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12 replies

Palate Consistentcy

C cdrMember
If you tasted a wine and deduced it to be a 95 point wine, what are the odds that if the exact wine was given to you blind at three month intervals, completely unknown to you, that you would score it 95, or even close each time?

I must admit I pulled this on some folks in my local tasting group - this one "gentleman" in particular likes to get all the attention at these tastings - he raved and waxed poetically over the 2001 Caymus Special Selection about 4 months ago. He proclaimed it a 95 pointer and one of the best wines he'd ever had. On two subsequent occasions, me and a buddy brought bottles and poured them blind, with the "gentleman" scoring the wine 89 once and 91 a second time.

How calibrated and consistent is your palate and tasting memory?
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P paulyMember
Tasting is very subjective and I know my palate can be influenced by:
- company/ambience
- other wines served
- whether the wine is served blind or not
- temperature the wine is served at
- Food served.
- degree of intoxication

By my reckoning I would say I'd be generally be accurate within 3 points ( i.e "true score" +/-1), but on occaission have been out by large margins.
D dougzdanivskyMember
I'm pretty hit or miss..

My impressions of a wine (especially a wine I've had before) will vary according to the preconception from my last tasting, serving temperature, the quality of the meal I'm having it with, the ambiance of the place I'm drinking in, the company I share, and last, but not least, how many glasses I've had.. Smile

Edit:

I feel better after reading Pauly's post..

Well, not for stealing my thunder, but for the validation.. Wink
Last edited by dougzdanivsky
Z zerwitt14Member
my issue comes more from not being able to detect the nose consistently, I battle sinus issues constantly so that is my problem, that in turn affects my palate. I don't really use a scale when rating wines, I post food and wine reviews on my hobby site and when I go back a read a post some time later and then have the same wine I am often off on my TN's.

I'd say mood, # of glasses, temperature, food paring, and company all play in as well.
V vinogrrlMember
I think palate fatigue has alot to do with it, but certainly not everything. I recently tasted -- for the second time -- the 2001 Elivette Reserve (Bordeaux blend) from Spring Mountain Vineyards. I rather enjoyed it but looking back on my previous notes, I was not impressed with the wine AT ALL the first time around. The first time I tasted it was at a HUGE tasting, so I wrote it off as fatigue. However, I also recently tasted the 2001 Newton Vineyards Epic Merlot for the second time and thought it an excellent & well-balanced wine. The first time I tasted it was at the same HUGE tasting and my notes are right on the money - nearly identical. Not sure how to explain it.
T theschoolmarmMember
Good observations overall. I'll add to Pauly's observations...

quote:
Tasting is very subjective and I know my palate can be influenced by:
- company/ambience
- other wines served
- whether the wine is served blind or not
- temperature the wine is served at
- Food served.
- degree of intoxication


In addition to variables that influence the taster's schnoz and palate, bottle variation could be an issue.

More Cowbell stated it well
quote:
"There are no great wines; only great bottles"


Causes for bottle variation include:
- cork variation ( I recently talked with a winemaker who tried 40 different bottles of ONE of his wines pulled from his own cellars. his summary, "they were 40 different wines.")
- storage conditions
- recent shipping
- wine life cycle / dumb phase

May all your bottles be good ones.
N nmcbainMember
Good question - how calibrated and consistent is my palate and tasting memory? Not very.

I will defend my palate deficiency by claiming that due to bottle variation and the inconsistent settings (stemware, serving temperature, differing food and company, etc) that I consume wine, how could I possibly be expected to be any more consistent?!?
R redmeatMember
Bio-fluctuation in the human system is likely more of a factor than bottle variation with this phenomenon. I've experienced it often, but far less (perhaps not at all) if sufficient time passes between tastings. It's almost as if the palate habituates to the wine's profile if it's tasted repeatedly every few weeks or months. I've seldom been disappointed revisiting an old favorite when a year or more passes in between tastings, although the wine will have changed.

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