Comments on: You be the Judge, Part I: See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip

By: swirlingnotions

swirlingnotions — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:18:05 +0000

Steve . . . And that is just fine that you’re a red wine household. There is someone, somewhere, who only drinks white who balances you out.

Maureen . . . I’m so glad you found this helpful! Not a bad “skill” to have to practice, eh?

By: Maureen

Maureen — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:23:00 +0000

Lia,
Fantastic post - very helpful. I’m going to print it out for sure. It made me realize how much of a beginner I still am in the world of wine, and how much more I have to learn (practice.)

By: steve

steve — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:43:15 +0000

We had a bottle of Gundlach Bundschu Mountain Cuvee which was quite nice with the large sashimi order we placed (tuna, yellowtail, abalone, etc.).

That said, we’re just kind of a red wine household - even with baked fish and chicken (gasp!). We usually just keep a bottle or two or whites around for guests…

By: swirlingnotions

swirlingnotions — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:30:26 +0000

Steve . . . Hey there! I’m so glad you like. And you see, you were right on there with the legs. I thought you were going to say you thought it had something to do with your wife ;-). I’m curious how the wine was with the sushi . . . I’m kind of in a sake-sushi rut right now (which is not a bad rut to be in, admittedly), so I’d love to hear how the pairing was.

By: steve

steve — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:13:54 +0000

Lia, I agree - this is one for the printer. Last weekend, a couple of neighbors joined me for sushi paired with red wine. Evan asked what the “legs” indicated and I thought it had something to do with the tannin but not to quote me. The next time he and I are together sipping red wine, I’ll quote you instead.

Great post!

By: Swirling Notions » You be the Judge, Part II: How do I Tell if it’s Good?

Tue, 06 May 2008 23:51:45 +0000

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By: swirlingnotions

swirlingnotions — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:51:36 +0000

Noble Pig . . . “The hardest part about learning to evaluate wine was learning to trust your own senses and palate.” Isn’t it so though? I remember when I was learning about whiskey from the distillery manager at Oban Distillery in Scotland. We were in the barrel room, about 50 feet from the sea, and he had me take a sip and then resumed the conversation. About 30 seconds later he said, “Stop. Now what do you taste?” What I tasted was sea and smoke and minerally earth, but I was so nervous about saying something ridiculous. I finally peeped out “salt?” expecting him to look at me like I was nuts. Instead, his eyes squinted into a smile, he pointed out to the sea and said, “exactly.” From that point on, I’ve tried to blurt out impressions without editing them out of fear of being “wrong.” Great perspective . . . and I’ll bet you have a fabulous palate!

Elisabeth . . . Fabulous! I’m so glad you liked it. It’ll be great with summer corn and grilled shrimp . . . mmmm. If you find a bottle of their rose, snap that puppy up too. It’s been our staple since the weather turned warm.

Mike . . . I’m glad this post has prompted you to want to “practice” evaluating (i.e., drink more wine ;-)). Seriously, though, isn’t it interesting how we can approach wine from two completely different perspectives–either very deliberately honing in on its qualities or just blithely sipping away? I would argue, though, that there are times for both; that neither way is necessarily the “right” way, just one way. And you’re longing to exercise the other way again after a while. Let me know what you come up with! Actually, I’ve got an idea brewing where we actually WILL be able to practice with each other . . . stay tuned ;-).

Rosemary . . . Oh I love that you find clarity in all my swirling notions :-). Let me see if I can shed some light on the difference between balance and structure. Think of structure as the components that make up the characteristics a wine–fruit, acid, alcohol and tannins–and balance as being how they all come together. If all the components are integrated so that no one aspect is exaggerated and none are underplayed, it’s a well-balanced wine. Make sense? And you’re right, you can certainly evaluate a single wine on its own merits. Although it’s also fun to pull a few together in a theme (three pinot noirs from three different appellations, for instance, or a new world and old world syrah) and try them side by side. These basics of evaluation will help you to hone in and appreciate the details in both cases. Glad you enjoyed the post!

By: Rosemary

Rosemary — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:07:48 +0000

Oh, this is one for the printer–(what clarity!) I don’t quite get the operative difference between balance and structure, but I’m a lot less afraid on the whole. Would you say it’s important to have more than one wine, side by side, while “being the judge”? No, I suppose you could evaluate all these points without anything to compare them to…?

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:03:26 +0000

Lots of good stuff here! I think I used to be better about wine tasting when I was in a class on it (and our textbook: Wine for Dummies, lol!), but my wine palate has regressed without being forced to sit and really focus on all of the nuances of what I’m drinking. You’ve got me wanting to get back into it though, that’s for sure. I used to really enjoy it…

By: Elisabeth

Elisabeth — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:18:58 +0000

Lia, I wanted to stop by and tell you that Dariush and I picked up a bottle of Clos Du Bois Chardonnay this past weekend, and thought it was fantastic - I saw it in the store, and said, “Hey - that’s Lia’s wine - we have to try it!” The other Chardonnay we had paled in comparison.

This is a great post - lots of good information to remember. I’m going to bookmark so I can reference it later!