Not everyone realizes that wine tasting is actually a competitive sport. This year, the world was surprised when a Chinese team achieved a perfect score, identifying twelve French wines by taste alone. The team described wine tasting as “fifty percent knowledge and fifty percent luck.” If you’d like to become an expert in the art of wine tasting, one way is to join a wine club and go to wine tastings. Learn to recognize the different notes in the aromas of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and how they differ from other wines.
There’s an art to tasting wine. Hold the glass by the stem or the base, so your hand doesn’t heat the wine too much. Look at the wine against a white background to see its color and clarity. Swirl it very carefully to judge the thickness of the liquid and bring out the aroma. When you smell the wine, try to think of everything the smell reminds you of — not just fruit, but flowers, cigar box, smoke, even leather or crushed stone. When you taste it, notice the texture and the feel in the mouth, not just the taste. Once you’ve swallowed it, notice the finish (which in a lesser beverage would be called the aftertaste).
Best wine tasting at a vineyard near St. Helena, CA
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where visitors can sample current releases and library wines and learn about the process of making and storing the wine. One tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club. Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983.
The 2010 Signature Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, a deep purple wine with a slight red edge that comes from the best two barrels of the vintage, has an aroma worth a full paragraph of description. It begins with a strong cassis, with streaks of blackberry, plum, blueberry and red berries and highlights of crushed roses, blue flowers and anise. The oak adds elements of smoke and tar to the bouquet. The palate of the ’10 Signature is similar to the aroma, with the taste of black, blue and red fruits, licorice, anise, tobacco, smoke, rosehips, and violets. This is a wine that deserves to be kept and allowed to age, and is a showpiece for the skill of the Anderson’s Conn Valley winemaking team. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. Join their wine club and order some of their wines today.
If you’re a member of a Napa Valley wine club (and why not?) you may be invited to a wine tasting. If it’s outdoors, plan for the weather, especially this time of year. Dress well but comfortably.
There’s an art even to handling the glass of wine. Hold it by the stem or base, so your hand doesn’t warm it. Try to look at the wine against a white background to assess its clarity and color. White wines get darker with age, while red wines get browner. Put the glass on a flat surface and swirl it very gently to reveal the wine’s body and bring out the aroma. When you smell it, think of what the smell reminds you of — fruit, spice, even wood or leather. There are a number of aroma wheels that serve to categorize the aromas by type and origin. Then taste it, looking for the sweetness of fruit and the bitterness of tannins.
While you’re tasting it, notice the texture and how it feels in your mouth. In wine tasting, these are as much a part of the experience as smell or taste. It should be smooth and affect the whole mouth. After you’ve sipped it, take a good long moment to notice the aftertaste, or finish — this is another important part of the experience. Drink water between wines, to clear the palate. If you find something you like, you might be able to buy a bottle here at a discount.
Wine tasting at a vineyard near St. Helena
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where visitors can sample current releases and library wines and learn about the process of making and storing the wine. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide.
One wine you might get to try at an Anderson’s Conn Valley wine tasting is the 2009 Right Bank, a ruby blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot with purple edges. 2009 was a banner year for winemaking in Napa Valley, and the ’09 Right Bank shows it with its aroma of espresso, cedar, blackcurrant and black pepper. This is a full-bodied wine with a rich finish, tasting of ripe black fruit, mocha, chocolate and rounded sweet tannins. Join the Anderson’s Conn Valley wine club today.
One thing you might hear about at a wine tasting held by a wine club is the aroma wheel developed by winefolly.com. Unlike the traditional Wine Aroma Wheel created by Ann C. Noble, this one classifies aromas (and flavors) according to the point in the winemaking process that gives rise to them.
Primary aromas come from the grape itself, or from its terroir. Most of the variety of possibilities comes from this. The categories are flower, citrus, tree fruit, tropical fruit (for some reason, bubblegum is classified here as a tropical fruit), red fruit, black fruit, dried fruit, spice, vegetable, earth, and a category called “noble rot” which includes beeswax, ginger and honey. (Tomato is listed under “vegetable” rather than “red fruit,” which is certain to set some people’s teeth on edge.)
Secondary aromas come from the fermentation process. The only category in it is “microbial,” which sounds dreadful until you remember that microbes give us wine, beer, bread and cheese. The secondary, microbial aromas/flavors are mushroom, truffle, lager, sourdough, cream and butter.
Tertiary aromas come from the aging process, and are only found in old wine. The categories are general aging and oak aging, and include such classic aromas as cigar box, smoke, leather and vanilla.
