wine actually feels light on your tongue. A heavy-bodied red wine, like a Cabernet Sauvignon, will feel fuller. If the wine feels like skim milk, it is light-bodied; whole milk, medium bodied; cream, full-bodied. These are tactile sensations, rather than sensory, but they are still part of the overall wine evaluation process. The bitter taste in wines is due to tannin. Tannin is a natural flavor component of wine, found in the skins, stems, and seeds. It is common in red wines, particularly young red wines, that the tannin content is high enough (due to extraction from the skins) to be noticeable to the taste. Since white wines have very low tannin content (because of little skin contact during fermentation), they are generally free of a bitter taste. White wines tend to lead to acidity for description. Think of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. Aroma The next time you taste wine, think of these common aromas for red and white wine: White Grape Variety Common Sensory Descriptors Chardonnay Apple, butter, creamy, lemon, vanilla if aged in new oak. Steely, mineral, flinty Riesling Citrus fruits, peach, honey, petrol, spicy Sauvignon Blanc Lime, cut grass, bell pepper, grapefruit, cat pee, crisp, tart, tropical fruit, pineapple Viognier Peach, pear, nutmeg, apricot Gewurztraminer Rose petals, lychee, spice Pinot Gris (Pinot Grigio) White peach, pear, apricot slate, orange zest, crisp, tart Chenin Blanc Beeswax, honey, apple, apple, almond Red Grape Variety Common Sensory Descriptors Cabernet Sauvignon Black cherry, black currant, cedar, green pepper, mocha, cherry, vanilla, tabacco Merlot Jammy (fruity), cherry, strawberry, fresh red fruit Malbec plums, black cherry and blackberry, smoky, earth, leather Pinot Noir Cherries, plums, mushrooms, earthy, raspberry, strawberry, prunes Sangiovese Earthy, strawberry, raspberry, astringent, candied apple Syrah (Shiraz) Black pepper spice, black berries, plums, smoky Zinfandel Black and white pepper, nutmeg, red and black berry flavors, hot (alcoholic) Think about some of these descriptors as you enjoy your next glass of wine, and until then, cheers!

Wines of Greece

Greece has been making wine for thousands of years, and their wine industry has been making an exciting transformation over the last few years. Greece, in addition to being the birthplace of Dionysus, god of wine and the symbol of wine, it is also considered the birthplace of winemaking. Wines had many uses for the Greeks. It was often safer than water to drink. When wine was consumed it was one of Greeks important social forums. Beside the social aspect, wine was very important to them in religion. Wine was often used to douse the burn alter offerings, and was poured on the ground as an offering to the dead. Greek wine does appear to have it all—ancient history, climate and uniqueness. It has one more thing: pronunciation issues. Grape varieties such as Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko tend to give us consumers speech paralysis. Most of us would rather order something familiar than dive off the wine pronunciation cliff. Agiorgitiko (ah-zheor-GEE-tee-koh) (red wine) is the second most-planted varietal in Greece. aka "the blood of Hercules”. Legend has it that the Agiorgitiko grape sprouted from the spilled blood of Hercules. These wines are low in acid, spicy, juicy red fruit, displaying raspberry, red plum and black licorice flavors. They tend to be medium to full body wines displaying notes of cedar. You might also find a Rose wine made from these grapes. This wine pairs well with medium bodied meats and vegetable dishes. Assyrtiko (A-SEER-tee-ko) (white wine) originated on the island of Santorini in northern Greece, and it’s the perfect wine to enjoy with seafood. These wines will have apple and pear flavors with a touch of spice. Theses wine are lovely with freshly grilled fish and are a complement to Mediterranean cuisine. The only Greek wine I would stay away from is called Retsina. This is usually a white wine, in which pine resin is added during the fermentation process. Today, you can find many excellent Greek wines with a lot of them still unknown to wine lovers worldwide. You should be able to find a good selection of these wines in the 10-15 dollar range to try. One of my favorites is Sigalas Assyrtiko from Santorini. The Sigalas Assyrtiko is no stranger to receiving excellent press from the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator. This is an awesome wine; look to pay around 20-25 dollars for it. If you are a white wine fan it’s worth the money. Until next time, cheers!