10 December 2007 by Sandy Hemphill
Blind Tasting – A Sensory Exploration of Wine
We take it for granted that flavor is an important consideration when enjoying a glass of wine. Yet, relying on input from just this one sensory pathway leaves the ultimate appreciation of wine a little flat.
To truly discover the nuances of a fine wine, all the senses must work together as one.
There is no better way to enjoy the full sensory experience of wine than in a blind tasting.
There are no blindfolds allowed in a blind tasting. Sight is important when enjoying wine so remember to keep your eyes wide open. The “blindness” comes from the bottles.
Choose three to five bottles of wine to explore. They can be similar in some regard or not. Try all Chardonnays, all Merlots, all reds or all whites. Or all French, Chilean, or Californian. Any combination works, too.
It’s best to have all wines at a similar temperature. Most wines are best when enjoyed cool, in the 50 to 60 degree range. Keep an ample supply of cool water handy to cleanse the palate after each sample.
Remove the labels from the bottles but identify them so you’ll be able to refer back to the appropriate labels once the fun is over. It’s the absence of labels that makes this adventure blind so keep them out of sight during the tasting.
Have pen and paper ready for jotting down notes, sensations, preferences.
Always conduct a blind tasting over a solid white tablecloth. You won’t want to punish your eyes with distracting patterns and colors.
Begin with sight. Hold the glass up to the light and observe. Then place it down on the solid white surface and view it from above.
Young wines will exhibit vibrant jewel tones – garnet, ruby, amber, topaz. Older wines will retain gem-like clarity but will appear a little mellower in color around the edges. They’ll look a bit more mature, in earthier tones of red and gold.
Now smell the wine. Leave the glass standing on the table and sniff from above, without disturbing the wine.
Younger wines mimic the sprightly aromas of fresh fruit – cherries, berries, apples, and pears. In older wines, those lively aromas will have softened and other scents will develop. Look for the scent of smoke (from the barrel it was aged in), flint (from the soil it was grown in), even tobacco, moss and wood.
Once the standing wine has been explored, gently swirl the glass and smell it again. The aromas will jump to life, getting more vibrant. New aromas will be released.
Now sip the wine. Roll the wine around on the tongue. We taste different flavors (sweet, sour, salt, and bitter) with different areas of our tongues so make sure you taste the wine with all of your mouth.
While you are languishing over the flavor, consider how the wine feels in your mouth. Is it thick and luxurious or does it tingle a bit? Full-bodied wines have a higher alcohol content. Highly tannic wines age well but modify the saliva so it isn’t slippery any longer. Tannins make you want a sip of water.
Sparkling wines make your mouth tingle as the bubbles dance and play but other wines give you that sensation, too. Notice the bubbles in a zesty Gerwurtztraminer, crisp Sauvignon Blanc, or fruity Beaujolais.
Now compare your notes with the labels and with your tasting companions. Identify the wines you liked the best and try to discover why. This information will help you make more educated purchases in the future.
Once you do this a time or two, you will develop an inherent awareness of the characteristics of a wine just by reading the label. You’ll have a better idea of which wine to choose to go with that light, delicate Dover sole or which works better with a heartier Beef Wellington.
What’s that you say? We didn’t “hear” the wine? We probably did but we just weren’t aware of it.
Close your eyes and remember the short, cheerful “pop!” sound made the last time you opened a bottle of wine.
Now imagine the energetic “PWHOWWP!!” of a Champagne bottle.
Even with eyes closed, it’s possible to tell the difference between a glass of still wine and a glass of sparkling wine.
Close your eyes and ask a friend to pour a glass of each. Have him or her hold a glass to each side of your head.
You’ll be able to tell from listening to the glass which is still and which is sparkling.
Learning to appreciate wine with all the senses – even hearing – puts a new dimension in the pleasures found in a glass. You’ll discover how those nuances of flavor speak volumes and you will become more confident when selecting wines in the future.