Finally, there are the faults. These aromas aren’t always considered to be a bad thing — some wines are considered to be the better for having a touch of farmyard about them. Usually, however, they make the wine less popular. This is especially true of the infamous cork taint.
Wine tasting at a vineyard just outside St. Helena
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where visitors can sample current releases and library wines and learn about the process of making and storing the wine. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase.
The 2010 Signature Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, a deep purple wine with a slight red edge that comes from the best two barrels of the vintage, has an aroma worth a lot of description. It begins with a strong cassis, with streaks of blackberry, plum, blueberry and red berries and highlights of crushed roses, blue flowers and anise. The oak adds elements of smoke and tar to the bouquet. The palate of the ’10 Signature is similar to the aroma, with the taste of black, blue and red fruits, licorice, anise, tobacco, smoke, rosehips, and violets. This is a wine that deserves to be kept and allowed to age, and is a showpiece for the skill of the Anderson’s Conn Valley winemaking team.
Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. Join their wine club today and schedule a tasting.
When you first sample wine at a wine tasting, hold the glass by the stem or the base, so the warmth of your hand doesn’t heat the wine past its serving temperature. Look at the wine against a white background, such as a tablecloth, to see the wine’s color and clarity.
Place the wine glass on a flat surface and swirl it carefully to bring out the aroma and show the texture. Smell the wine, and think of the things the aroma reminds you of. It may help to get a copy of Ann C. Noble’s Wine Aroma Wheel and study it beforehand. This convenient device, available from winearomawheel.com, has most of the words commonly used to describe the aroma of wine, grouped in categories like “fruity,” “woody” and “floral.” It even includes less complimentary terms such as “wet dog” and “hydrogen sulfide” which hopefully you will never need to use.
In wine tasting, texture and what is called “mouthfeel” are acknowledged as key parts of the experience. A good wine is full, rich, smooth and balanced. Its taste is much like its aroma, and is described using the same terms.
After you’ve swallowed the wine, take a moment to notice the aftertaste, or finish. With most foods, an aftertaste is something unintended and probably bad, but in the world of wine the finish is an important part of the experience. Drink water between wines, to clear the palate.
Wine tasting at a vineyard just outside St. Helena
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where visitors can sample current releases and library wines and learn about the process of making and storing the wine. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983.
One wine you might get to try at a wine tasting is the 2008 Èloge. This dark ruby red blend was born of a turbulent year with a cold, dry early spring, a cool late spring and summer and a hot early fall, producing a wine both rare and excellent. The aroma carries the smell of black cherries, chocolate, cedar, cassis, leather, mocha and crushed rocks, with a distant hint of smoked meats. The wine has a rich flavor of chocolate-covered black cherries, currants and plums, with hints of toffee, mocha and spices.
Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. Order some today.
When going to a wine tasting, dress well but comfortably. If you’ll be spending time outdoors, plan for the weather. There will probably be a tasting fee. If you find something you like, buy a bottle and you might save on the fee.
When you take a glass of wine, be sure to hold it by the stem or the base instead of the bowl, so the warmth of your hand doesn’t heat the wine past its optimum serving temperature. Look at the wine before you do anything else. Hold it up against a white background — in a wine-tasting setting, there should be one. This will let you get a sense of the wine’s color and clarity. As white wines age, they tend to get darker. As red wines age, they turn a red-brown shade.
Place the wine glass on a flat surface and swirl it a little. This is called aeration. Swirling the wine in the glass will not only reveal the body of the wine, but bring out the aroma. Breathe in the nose of the wine before you take your first sip — this is a big part of wine appreciation. (This is why you shouldn’t wear perfume or cologne at a wine tasting.) Think of the fruit and spice that the smell reminds you of. You might want a copy of Ann C. Noble’s Wine Aroma Wheel.
Even when talking about food, texture is much a part of why we like or dislike certain foods as the actual flavor, though we don’t think about it much. In wine tasting, texture and what is called “mouthfeel” are acknowledged as vital parts of the experience. It might have the sweetness of the fruit or traces of unfermented sugar, or the bitterness of tannins. After you’ve sipped it, take a moment to notice the aftertaste, or finish. With most foods, an aftertaste is something unintended and unpleasant, but in the world of wine the finish is an important part of the experience. Drink water between wines, to clear the palate.
Wine tasting at a vineyard near St. Helena
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where visitors can sample current releases and library wines and learn about the process of making and storing the wine. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide.
