Aug 31, 2016 | WINES TO LEARN |
Light-Bodied White Wine 2014 AUSTRIA (Niederösterreich) Grüner Veltliner 11.5% alc. Serve at 38-45ºF (3-7ºC) Nastl Wine-Searcher Back to Wines to Learn To keep in mind You can learn about the true meaning of high quality crispy sensation in wine. As you know, this term is usually associated with fresh, citric wines that come from grapes harvested in the fine line between being ripe and keeping a good acidity. Sometimes it fails, and you get a wine that is too acidic, or green. This is not the case! When this wine is recently opened, you feel little fireworks going off in your mouth: a tickle festival that makes you desire another sip. So, despite being an overused cliché, this wine is the exact expression of the word “crispy”. This is why this wine is surprising because, despite this fresh sensation, you notice that grapes were perfectly ripened, and, magically, the wine is extremely crispy at the same time. This is a highly sought after balance in wine that will keep you wanting more and more. The Nastl Cuvée Anno 1656 has an awesome quality-price ratio. Also, you can learn a good approach to the “Old World wine style”. This is not an intense fruit bomb (in the sense of dense, noticeable flavors), and the aromas are difficult to detect for a wine beginner. Instead, the wine is a superb example of the “physical” sensation of a wine: a cleaning dryness, a mouth watering bitter taste and an evident mineral and lime taste finish. For those training their nose, I recommend you go back and forth between smelling and tasting,...
Jul 13, 2016 | LEARNING ABOUT WINE |
How do food and wine interact? This graphic shows the interactions. On the left side, you have each of the food taste sensations (salt, sweet, acid, bitter, umami and spicy). On top, the components of wine that can be affected by food (fruit, sweet, acid, bitter, alcohol and body perception). In the crossing point of each pair, a symbol to show how the food affects the perception of the wine component: increasing it, decreasing it or no effect. 2 Practical Examples SALTY FOOD: imagine your are eating an appetizer with olives (mainly salty). Then, you can drink a light bodied wine because salty taste of food will increase the sensation of the body of the wine. If the food were sweet (in the second line of the graphic), it will make the wine taste flat or watery. Also, if the wine has a high acidity it will be soften by the salty flavor of the food. This is why a light, fresh white wine goes perfect with olives but also why it’s not a good dessert wine (assuming dessert is sweet). SPICY FOOD: now imagine your are eating spicy noodles. If you drink a very tannic wine (bold red wine with plenty of oak flavor, for example) it will feel unbalanced and will dry your mouth unpleasantly, as the spicy taste increases the bitter sensation of wine. On the other hand, with a fruity and sweet wine instead, the spice in the food will compensate these characteristics of the wine. Wine and Food Pairing Principles Wine and Food! Millions of people have enjoyed them together for centuries. In theory, we can enhance the pleasure of food and wine...
Apr 27, 2016 | WINES TO LEARN |
Full-Bodied White Wine 2014 USA (Cafifornia – North Central Coast – Monterrey County) Chardonnay 13.9% alc. Serve at 55-56ºF (13ºC) Turn Key Wine Brands Wine-Searcher Back to Wines to Learn To keep in mind You can learn about the body of wine. This is very far from the light, zesty, easy to drink white wines you can pair with every fish dish. This is a bold player. If the first thing you with a wine is to quaff it… Maybe should try something else. This wine is to entertain your palate for a long time. It’s rich, dense, flavorful, creamy. At the end, you can feel the strenght of the sun in this wine. Smell and taste: maybe, the first thing you will notice is the mineral aroma, similar to the french chardonnays made in cool climate… But, as a real californian there is some ripe fruits too: orchard fruits, the producer says. Peach and lemon? Yes. But what makes this wine interesting is the effect that 6 months in french oak barrel has: a rich aroma of vanilla and nutmeg. Exercise to learn about oaked and unoaked wine: compared it with other californian chardonnay. I think this wine needs food to pair with and be served not too cold. It is ok if you do it, but, in this case you will find it more soft and pleasant around 55ºF. As a full-bodied white, avoid subtle fish: go for lobster, seasoned poultry and creamy pasta or légumes. Baked vegetables pie or pasties? Sure!. Also, look for umami flavored asian dishes or strong cheeses. I have to...
Apr 22, 2016 | WINES TO LEARN |
Medium-Bodied White Wine 2011 FRANCE (Burgundy – Chablis) Chardonnay 12.5% alc. Serve at 48-50ºF (9-10ºC) Domaine Daniel Dampt et Fils Wine-Searcher Back to Wines to Learn To keep in mind You can learn about the aromas of wine. One of the first things you will notice with this wine is the intensity of earthy aromas. You will learn what mineral character means, as the main aroma of this wine is far from the typically fruit-driven ones. One further step in wine education. This is an archetype of Chablis wine, the world famous chardonnays from France. For me, it smells like chalk, wet gravel. Exercise to learn about Old World style and New World style wines: compared it with a californian chardonnay. Smell and taste: after the main mineral aroma that gives you the sensation that the wine is going to be suculent and heavy: it smells like chalk and wet gravel. After you can find some flowers, but it will need some time to these aromas appear. Also, is noticeable a dry sensation (the opposite to sweet), but very balanced and with a tasty finish (the time the taste stays in your palate after swallowing the wine) that stays quite long. You will get a cleaning sensation after every sip of this wine. If you are sensitive, you can find something similiar to tickles on the tip of your tongue, a quality that defines the zesty taste. This is because its acidity (but very subtile and surprising after the intense earth aroma) and it means that is perfect as aperitif (try simple olives, chips, crackers) or to pair with not very heavy...
