Jun 13, 2022
Don't get caught out at tastings - use our handy glossary to understand tasting notes and talk about wine like an expert.
Single most comprehensive tasting note doc I’ve ever found.
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Don't get caught out at tastings - use our handy glossary to understand tasting notes and talk about wine like an expert.
Single most comprehensive tasting note doc I’ve ever found.
genuine advice for young adults above the drinking age: find a local wine store, and see if they ever do samples/tastings. i tried a whole wine line tonight, and actually learned something about what i like in wine
How To Know a Good Wine?
What makes a wine taste good? Isn’t a good wine simply one you like to drink? Yes but there’s more to it than that. View here
Choosing a good wine is completely subjective.The fact that it’s pleasing to you is a matter of personal preference, but determining if the wine is a good one takes looking at various elements to determine its objective quality. And if it turns out to be a good wine and you like it then toast to that!
The good news is good wine is neither expensive nor old. So how do you know what makes for a good bottle? The general tasting rules of swirl, sniff and sip are a start, but there’s more to learn when determining if a wine is worthy of your taste buds and cash. Here there are 4 simple aspects of a wine to consider:
Smell The first is the smell. Even before you take a sip, stick your nose in the glass and take a whiff. Does it smell like wine? What do you smell? Chances are, the more you smell, the better the wine may taste. If so, it’s passed the first test. If however, it smells really bad, it probably is most likely to be corked and therefore, no good. If that’s the case, then pour it down the sink The wine’s aroma is one of the biggest factors in how the wine will taste. With your nose over the glass, take a sniff and determine if you like what you smell! The aroma is likely to give away many potential wine faults, so inhaling is a must.
Balance There is a saying when you swirl the wine in your wine glass, does it have nice legs? Circle the glass once or twice to sufficiently swirl the wine. You know those slender lines of liquid that slowly drip down the sides of the glass. Legs mean little when it comes to good wine, but it can give you a clue on its alcohol content.
If the high level of acidity makes your eyes water or the searing levels of tannins feel like you drank wool instead of wine, the wine is not balanced. If however, you notice a nice freshness to the wine, the tannins are supple and proportioned, the fruit is plentiful but not overpowering, and the alcohol is imperceptible. Then your wine has balance.
Taste Go in for the sip.You simply swallow the wine and see how long the flavour lasts on your palate the longer it lingers, the better the wine. Once you’ve swallowed, the flavour drops right off and goes away in a split second, it’s probably not such high quality. But if you can still taste appealing characteristics 2, 3, or 4 seconds after you may be onto something. And when you can still taste the wine after 10 or more seconds, you may have hit a good quality wine indeed!
Depth
Next, is the depth of flavour in the wine. This is as simple as thinking about what you’re tasting as you hold the wine in your mouth and swirl it around. The wine will almost certainly taste of fruit but is that all? Wines with a depth of flavour are a lot of fun and if you are sipping one with dinner, you will notice how the wine changes during the course of the meal. It develops in your glass and more and more aromas and flavours come forward depending on what you are eating. A wine with a depth of flavour is certainly a candidate for good wine.
How do You Know a Good Wine Taste Really Good?
It’s not possible to know by looking at the bottle and reading the notes on the back label if the wine is going to be good. Only a corkscrew, a glass, and your taste buds can do that. But isn’t it enough to say a wine is good if you like it? Choosing a good wine is completely subjective.
The good news is good wine is neither expensive nor old. So how do you know what makes for a good bottle of vino? Well, for starters, it’s deep, complex and stays with you long after you’ve tasted it. You’re saying, but there are so many. How do you choose? The general tasting rules of swirl, sniff and sip are a start, but there’s more to learn when determining if a wine is worthy of your taste buds and cash. Here there are 4 simple aspects of a wine to consider when deciding if the wine is of good quality:
Smell The first is the smell. Even before you take a sip, stick your nose in the glass and take a whiff. Does it smell like wine? What do you smell? Chances are, the more you smell, the better the wine may taste. If so, it’s passed the first test. If however, it smells really bad, it probably is most likely to be corked and therefore, no good. If that’s the case, then pour it down the sink and open another.
Balance There is a saying when you swirl the wine in your wine glass, does it have nice legs? You know those slender lines of liquid that slowly drip down the sides of the glass. Balance is an important aspect of a wine. If the high level of acidity makes your eyes water or the searing levels of tannins feel like you drank wool instead of wine, the wine is not balanced. If however, you notice a nice freshness to the wine, the tannins are supple and proportioned, the fruit is plentiful but not overpowering, and the alcohol is imperceptible. Then your wine has balance.
Depth Wines with a depth of flavour are a lot of fun and if you are sipping one with dinner, you will notice how the wine changes during the course of the meal. It develops in your glass and more and more aromas and flavours come forward depending on what you are eating. A wine with a depth of flavour is certainly a candidate for good wine.
