6 TASTING CATEGORIES
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1) Smell Fruity
2) Smell Oaky (smell oak vs. fruit?)
Oaky = Vanilla, Carmel, dessert spices, etc.
3) Taste Dryness
4) Taste Acidity (Tart/sharp vs. creamy/round)
5) Mouth Body
6) Mouth Tannin (Soft velvety vs. tight dry mouth)

Q: I have NO idea how to smell fruity. They all smell basically the same. He said oaky smells like Vanilla? Sorry, I do not smell anything but WINE. Any help here? This is frustrating as hell, b/c I am trying hard, and am not an idiot.

Q: I can not distinguish b/w tannic and acidic. In the test, I was picking high acid as high tannic, and vice versa. Both fall under the "mouth pucker/tart" description. How can I TASTE the difference? (without just looking at "deep red = tannic"


PAIRING TIPS
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A) High acid wine goes with salty food
(Beaujolais + Prosciutto)

B) Oaky white goes with butter / vegetable fat (scallops, lobster)
Chardonnay?

C) Oaky/tannic goes w/ animal fat

Q: What is vegetable fat? Food examples?
Q: Can you suggest any more examples??

CHEESE TIPS
===========
A) Light wine & low-fat cheese (Parmesan reggiano)

B) Acidic wine & Salty cheese

Q: What is a "light" wine? Pinot Gris, SauvB, or Chardonnay?

Q: Can you suggest any more examples??

The more wine you taste the more you will pick up on tasting distinct flavors.

This is a joke right??



Have a Beer.

R&R Cowboy beat me to it

Can this guy be banned, yet?

If you don't like this guy, just ignore him He may be a troll or he may honestly be trying to learn. I still haven't decided.

serial_dater: If all fruits smell the same to you then you have a problem. See a specialist.

If you can't tell the difference between tannin and acidity, get a grape and a lemon. The grape skin = tannin. It makes your mouth feel furry. Try making a cup of very strong, stewed black tea and then try adding lemon to it.

If you want to understand oak the best place to go that I've found is Del Dotto in Napa. For about $30 you can taste the exact same wine from several different barrels. You'll taste striking differences: chocolate, espresso, vanilla.

You might get less stick from the others if you post things like this in Learn Wine.

I’m starting to think you being a serial dater is not by choice.

Dave makes a really good point. Most of your questions belong in the Learn Wine portion of these forums. There are plenty of nice people around there willing to help you out.

when do you plan your grand good/bad wine experiment?

I apologize. I NEVER noticed the "learn wine" section!! It is at the bottom of the list, and the topics are of decreasing relevance. I think "learn wines" should be higher on the list, not under "off topic" !! I will keep my questions there. Sorry again.

I am genuinely trying to learn. I have 1/2 a bottle of Beaujolais left. I am going to try pairing w/ "4 pepper Chevre" ($3.50 at the local deli)

Taste test: I was not able to order the Westerly Pinot, but I will do the side-by-side this weekend with a locally recc'ed PNoir. (with Penguin & Yellow Tail) Trader JOe's in my area does not sell wine.

> You'll taste striking differences: chocolate, espresso, vanilla.

This drives me nuts. I do not smell chocolate. I fricking smell WINE. Unless it's Mocha Frappachinno, I ain't smelling espresso either.

At the class, the sommelier was going off on how insanely "fruity" the bouquet was, and I didn't smell a damn thing except "wine"

quote:

If you want to understand oak the best place to go that I've found is Del Dotto in Napa. For about $30 you can taste the exact same wine from several different barrels. You'll taste striking differences: chocolate, espresso, vanilla.

I can't go to Napa. Can you recc some wines that I can order that will demonstrate the STARK differences in these oaking flavors?

quote:

If you can't tell the difference between tannin and acidity, get a grape and a lemon. The grape skin = tannin. It makes your mouth feel furry. Try making a cup of very strong, stewed black tea and then try adding lemon to it.

But a grape does not taste anything like wine. A grape is a sweet fruit. Wine is wine. Unless you just mean the sensation.

Ok, the lemon in the tea makes it more acidic? But the lemon flavor is not neccesarily acidic, right? B?c I have never tasted a "lemony" wine either !!

Okay, you're right. He's just a troll.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Tong BBP:
Okay, you're right. He's just a troll.

... ya think?

Absolutely spectacular

serial_dater, did you ever attend one of those get-togethers where you have so many minutes talking with a prospective date and then you switch tables and talk to someone else? Oh, wait a minute, that's speed dating, isn't it? Or is it serial dating?

Redaing these threads from SD is always good for a laugh.

1] How do you small a taste?
2] or Smelly sweat socks, thay taste like what?
3} I have NO idea how to smell fruity. Go to San Francisco

Class over!!

While I must admit that when I first started with wine I too had difficulty discerning components of smells, but to say that all wine smells like wine is quite incredulous.

Are you saying if you took a riesling and sniffed it next to a cab, they'd both smell like wine?

Save yourself some money, goto Dunkin Donuts and get 6 cups of coffee, one of each of the flavors they offer. It'll cost you less then 10 bux. If you still think they all smell like "coffee", then I think you might need to find a hobby that doesn't include the sense of smell.

As with acids and tannins. Dave Tong offered a great suggestion with the tea, which is high in tannins. Adding the acidity is just the sourness.

Here's another one, take a grape with seed. Take a few seeds (like 5-8) and wash it with water so there's no sugar and or other flavors. Insert into mouth and masticate vigorously. That "furry" sensation that Dave talks about will be very apparent when you start breaking down the seed.

Would love to see the exam for this class

quote:

I am genuinely trying to learn. I have 1/2 a bottle of Beaujolais left. I am going to try pairing w/ "4 pepper Chevre" ($3.50 at the local deli)

This deli wine have a vintage??

Think you need to get away from 2 buck Chuck and $ 3.50 wines. Extend your self, and get a $ 9.99 bottle. will taste 3X as good.

quote:

and I didn't smell a damn thing except "wine"

Maybe you need a nose job.

I learn so much here

SD is Bizarro Shane.