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+--- Thread: I'm Trying But I Still Don't Get It!! (/thread-19814.html)
- cheeps - 02-02-2004
I'm very new to wine (been drinking it occasionally for years, but never knew anything about it other than it was red or white) and am starting to take notes, read as much as I can, try different wines, etc. to really try to learn a bit more.
I plan on attending my first wine tasting after work on Wednesday and maybe I'll learn more there, but as of now, as much as I try, when I smell the wine I only smell "wine". I'm getting a bit better at tasting, but no where near what I want to be. I read all the descriptions of what a wine "should" smell/taste like, cherries, pears, leather, cigars, oak, hay, earth, etc., but I can't seem to distinguish many of these individual flavors. I do taste things, but I have no idea what it is I'm tasting - how to describe it.
I have really only gotten a particular smell or taste twice so far. Once drinking a sauvignon blanc, about half-way thru the glass, sniffing and concentrating on all the flavors I was SUPPOSED to be getting I got a flash of Aha! Asparagus!! Then while drinking a Pinot Noir again, about half-way thru the glass (I think it was too cold when I started the glass so half-way thru it had warmed up to what it should have been to begin with) I sniffed again and got such a rich wave of baked cherries - almost like inhaling a jar of cherry jam. I thought I smelled some leather also, but I'm not positive.
What I'm wondering is if I'm smelling or tasting these things, because I'm reading that's what they're supposed to smell like or taste like - was the idea planted there or did I really taste/smell it? And how do you "learn" to distinguish these smells/tastes. Is it just experience? Should I not be sitting there with a list of what a particular wine is supposed to smell/taste like while I'm drinking it? Should I just do it "blind" and try and figure it out for myself? As I said, right now I mostly get "wine" when I'm trying to figure out a taste/smell.
I hope I'm getting across what I mean - I have a tendancy to babble! Sorry! Thanks for any tips you can give me!
Lisa
- Innkeeper - 02-02-2004
Can't see where you are doing anything wrong or getting any bad signals. It all adds up to experiance. Although some of your reactions may come from the power of suggestion, this is not bad either. What you should be imprinting now are key aromas and tastes associated with various wines. Then when you come upon an abberation you can identify it. Keep tasting and keep cataloging.
- wineguruchgo - 02-02-2004
Hello Cheeps!
Don't expect to pick up the nuances of wine right away. It's not like color where you see red, different variations of the same color, and can still call it red.
What you are doing and experiencing is perfectly normal. They say that you have memory tastebuds. Yet you don't think about it often. These memories will become honed over time and all of a sudden you will say "Wow, I taste an underlying layer of grass in this Sauvignon Blanc". It will come, it's just something that comes over time.
If you can pick up a few 1/2 bottles of wine and open them together. You will begin to smell the difference between them. Pour them into glasses and bounce back and forth between them. It's the best way to compare.
The wine tastings are a great way to explore wine, yet with only one glass in your hand it's hard to compare.
Relax. It will come.
- cheeps - 02-05-2004
Thanks guys! I went to my first wine tasting after work yesterday and they had 6 wines - 2 whites and 4 reds. It was fun tasting 6 wines together like that as you could really see the differences among them immediately. Two of the wines were the same with the same producer, but one was a 2001 and one was 2002. It was amazing to be able to taste the differences between the 2 vintages. I was also excited because one of the offered whites was a Gewurz and I have been anxious to try one as I've heard and read so much about it. It was a Trimbach and I really liked it alot. I definitely want to try different ones from different producers now. The one they offered was described as being much dryer than most Gewurz's. The other white was a Trimbach also, a Pinot Gris that I liked as well. The reds were from Spain I believe (Las Rocas) and were made from Grenache grapes - they were ok, but there was an underlying taste I didn't care for. Those were the 2001/2002. One of the reds was a 2000 Ajello Furat from Sicily (which was described as being similar to a Super Tuscan) and was delicious - the best of the 4 reds to me. The other red was a Carmenere Gran Reserva, and I liked that one also.
I still couldn't begin to accurately describe the tastes and smells in the various wines, but I think attending these tastings is definitely the way to go. I certainly wouldn't be able to compare 6 different wines at home like that!
Lisa
- wineguruchgo - 02-05-2004
Lisa,
Good for you.
Please understand that the Trimbach, from Alsace, will be drier than the Gewurtz's from Germany.
By attending these tastings you are narrowing down what you like and what you don't. That's a good thing.
I'm also glad that you were able to try the same wine, different vintages. It really does matter.
I'm glad you had a good time.
- Innkeeper - 02-05-2004
Most gewurtz's from North America are off dry. Those that are dry usually say "dry" on the label. Same is true for riesling in N.A.