Taste Use your taste buds to figure out how many different flavours you can pick up on. Hint: as long as it’s in balance and isn’t putrid-smelling, the more you can taste the more complex the wine. You simply swallow the wine and see how long the flavour lasts on your palate the longer it lingers, the better the wine. Once you’ve swallowed, the flavour drops right off and goes away in a split second, it’s probably not such high quality. When you can still taste the wine after 10 or more seconds, you may have hit a good quality wine indeed!
Should you serve swiss with your Sauvignon? John cuts the cheese! New episode every #Winesday! Featuring John Barrett Written by John Barrett & Greg Goodness...
John lives in a “food desert,” as do, I’m sure, most of you filthy mouth-breathers. So he has all the tricks to throwing a fancy wine and cheese party without all of the fancy cheese! Check out some of his patented #WineTips™ and try them yourself!
John tackles the difference between Red and White wine! New episode every #Winesday! Featuring John Barrett Written by John Barrett and Greg Goodness Directo...
Do you need advice about wine from a guy who knows a thing or two about the subject? Because literally that’s as much as this guy knows about wine.
New Post has been published on Wine, Women and Chocolate
Check out our new post from http://www.winewomenandchocolate.com/greeces-x-factor-wine-by-terry-nozick/
Greece's "X" Factor Wine, By Terry Nozick
A hard-to-pronounce grape from Northern Greece is my latest wine discovery, thanks to a recent LA Wine Writer’s luncheon at Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles.
Hosted by the the XinomavroNaoussa trade organization, the luncheon featured three Greek winemakers, a slew of wines, and some Greek food.
Xinomavro (pronounced “Tsee-nó-ma-vro” I am told, with emphasis on the first “o” just as in the word “Sonoma”) is what I am calling the X Factor in the wines of Greece. It took me several tries to get the name right, but it was worth the pronunciation lesson. The “X” grape is similar in style, body and flavor to the Barolas of Italy, but the price tag is much lower.Grown in the part of northern Greece called Macedonia, it is just one of the more than 330 grape varieties indigenous to Greece, of which only about 40 are exported to the US market. However, things are improving as we in America expand our wine palates and explore more interesting wines from around the world, and Greek wines in particular. Xinomavro, a hearty red, and Assyrtico, an acidic and minerally white, are now becoming more common on wine store shelves nationally.
Xinomavro is most at home in Greece’s Naoussa region, a PDO, or special designated wine area, the first such area designated in the country. Running approximately 15 miles long, the area is reminiscent of Napa Valley in that there are low-lying vineyards, high vineyards on terraced hillsides, and some coastal vineyards, which provide a variety of ecosystems that give different nuances to the wines. But unlike Napa, this area can see snow in the winter.
An acidic and tannic wine, Xinomavro translates from Greek to “black with high acid.” Fickle, and difficult to grow, the grape is sensitive to warmth, drought, and rot, but when successfully harvested and vinified it offers wines with aromas and flavors of strawberry and sour cherry, as well as vegetal characteristics, such as tomato, olives, mushrooms, and tertiary aromas (from oak barrel aging) of tobacco and tar. The more aged versions — and some can age a very long time — give off more dried fruit, such as plum and figs. Comparisons can be made not only to the Nebbiolo grape, which is the foundation of Barolas from Italy, but also to Pinot Noir.
We were treated to 13 wines at our luncheon, along with a lamb-and-eggplant-based Greek version of a shepherd’s pie, which was a good match for the wines’ tannin and acid.
Some of the wines are available in the US, some are not. Some producers make only a few hundred cases, so they stay in Greece. For example, Kelesidis Estate Merchali, 2006, has a production of only 500 cases. It is aged a year in oak (common to these wines), and offered nice fruit after 9 years aging, with a balance and structure that supported it. It was a nice treat, only available at our luncheon.
One of my favorites was the Elinos Naoussa 2007, again an aged wine, which is holding up very well due to its firm tannins and acidity. Thirty-five-old vines provided the grapes. The winemaker is 31-year-old fourth-generation winemaker Christos Taralas (for more on the winery visit their Web site.).
Many of the 13 wines tasted at the luncheon carried price tags under $20. I’ve listed the producers below, so it’s worth checking out the Greek wine section of your local retail shop for them.
For more on the wines of Naoussa visit www.xinomavronaoussa.com/.
Until next time, Yamas!
List of Greek Wineries; Vaeni Naoussa Estate Chrisohoou Dalmara Ktima Diamantakos Elinos Estate Foundi Estate Karyda Estate Kelesidis Kir Yianni Kokkinos Ktima Melitzani Thymiopoulis
http://www.truthnwine.blogspot.com/2015_03_01_archive.html
New video based on my wildly successful #wineadvicebyjohn twitter movement.
Two clips for some reason didn't make it from my camera to my computer, but I was all "Fuck it! This is art!"