*Pictured above is an aroma kit. Each vile is labeled with a number to identify the aroma. If you ever get the chance to do a wine tasting, do it! Not only is it fun but you'll learn so much.
Today, I attended my first wine tasting! It was more of a how to sell this wine but it also helped me build my wine foundations. Kevin, the guy hosting the tasting, was knowledgeable and taught us some cool tricks on how to tell acidic the wine is and how tannin-y a wine might be. He is working on getting his Masters of Wine so he is the real deal. He brought in his aroma set. No, not the one you use for your diffuser. This aroma set is specifically for those trying to make their senses stronger. It helps you by being able to identify aromas in wines. These things aren’t cheap. Kevin’s aroma set probably cost around $400. First, we tried a Sauvignon Blanc, St. Supery, from Napa. The winery is owned by Coco Chanel, believe it or not. It has hints of guava, banana, citrus flavors. Very acidic. He told us that you want to pair like with like. So, with this acidic wine, you would want to pair an acidic salad, or a light fish with lemon. Kevin had us bite down on a lemon and then taste the wine again. Surprisingly, the wine was sweet. Because our acidic taste buds were maxed out from the lemon, it brought forth other sweet notes like the guava and banana. Up next was Epiritgassier aka the porch pounder. This Rosé comes from the region of Cote de Province of France. Hence the name porch pounder, on a hot summer day you could pound this chilled rosé all day on the porch. Light and crisp. More dry than sweet. Just how I like my rosé. Now on to red wines! First, we tried Caparzo. A dry red wine that was berried- fruit driven that gave it it’s tartness. It also was had tannins and leather aromas. This would pair excellent with braised meat or steak. Second, was Grgich Hills, a cabernet sauvignon, from Napa. This was my favorite out of all. As Kevin described it, it’s the girl next door. Beautiful with no make-up. It’s simple yet complex. Last, was the Darioush. Now this was your kind of “Look at me” wine. Compared to the Grgich, the Darioush is the girl with all the make-up and diamonds. Marilyn Monroe, if you will. It’s a full-bodied wine with a high alcohol percentage of 14.8. The tannins were soft and velvety and had aromas of dark chocolate. *Usually, to indicate if a wine has tannins in it, it is usually described as dry. If you take a swig of the Grgich or any “dry” red wine and splash it around your mouth like mouth wash, then swallow. Next, take your tongue and run it around the inside of your mouth. You’ll be able to feel your tongue almost stick to the inside of your mouth depending how tannin-y the wine is. Tannins is wine chemically stick to your salvia and strip it away from your mouth. Science! Very cool. Kevin did an awesome job explaining why we taste what we taste.
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AuthorHi there. My name is Lauren but I go by Lo. I'm a wannabe wino who loves red wine. Cheers! Archives |