Why do wine afficianados write down specific information about wine? Is it to show their wine geekness, impress others, display wine snobbiness? Maybe for some, but not for me. I write tasting notes so that I can
*remember what I tasted so that I can or won’t purchase another bottle and
*share that information with others either in conversation or in print.
The issue, though, is how do people know what to write or talk about when sipping a glass of wine? Travelling to wineries and tasting their wines (like I have just done in California and will be sharing great info in the days to come), taking classes, reading blogs (like you are doing right now!), talking to others, and just trying new wines which are not in your paradigm are a few of the fantastic ways to learn about the characteristics of wine. <<And as a sidenote… just because I taste a hint of green apple in my wine and you don’t, hey, that’s OK!!>> But I’d like to suggest yet another way of learning these characteristics – enjoying organic food.
Flavor characteristics as well as their intensity are closely tied to the senses of smell and taste. Basically, the aromas in a glass of wine should indicate to some degree which flavors you’ll taste. Floral characteristics may include chamomile, rose, or violet. Perhaps a wine exudes green fruit such as pear or apple, citrus such as lemon or grapefruit, stone fruit such as peach or apricot. How about tropical fruit aromas and flavors such as melon or mango, red fruit such as raspberry or strawberry, black fruit such as blackberry or black cherry? And let’s not forget dried fruit such as fig or raisin. Are you still with me??? There are more aroma and flavor characteristics in wine such as under-ripe vegetables in the way of green bell pepper or tomato, herbaceous examples such as asparagus, vegetables such as cabbage or peas (although frankly, I have yet to taste peas in my wine…). And of course the sweet spices such as cinnamon and vanilla and pungent spices such as black/white pepper and juniper can be included. Trust me, this list is just the beginning.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a garden which includes a large variety of fruits, vegetables, and spices. But I do have access to grocery stores which provide fresh, organic food selections and farmer’s markets which offer a huge variety of natural food choices which I frequent on a regular basis. Enjoying fresh, organically grown food may be one of the best ways to train yourself to identify aromas and flavors in a wine if you want to remember what you had for whatever reason – and it’s a pretty fantastic way of being healthy and enjoying food in and of itself!
So, meet Stephanie, an organic foodie and farmer on the Central Coast of California who talks about the wine lover’s palate~
Stephanie, organic foodie and farmer loves wine, too!
On to the market and let’s enjoy some fresh food! I can’t wait to open the next bottle of wine to taste what happens!
Cheers! ~ Cindy
