Eyes: Exercise 1

In this first exercise I will apply the theory about the visual aspect of wine. In this post I describe the wine, paying attention to its color, hue, concentration and tears. An important consideration of this exercise is to use wines from different regions or climates.

Although I believed that I had selected wines from different climate regions for this exercise, I realized the next day that I had not actually done so. I came to realize this during a wine tasting with Meritxell Falgueras(www.winesandthecity.com), in which she said that the wine I selected from the specific Russian River Valley (California) and from Colchagua region (Chile), can not be considered as coming from warm climate areas due to the Pacific stream and Andes mountains climate effects.

As I am still learning myself, I will strive to learn from my mistakes (hope). Even given this rookie mistake, the point about the tears, is still valid. The tears are related to the sugar and alcohol content of the wine. I chose these four wines, but you may perform your exercise with any varieties you choose. The point is making your own first description of the wine. I recommend using two wines at the same time, so you can compare them easily. Also perform the exercise with a wine with just one grape variety, avoiding blends during your first exercise, and select your wines from different climate regions.

The wines I chose were:

WHITE WINES

  • Spanish White Guerrilla, Albariño (Spain)
  • Marimar Estate Acero, Chardonnay (USA)

RED WINES

  • Los Vascos, Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)
  • Cuveé Latour, Pinot Noir (France)

 

2 Comments

  1. I just tried this exercise with 2 different whites, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay. Both wines are from regions in France because that is what I have available right now. The Chardonnay was gold, and the Sauvignon was straw. Both had pale hues and both had similar viscosity (long legs). The alcohol percentage was 12% for the Sauvignon and 13% for the Chardonnay. It was a fun exercise which was very helpful in my goal to learn more about wine! Next I will definitely try it with 2 red wines from different climates….looking forward to that!

    Reply
    • Great Jane! It sounds a very professional description to me 🙂

      Reply

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