It is Friday. For many of us, that means weekend vino. Or, maybe thats just me. Regardless, it’s wine time!
Today’s Things To Do Before You Die post is something that I’ll enjoy writing about, however I have no desire to accomplish.
Why? Because I do not have the best wine pallet. I have my favorite blends and preferences, but I couldn’t tell if something was bottled this morning or a quadrillion years ago and I definitely can’t tell the difference between a $15 bottle of wine and a $100 bottle of wine. The main difference that I’m aware of, is that I look so much more distinguished and mature with the former, but honestly as long as they are the light, spicy, and dry… I’m perfectly OK with something from Trader Joes 
#15: Drink a Vintage Wine
According to 101 Things To Do Before You Die, “a vintage wine is a wine with a date on it; this is the year the grapes were harvested. Some fine wines can take many years to fully mature.”
Tips:
- Make sure you are not the one paying
- Bluff your way through wine conversation (color, aroma etc.) You will get a lot of mileage out of the word “yes” when discussing wine.
How to Tell a Fine Old Wine: Look for That Hint of Radioactive C-14
While it would be nice to drink a fine, vintage, wine, learning how to “properly” drink and taste wine is far more interesting to me. I’ve done the whole wine tasting thing and I’ve even had a glass of an outrageously expensive glass of Merlot once… but it didn’t stand out from the crowd. My wine pallet only knows the aforementioned words: light, spicy, and dry. I have no vineyard preference. I can never find hints of specific fruits or “woody-ness,” I just nod and say yes (as the book advised). However, I would love to truly know what I’m tasting and how to describe it.
The Basics of Wine Tasting:
- Look: Check out the Color and Clarity.
- Smell: To get a good impression of your wine’s aroma, swirl your glass for a solid 10-12 seconds and then take a quick whiff to gain a first impression.
- Taste: There are three stages of taste: the Attack phase, the Evolution phase and the Finish.
- The Attack Phase: is the initial impression that the wine makes on your palate. The Attack is comprised of four pieces of the wine puzzle: alcohol content, tannin levels,acidity and residual sugar.
- The Evolution Phase: If it’s a red wine you may start noting fruit – berry, plum, prune or fig; perhaps some spice – pepper, clove, cinnamon, or maybe a woody flavor like oak, cedar, or a detectable smokiness. If you are in the Evolution Phase of a white wine you may taste apple, pear, tropical or citrus fruits, or the taste may be more floral in nature or consist of honey, butter, herbs or a bit of earthiness.
- The Finish
Need more… check out this episode of “Wine for the Confused” with John Cleese
(full episode)
You can even invest in wine as you would in the market or life insurance! How to Invest in Fine Wine
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
very interesting, I really like the comic and did not know bunghole was an actual thing.
I think I have a very picky vodka pallete. Same with tequila. But wine… I’m not too fond of to care :0) But you are right, it’s fun to know about it!