I don’t consider myself an expert on wine, but I can tell you with certainty that I know exactly which wines I prefer, why, and how to find them. It’s easy—all you need are your normal senses: sight, smell, taste, and touch. Let’s start with some simple vocabulary. Tears and legs. These are common visual descriptions during a wine tasting. Legs or tears are what flow back down the sides of the glass after you give it a swirl. The fatter the legs, the richer and sweeter the length or finish will be. The quicker the tears dissipate, the less concentrated and less sweet the wine will be. One of the best parts of a wine tasting, in my humble opinion, is aromatics. When you add air to your wine, that helps its aromas to become more noticeable. This is called aeration. We often do this to our red wines, and only some white wines, when we decant and allow them to oxidize or breathe. With aeration, the more undesirable compounds will evaporate faster, leaving behind the more desirable and notable aromatics and flavours. Acidity is an important component in winemaking. It influences the wine’s flavour and colour, and depending on the variety, protects it from bacteria—all of which also contribute to the aromas we experience during a tasting. Woody is the term often used to describe the flavour profile of something that has been aged in oak barrels. Since oak is grown all around the world, its flavour changes according to its terroir (taste of place) and comes through in wine while it’s aged in the barrel. If you can smell the oak, you can surmise that, yes indeed, your wine has been aged in a barrel. French oak has characteristics of warm vanilla, chocolate, roasted coffee
beans, and toast, along with nutmeg and cinnamon. American oak tends to give off stronger aromatics like coconut, clove, smoke, and hints of dill—yes, dill! Wine takes on all the forms of its terroir. Terroir takes on everything from its surroundings. The soil; the flora; the slope of the land, climate, and environmental conditions; even a nearby farm. They are often described as earthy, and have characteristics like wild herb, fallen leaves, minerals, graphite, “barnyard,” and of course dirt—all of which contribute to the earthiness of wine, influencing its flavours and aromas. Tannins are found in the nature all around us, in wood, leaves, and fruit such as grapes. Simply put, they are the backbone of wine, and are extracted from the grapes’ skin, stems, and seeds. Coupled with the alcohol and acidity of a wine, and depending on quantity and quality, tannins can give your mouth the feeling of silkiness and velvetiness. “Green” tannins will have a slight bitterness with unpleasant astringency. This feeling you get with the first sips is something you either enjoy or not. Again, it’s your palate, and only you decide. Look for tannins, and you may start to notice them in things like rhubarb, walnuts, and your dark chocolate or cup of tea too! Lastly, I want to share with you an amateur tip that was shared with me during my first wine tasting ever. In order for you to appreciate the wine you sample, you must give it three tries. First, the attack. This is the initial taste of a wine in the mouth, and it may not be the most appealing. Let it cleanse the palate, getting rid of whatever was in there before, which probably isn’t compatible with the wine you’re about to taste. Next, use the second sip to fully coat the palate. A little swishing may be required
to make way for the final sip. The third sip will be the truest. Not only will you now be able to accurately taste all the complexities of the wine, you will have developed a bona fide appreciation for it. Congratulations, and enjoy your next tasting with confidence! Though you may not be an expert now, you have a great list of vocabulary to take with you at your next wine-tasting event. Grab a few glasses of your favourites, line them up, and compare. Look for the differences in aromatics, flavours, and mouthfeel. You’ll soon be an expert in your personal preferences
Originally from South Eastern Ontario, Jackie, her husband and teenage son, moved to PEI in 2016. While taking on a rather ambitious home renovation project, she also started a tour operation. HOP|SIP|SWIRL TASTING TOURS is a private winery, brewery & distillery business focusing on the evergrowing local artisan beverage industry. She's a true believer that life doesn't get better by chance. It gets better by choice.
SPRING 2020 www.pei-living.ca
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