When was the last time you paused to admire the appearance of a wine?
By studying a wine’s appearance and bouquet, you can learn almost everything about it, including its grape varietal, vintage, alcohol content and region. For aficionados, connoisseurs and professionals, these skills are the foundation of the Court of Master Sommeliers blind tasting assessment program, but understanding their principles will certainly enhance anyone’s wine experience.
The first trait to assess is color. It’s best to tilt the glass forward so you are able to view the wine from the depth of the glass to the wine’s edge. For whites, is the wine clear? Green? Straw yellow? Golden? Does it have a brightness or dullness to it? Typically, clear or greenish hued wines are young and unoaked. Straw yellow and gold hues typically denote an aged wine.
For red wine, the observations run deeper. Is the wine garnet? Opaque? Black? Brick red? While red wines start out vibrant and purple, over time they tend to turn brick red, and very old wines can be on the verge of brown.
Take note of the water line or meniscus on the wine’s edge. Is there a clear water line, or is it subdued and integrated with the rest of the wine? A less pronounced water line, in conjunction with a brick-tinged rim, denotes a wine of greater age.
A wine that is darker in color most likely is a syrah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot or malbec. For the most part, these are thicker-skinned grapes that grow best in warmer climates and tend to be darker and richer in both color and body. Wines that are a lighter red likely originated in cooler climates that are home to varietals such as pinot noir, dolcetto or cabernet franc.
Then there is always discussion of a wine’s legs. The main reason to observe the legs is that they are an indication of the wine’s alcohol content. Richer, full-bodied wines, both red and white, typically have legs that run slowly down the glass. Legs also help to identify a wine’s origin. Slower legs indicate varietals from warmer climates, and fast-forming legs point to cooler climates.
After visually inspecting the wine, it’s time to smell the bouquet. For whites, do you smell peach, apricot, melon, grapefruit, red or green apple? Herbal or vegetal notes such as alfalfa, bell pepper or jalapeño? Coconut or vanilla? For reds, do you smell bright or dark fruits? Cherry, blackberry, raspberry or currants? Earthy notes of tobacco, cedar, baking spices, dill or vanilla?
All of these descriptors are indicative of a wine’s varietal and origin. For example, dill implies the use of American oak, while baking spices such as cinnamon and clove are the influence of French oak.
By this point, you probably have a good guess as to what’s in your glass, and it’s time to taste it to confirm or deny your conclusion.
In theory, blind tasting seems easy, but in reality, it is very challenging, even for the most experienced tasters. Although it takes a mountain of experience to become truly skilled, blind tasting is an excellent exercise to hone your senses of sight, smell and taste – not to mention a fun excuse for a party.
Alan Cuenca is an accredited oenophile and owner of Put a Cork in It, a Durango wine store. Reach him at info@putacorkinit.org.
