Nearly a month into writing this blog and several bottles of wine down. The verdict is mostly mixed on my choices amongst those bottles, a few really good ones, a few terrible ones and most of the other fall right in the middle as being average for their price. More than rating the bottles I have consumed, I have learned a few things too. This post will endeavor to explain one of those lessons I've learned.
This newest revelation in my wine journey came the other day when I was struggling to describe the aroma and corresponding flavor of a Cabernet Sauvignon. I know I'd smelled it before, and tasted it as well. It's often present in the wines that I truly find captivating, but I don't have a lot of reference points on actual scent categories. I've smelled and tasted raspberries, blackberries, black cherries, cherries, plums, raisins, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, leather and strawberries, but I have never tasted or smelled black or red currants, I don't remember what cedar smells like, the last time I tasted pencil shavings was in grade school and I've never had the pleasure of tasting truffles. All of those are ways to describe aroma and taste combinations of the wines that I like. So in searching for the particular reference point for what I was tasting and smelling in this particularly good glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, I sought out my smart, beautiful wife and opined my lack of descriptive knowledge. She smiled at me and asked a couple questions, then reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a container of black currant preserves. And I suddenly had the description I was looking for. I’d used this same bottle of preserves as a reference for an aroma before, but I hadn’t really let my nose REALLY sample the scent. Sure enough when I compared the wine and the preserves they were very close, nearly exact, but of course no exactly the same.
So now I know one of the flavors/scents that I’ve found in wines that I really love. Black Currants. I am also a big fan of vanilla and licorice smells in my wine bouquet. And frequently seek out wines with either of those listed on the wine’s tasting notes. I like the mouthfeel of my wine to be full-bodied, warm and smooth, with a decent amount of tannins with a slight buttery taste and texture. There aren’t a lot of wines out there that have these characteristics; I haven’t found any below 10 dollars. But I will say this list is what I like in a Cabernet Sauvignon which doesn’t/can’t apply to a Carmenere, Malbec or Bonarda. I am still developing my profile for those varietals. Hopefully, it won’t take too long to gather the information on those wines so I can share it with you.
I can officially say that finding out this information has made me more perceptive but also more picky. I tried a few “cheaper” (under 10 dollars) wines this past week. Only one of them piqued my interest, and it was a decidedly cheap 90 point Carmenere. For the most part I have found that wines under 10 dollars don’t have the depth or complexity to really keep me interested. That’s not to say I won’t drink them, I will, I just don’t enjoy them as much. But I will go more in depth on the difference between a 7 dollar bottle of wine and a 15 dollar bottle of wine. Double the price, is it double the pleasure? That’s what’s coming in the next installment of, Wine, the Journey So Far.
Hopefully the explanation of my “palate profile” for Cabernet Sauvignon helped you understand my reviewing of that varietal. I also hope that it helped you to think about your own “palate profile” for any wine you might be drinking. Getting to know what your mouth and nose like where wine is concerned is a more time consuming and arduous task than getting to know what your mouth and nose like where food is concerned. Take your time. Sample as many wines as you can afford to. Go to your local wine shops or the closest Cost Plus World Market and try one of their free wine tastings. Talk to one of the wine experts at the aforementioned retailers. Any and all of these activities will increase your awareness. But most of all you need to trust your own instincts, tastes and preferences. If you don’t like red, don’t try to force yourself into liking red wines. The same goes for white or a particular varietal or flavor. Ultimately wine should be consumed for your pleasure and forcing yourself to drink something you don’t like isn’t my definition of pleasure. So find wines that give you those wonderful feelings. The same ones you get when you eat a great meal, take a nice vacation, or experience your favorite dessert. Wine is decadence. Wine is experiencing life to its fullest. To quote Hemingway, “Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.” Go and drink to the perfection of wine.
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