In the tasting room we get so many questions from beginner to experienced wine drinkers. On the other side of the bar I know we 'Wine Educators' use terms that the average wine drinker doesn't necessarily know the meaning of when used in referencing wine's character or flavor. I think this blog is an excellent source to discuss these terms with the hopes of making it easier for all of us to understand each other a bit better!
From a recent guest, "I've been told at other wineries that you should swirl the wine before tasting. I do it. But I have no idea why I'm doing it. What am I looking for exactly?" Well, I would tell you that you are watching to see what kind of film the wine is leaving on the glass, but that sounds disgusting! So we'll just say that you are looking to see how thick the wine is before tasting it. A thicker wine is going to be heavier bodied. In reds, this could mean the wine is mature and/or heavy with tannins. In whites, it could mean a high sugar residual.
From the mouth of a colleague behind the bar, "The next wine you will be tasting is the Rose, it's a floral forward wine made up of Chardonnay and Merlot grapes." FORWARD - the dominant component in a wine that gives your mouth its first impression. Your nose (olfactory sense) tastes the wine first and gives your tongue and mind an idea of what's coming. A wine could have a floral, fruit, or oak forward, these are commonly heard references but honestly the list is virtually endless.
So come on in and try the floral forward Rose! Or share with us the forward you are picking up when you taste the Merlot!
Cheers!
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