As for your question–a good one, I might add–other fruits can indeed be fermented into their own “wine” of sorts. You may have had “hard” apple cider at some point, and that’s exactly what’s gone on. I suspect, though, that grapes have some special alchemy to them that makes them especially fermentation-friendly. I’ve posed the question to Erik, so I’ll update wiht more when I hear back from him.

Courtney . . . Glad to hear we share the same approach!

Katie . . . OK, now YOU’re making me want to go to Spain!

I really enjoyed your post. When I teach wine classes (through my SF based business, HIP TASTES Events), I also like to encourage folks to “think outside the box” and allow themselves to be transported by a wine’s fabulous - and seemingly endless - collection of scents. This is when wine moves from being simply something you knock back during a meal to a real journey in and of itself - and that journey is different for every taster, which is so cool.

To Steve from Winescorecard - this is absolutely worth encouraging people to do. As with anything, a little practice when it comes to wine tasting can go a long way towards enhancing your enjoyment of it. Just because most people won’t follow Lisa’s advice doesn’t mean she shouldn’t take the time to encourage those who will. The few who follow will reap the rewards.

Courtney

Is there a reason that grape juice is the juice usually made into wine? Would apple/berry juice take on nuances and flavors if treated like wine grapes? Is it just the way it happened, or are grapes particularly suited?

To Steve’s point (Winescorecard), it was difficult for me, as a real novice, to describe a wine or to judge its quality. I wasn’t even completed sure that I could tell if a bottle was corked or not…

Since I generally determined a wine’s quality based on its price, you encouraged me to open several bottles of red wine from varying price points. After pouring several samples into glasses, you had Julie and I taste each wine, close our eyes, and say whatever came to mind regarding what we were experiencing.

As I remember, two of the tastes I blurted out were “wet cardboard” and “basement.” Your eyes lit up and you said, “Yes! You’ve got it!” My point is that just because the rule book says “earthy” or “musty,” doesn’t mean that one’s own unique (and perhaps singular) interpretation is flawed.

I’ve been a lot more confident in my evaluation and description of wine since then. You’re a gem!

Steve . . . I can’t argue with you on that one. Nor can I necessarily fault people for not taking the time to evaluate each wine they drink. I’ll admit that most of the time, I just like to sip and focus more on what’s going on around me (food, conversation, scenery) than on the wine itself–which makes me an anomoly here in my neck of the woods . . . in fact, don’t tell anyone (especially my husband) or I’ll be shunned. So I guess I see these as guidelines to help people when and where they want to focus in closer on the wine they’re drinking. Not to make them feel like they have to or “should.” Thanks for helping me see the distinction!

Christie . . . I’m so glad you’re enjoying! I myself am enjoying yours . . . ah, nothing like mutual admiration ;-).

See you again soon!

Do you think the average consumer will really follow such guidelines though? I don’t know… most of the time, I think people just drink the wine. The perception that they like it needs to leap out at them from that. Maybe that is why the big, fruity, wines are in fashion - the lack of subtlety. They hit your palate even with a simple drink, no swishing etc.

- steve