Today was my graded blind tasting so that means the tasting part of my project is over. This experience has been an amazing for me! I was able to learn about wines, how to taste them, and how to evaluate them. This is a skill many Americans do not know how to do and I am really grateful I was able to learn about this. To think I started last November tasting chocolates and now I am writing my last wine tasting entry is crazy. I thought I would end by answering some questions my professor asked me a couple tastings ago.
Is more expensive or limited production wine actually better than less expensive, mass-produced kinds?
I have learned that this really depends on what you are comparing. For example normally good wines come from one known region. For example you would see McLaren Vale on a bottle of Shiraz. A lot of the cheap wines contain grapes from a wide region. If you were to see Grapes of Australia or Southwest Australia this means that this grapes could have come from any place in that area and are more than likely grapes that were left over in that location. In this case that would not make for a very good wine. There are some wineries though that mass produce to make cheaper wine but the wine is still very good quality. Also some wines do get better with age and typically the longer they age the more expensive they are. Overall I would say that there is some correlation between the cost and the quality of the wine but typically a $300 bottle of wine to me does not taste that different from a $400 bottle on wine but there is a difference between $5 wine and $25 wine do to the difference in region and possible age.
Does learning the terminology and characteristics to look for add to your enjoyment of the wine?
For me it does. I know that I go through a checklist in my head when drinking wine. I think it allows me to connect more with the wine and therefore with the meal or conversation too instead of just mindlessly drink down the wine. Also know that after this experience I have more appreciation for the the wine, and all the work and passion that goes into it. This understudying of viticulture and notching things about the wine does allow me to enjoy the wine more.
What would you say to the person who asserts "I may not know anything about wine, but I know what I like?"
I would say that this used to be me. I used to know that I liked sweet white wine and that was it. To me though, now that I know about the styles of wine (which there are way more than I ever thought) and what the characteristics are for each wine, I feel comfortable making decisions out to eat or while purchasing wine. Also there is something about going out and knowing not only do I like sweet white wines, but also that typically a Riesling is a sweeter style of wine and I would prefer that style and flavor. Also I know I don't like oak contact as much so if someone where to offer me a Chardonnay, I could decline because even though it is a white wine I know that due to the oak contact I wouldn't care for it. Its more than just knowing if you like it or not but its also the why.
Another this is a lot of people don't know what is out there. There are way more styles that I even thought of and it can be intimidating to try new things. I think it is important to try though because I never knew what Chenin Blanc was but when I tried it I absolutely loved it. There is just so much out there that I think its impossible for people to only have one type of wine that they like. UPDATE: Just found out I got an A on my blind tasting!!
Thanks for following me through this experience
~Karli
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