Want to Learn More About Wine?
Performing your own taste tests
In the 1970s, a typical diner at a steak house would drink either a beer or a mixed drink. America was certainly not a nation of wine drinkers.
When I was in my 20s, nobody I knew had any interest in being a chef. Times sure have changed. Today, nearly every table in the top restaurants has a bottle of wine, and a number of my friends’ children are going to culinary school instead of getting their master’s. And some of the most famous people in America are wine and food people: Robert Mondavi, Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck.
I can’t help you with the culinary part, but here’s a proven way to learn more about wine. Meet once a week with another person or couple for a short—or long—tasting.
First tasting – Get a California Sauvignon Blanc and a Sancerre from France (Sauvignon Blanc grape). Serve them blind without food and pick your favorite. Guess which is which. Then try this with an hors d’oeuvre (goat cheese on a cracker is a good choice). Pick your favorite with the food. Guess again. Then look at the wines. Taste them again and try to remember anything that would help in guessing which was which next time.
Second tasting – Do the above with a different California Sauvignon Blanc or Fume Blanc and a Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume from France. By the end of the second tasting, you may find that the California wine is fruitier and more enjoyable by itself, but the French wine, while seemingly more acidic by itself, is better with food. Or you may find something completely different that gives you a hint as to which is the California wine and which is the French.
Third and fourth tastings – Do the same with a California Chardonnay and a white Burgundy (mostly or all Chardonnay grapes, also). Try Danish Havarti this time.
Fifth and sixth tastings – Same with California Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux (preferably from the Medoc where the wines are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon). Try roast beef.
Seventh and eighth tastings – Same with California Pinot Noir and red Burgundy (Pinot Noir, of course). Try chicken.
Now, in eight one-hour tastings, some learning will have taken place. Make notes. Buy comparably priced wines and see which is the better value. Then branch out:
1. California Merlot vs. Bordeaux from St. Emilion or Pomerol
2. California Chardonnay vs. Australian Chardonnay
3. California Syrah or Shiraz vs. Australian Shiraz vs. Hermitage or Cote Rotie (Syrah, of course)
4. California Pinot Gris vs. Italian Pinot Grigio
5. German Riesling vs. Washington State Riesling
And the main thing: have fun!
