A wine evening

Hello foodies,

My culinary adventure in Kingston ended last night, and a fantastic weekend it was.  I came back with lots of pics, restaurants to blog about, and, the raison d'etre for my trip - the wine tasting.

Saturday evening was the brainchild of my food soulmate, C.  The premise: a small group of women gather for a formal wine tasting (though not so formal that we actually spit the wine out - that would just be a waste).  Each person brings a red wine, label covered, and some sort of red wine friendly food item.  We taste and discuss the wines one at a time, trying to figure out region and varietal (or blend), and scoring the wines on appearance, aroma, and taste, before the big reveal. 

 

Of the participants, there was C, a novice wine drinker who had never participated in a formal tasting, then J and me, a little more experienced.  I had actually been to a couple of tutored tasting events, so I knew the basics or looking at colour, clarity and legs; sniffing, swirling, and sniffing again; and then tasting it so that the wine hits all the flavour centres on your tongue.  S and SM were more advanced tasters, able to more finely hone in on the varietal(s) and regions.

So, for those who have never formally tasted wine before - it is just as pretentious as it looks on TV.  But a LOT of fun, too. 

First step: hold the glass in front of something white so you can get a true sense of the colour and clarity.  Is it a deep, deep purple and opaque?  Is tending more towards a lighter purple and you can see through the wine?  Does it have a tawny, brown tinge?  Is there sediment or cloudiness?

Second step: tilt the glass to the side and set it back to right so that you can see how quickly the liquid runs back down the side of the glass.  The wine gathers together in thin streams; how quickly this happens, and how long and thin those streams are, indicate the wine's sugar content - or, its legs.  More sugar generally means more a  more viscous wine, which generally has shorter, wider legs that take longer to form.  So an elegant, spare pinot noir will usually have longer legs than an intense amarone.

Third step: sniff.  Really get your nose in there.  Can you detect any particular smells?  Is it the same at the beginning of your sniff as at the end?  Then swirl the glass, making a little whirlpool so the wine sloshes up the sides.  Carefully.  This aerates the wine somewhat, waking it up.  Sniff again, and it may smell different.  You may be able to differentiate more scents.

Finally, the tasting.  Take a small sip, letting it roll over your tongue.  How does it feel in your mouth?  Thin and free, or more velvety?  Can you taste the mouth-puckering tannins so often present in red wine?  Does it taste like what you expected based step three?  Does the taste stay the same from start to finish?  Is it sweet?  Acidic?  Minerally?  Can you detect spice or fruit or oak?  And when you're done, after you swallow, how long does the taste stay with you?  Does it linger, or is it gone as soon as you take a breath?  A long finish is one that lingers.

It ended up that three of the four wines were California wines (Apothic Red, Cupcake, and Menage à Trois), all blends, and one was Argentinian.  No one correctly pinned the local for the Argentinian wine (a blend involving Malbec grapes); the balance and restraint suggested Europe rather than South America.

Some interesting takeaways:

• Those Venturi aerators are more than just expensive toys.  They do change the flavour.  From wine to wine, you might prefer one having gone through the Venturi and another without.  Thanks to S and SM for bringing the Venturi.
• Sometimes the taste is quite surprising compared to the scent.
• Palate cleaners are a neat little trick.  S brought a citrus ice with organic buckwheat honey palate cleanser.  A mix of lemon and lime juice over shaved ice, it was bracingly tart (I love lemon and lime) and finished with a clear hint of the buckwheat honey.  Taking a sip of wine, a bite of citrus ice, and then another sip of the same wine completely changed the texture of the wine in your mouth, making a non-viscous and minerally wine feel thick and velvety.

 

• Triple cream goat brie on sesame rice crackers is amazing.  I think I like goat brie better than regular brie now.
• Salami and grilled peppers, zucchini, and sundried tomatoes in olive oil are excellent accompaniments to red wine.

A great time was had by all, and there is talk of making this a series, with different areas or types of wines as themes.  Hosting a small, pot-luck wine event with like minded oenophiles (or interested beginners) is not hard or expensive, and is well worth the effort.

For updates, follow me on twitter:  @culinarykira