- Thomas - 02-05-2004
One thing you should try to do is take notes. Think about what things taste like to you, and write it down under the name, type and vintage of the wine. That will help you learn and remember.
As for the statements my two colleagues made above about Gewurztraminer and Riesling dry-ness: It's my view that blanket statements are dangerous. One of the ways I have learned to evaluate a wine is by tasting it, not by assuming what it might taste like. Always ask the person selling or pouring what to expect from a wine--never assume.
- wondersofwine - 02-05-2004
I too like the Trimbach Gewurztraminer. If you see the Boxler Gewurz, you may want to try that one. I haven't come across it yet, but Bucko and others have recommended it.
- Tastevin - 02-05-2004
Never assume. Well said Foodie. T.
- winoweenie - 02-06-2004
Cheeps...Don't despair. You're doing it rite. The most important thing in building your wine knowledge is perserverence. Practice, Practice, Practice. Kepp on Keepin'-on. WW
- wineguruchgo - 02-07-2004
Foodie,
I'm sure you understand my "blanket statment" when compairing Alsace to Germany.
People who are "in the know" understand the difference, yet someone who doesn't and walks into a store and buys a German Riesling or Gewurtz instead of Alsace because of the price difference might be disappointed with the finish.
That's all I meant.
- Thomas - 02-07-2004
Wine guru, I understand your statement. The point I make is exactly this: the novice would not understand the blanket statement, and then might go on thinking that all German Gewurztraminers are sweet without ever trying them.
Everyday I encounter at least one customer at the shop who has been walking around with bad pre-conceived notions. And everyday I learn how difficult it is to kill a pre-conceived notion. Think of how many decades Americans have blanketed German Rieslings by equating them with Blue Nun Liebfraumilch, which isn't even Riesling.
[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 02-07-2004).]
- cheeps - 02-10-2004
Thanks everyone - I appreciate all the input. I am very much still learning, so all comments are very welcome - and I like wines from both ends of the spectrum, sweeter or drier, so I'm open to all varieties. I have read that both Gewurtz's and Rieslings from Alsace are a much different style than ones from Germany. That's exactly what I'm after - to be able to identify one wine from another, not just by what it is, but by the differences from country to country and region to region. I have a long way to go, but it's fun sofar!
I was very lucky to have attended another tasting the very next night - this one was of Amarones and the reason they had a second night of tasting was that the owner of the vineyard was present at the tasting, Sondro Boscaini (hope I spelled that correctly!). Both he and an associate of his (I didn't get his name - he was a French gentleman) gave quite a bit of detail about the wines and how they were grown, etc. I mainly went because the price ranges of the wines they offered at the tasting were about $45-$65 and I, most likely, would not be spending that much per bottle for a long time to come - I don't know enough to appreciate the differences yet! And that is exactly what happened - while I could definitely notice the wines had a different taste than the ones I tasted the night before, I couldn't begin to appreciate why the Amarone I was tasting was worth $65 compared to the wine from the night before that was $15 - beyond the obvious differences in the time and effort it took to make the Amarone. They brought four different vintages of the same wine, but I really couldn't tell much difference between them. Mr. Boscaini was a wonderful gentleman tho and glancing thru my wine books when I got home to read a bit more about Amarone, I realized that he is considered one of the great producers of Amarone as I came across his name and his vineyard, Masi, quite a few times in the books. Hopefully, one day I can appreciate his talent!
Lisa
- Tastevin - 02-10-2004
Hello Cheeps.
Yes Mr. Boscaini is a great man, and Masi is a great company. Boscaini's Amarone, nothing like starting at the top! Appreciation will come in time. Remember - taste wine as often as possible, make copious notes, familiarise yourself with the taste and smell of fresh fruits, tobacco (not the taste ugh!), vegetables cooked and uncooked, train your memory, read, have patience, never assume. I could go on, but that will do for starters.
Most importantly, have fun and do try not to become a wine snob. [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]T
- wondersofwine - 02-11-2004
Cheeps,
You're certainly doing it right, taking advantage of tastings. They should be quite plentiful in the Boston area. You're probably not ready to branch out into Burgundies (except at a tasting event)--they are generally expensive and vary greatly in quality. However, keep an eye out for Burgundies from Alex Gambal. He's an acquaintance of mine (from past Nantucket Wine Festivals)--an American who lived for several years in Burgundy and has a negociant/eleveur business over there. He spends part of his year in France and part in the States (in the Boston area I believe). I have admired some of his white and red Burgundies and he has also received notice from both French and English-language wine publications.