THE TASTE OF WINE

CONCLUSION

Just try to name the grape variety and area of origin, and give some indication of the age and quality of the wine. Wise tasters will not risk their credibility by having a stab at anything more specific, such as the producer or vineyard, unless he or she is 100 percent sure. In the Master of Wine examination, marks are given for correct rationale, even if the conclusion that is drawn is wrong, while it has been known for a candidate to name the wine in precise detail but, because of defective reasoning, to receive no score at all. Wine tasting is not a matter of guessing. It is about deduction, and getting it wrong should be encouraged because that is the only way to learn.

Sight This Distinctive Yellow-Gold Color Retains Its Intensity To The Rim. Various Possibilities: A Sweet Wine, A Full-Bodied Dry Wine, A Mature Wine, Or Something Obscure Like Retsina. If None Of These, It Could Be A Gewürztraminer. Smell Gewürztraminer! Full, Rich, And Spicy, The Aroma Hits You Between The Eyes And The First Instinct Is To Think Of Alsace. Usually You Will Be Right, But Bear In Mind The Possibility Of A Top Grower In The Rheinpfalz Or Austria. If The Aroma Were Muted, It Might Be Italian; If Exotic, Californian Or Australian. This, However, Seems To Be A Classic Example Of A Ripe Alsace Vintage Of Perhaps 4 Years Of Age. Taste A Rich-Flavored Wine; Full, Fat, And Fruity With Well-Developed Spice And A Soft, Succulent Finish. Evidently Made From Very Ripe Grapes. Conclusion Grape Variety Gewürztraminer Region Alsace Age About 4 To 5 Years Old Comment Very Good Quality

Sight Stunning Color, More Distinctive Even Than The Gewürztraminer, The Old Gold Immediately Suggests A Full, Rich, And Probably Very Sweet Wine. Sauternes Springs To Mind, But Austria, Or Even An Oddity From Australia Are Also Possible. Smell This Has The Amazingly Full, Rich, And Opulent Nose Of A Botrytized Wine. Anyone Who Dislikes Sweet Wine Should Smell A Wine Like This Before Giving Up On It Altogether. A Touch Of Creamy-Spicy Oak Rules Out Austria And Its Maturity, Probably Between 10 And 15 Years, Probably Disposes Of Australia. Taste Everything Is Here From Peaches, Pineapple, And Cream To The Honeyed Aromatics Of A Fairly Mature Wine. Only A Classic Sauternes Can Have Such Intense Flavors, Yet Possess Such Great Finesse. Conclusion Grape Variety Mostly Sémillon Region Sauternes Age About 15 Years Old Comment Premier Cru, Great Vintage

Sight The Orange-Pink Of This Wine Almost Certainly Pins It To Provence Or Tavel, Although, If The Orange Hue Is Not Indicative Of The Style And Vinification Of The Wine, It Could Be Almost Any Over-The-Hill Rosé. Smell Put The Dunce’s Hat On And Stand In The Corner! The High-Toned Pinot Noir Aroma Dismisses The Firm Conviction Of A Tavel Or Provence Rosé. But What Is It? It Is Not Oxidized, So It Cannot Be An Otherwise Obvious Wine That Has Gone Over. Is The Orange Hue A Clue To Its Origin? More Information Is Needed; Must Taste The Wine. Taste Definitely Burgundian, But With A Very Distinctive, Piquant Pinot Noir Taste. At Its Peak Now, But Certainly Not On The Way Down. By Eliminating What It Cannot Be, Only Rosé De Marsannay Fits The Bill. Conclusion Grape Variety Pinot Noir Region Burgundy Age 4 To 5 Years Old Comment Medium Quality

Sight This Sparkling Wine Has An Attractive, Lively, Lemon-Yellow Color. Not Young, But Not Old, Its Mousse Is Evident, But Its Power And Size Of Bubble Cannot Be Assessed Without Tasting It. Its Star-Bright Limpidity Just Makes It Look Like A Fine Wine. Smell Its Quality Is Immediately Evident, With The Autolytic Characteristics Of A Wine With Several Years On Its First Cork (In Contact With Its Lees Prior To Disgorgement), Which Eliminates Every Possibility Other Than A Fine Champagne. It Has The Zippy Tang Of Ripe Chardonnay Grapes. This Must Be A Champagne Blanc De Blancs With A High Proportion Of Wine From The Côte Des Blancs. Taste A Gently Persistent Mousse Of Ultrafine Bubbles. The Fresh, Lively Flavor Has A Long Finish But Needs Five Years More To Reach Perfection. Conclusion Grape Variety Chardonnay Region Champagne Age About 5 Years Old Comment Top Quality