3. Taste - Mouth

• Tip of tongue – Tingle of bubbles• Front of tongue - Sweetness• Front side of tongue - Saltiness• Back side of tongue - Acidity• Back of tongue - Bitterness

Taste

• Acid/fruit balance• Which fruits or non-fruit flavours

– Fruity– Floral– Vegetal– Mineral

• Length of taste

Tasting “ground rules”

1. Eyes first!

2. Smell

3. Taste

• Colour, clarity, depth, rim

• Fresh or musty? • 500 chemical aromas

– objective & subjective

• Tongue/senses• ‘Length’ a sign of quality• Teetotal tasters!

2. Vega de la Reina, Verdejo, 2008 Rueda DO, Spain

• Rueda DO: a small but important white wine region

• Verdejo: Aromatic Spanish grape with freshness, acidity like Sauvignon Blanc– Colour: Pale yellow (Quite old!)– Aroma: Aromatic; citrus fruits, freshness, grassy,

zingy acidity ...– Palate: Fresh, peach, citrus, grass ....

• Fruit/acid balance?• Residual sugar?

Rueda

3. Viñalba Seleccion Torrontes 2011 Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

• Torrontes: a distant relation of aromatic Muscat grape.

• Argentina’s signature white variety.– Colour: Pale straw– Aroma: Fresh, ripe tropical fruits – peach, lemon,

pineapple ...– Palate: Citrus blossom and tropical fruits....

• Fruit/acid balance?• Residual sugar?

Some facts and figures

Where is wine produced?

League tables (2009)

1. France2. Italy3. Spain----4. USA 5. Argentina6. Australia-----7. Chile8. Germany 9. South Africa10. Portugal

• Rankings according to quantity of annual production

• Two thirds of all wine is produced in Europe

• Spain has the largest acreage of vineyards

Consumption

UK Imports by volume

1. Australia

2. France

3. USA (California)

4. Italy

5. Spain

4. Felsner Gedersdorfer Moosburgerin Grüner Veltliner, 2010

• Grüner Veltliner• Kremstal in Lower Austria• Single vineyard; hand-picked

– Colour: Light yellow/green– Aroma: Apple, citrus fruits ...– Palate: Apple, with a peppery aftertaste characteristic

of the grape ...• Fruit/acid balance?• Residual sugar? • Could accompany Asian cuisine

Effect of Food on Wine

• Salmon (Oily fish)

• Green apple

• Chocolate

• Paprika

• Cheese (animal protein)

• Enhances flavour of fuller white wines

• Sharpens the palate

• A flavour blocker

• Spices need aromatic white wines

• Neutralises tannins

5. Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 Marlborough, New Zealand • Hand harvested from a mix of vineyards in the

Awatere and Wainau valleys of Marlborough• Matured 11 months in French oak• Lots of awards!

– Colour: Light colour typical of Pinot Noir– Aroma: Cherries, peppers and hint of spices –

cloves?– Palate: Cherry/plum fruit, smooth and velvety, very

soft tannins ...

6. Errazuriz Reserva Carmenère 2010 Aconcagua Valley, Chile • Hand-picked; fermented in stainless steel;

matured in oak– Colour: Medium intensity; purple indicating youthful

wine– Aroma: Fruit – red currants; hint of stalkiness

characteristic of Carmenère; ‘green on the nose’– Palate: Red berries, plums, gentle tannins ...

The Carmenère story

• Origins in Bordeaux in 19th Century.

• In Chile mixed in with Merlot in vineyards.

• DNA testing in 1990s showed it to be a distinctive variety and often superior to Merlot.

• Now very much a Chilean variety in its own right

7. Ch. Caronne Ste Gemme Cru Bourgeois 2007 Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux

• Cru Bourgeois from the left bank ‘Haut-Médoc

[Below Crus Classés]• A blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot,

3% Petit Verdot.– Colour: Dense intensity; purple indicating youthful

wine– Aroma: Blackcurrants and spices ..– Palate: Blackcurrants, pepper....,

Still quite tannic; but very drinkable with meat

‘A good value for money Bordeaux’

Effect of Food on Wine

• Salmon (Oily fish)

• Green apple

• Chocolate

• Paprika

• Cheese (animal protein)

• Enhances flavour of fuller white wines

• Sharpens the palate

• A flavour blocker

• Spices need aromatic white wines

• Neutralises tannins

Today’s wines

1. Chablis, Les Champs Blancs, Pascal Bouchard, AOC, 2010 £14.99W

2. Vega de la Reina 2008 Rueda, DO, Spain £5.99 M

3. Viñalba Seleccion 2011 Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza £7.99 M

4. Felsner Gedersdorfer Moosburgerin Grüner Veltliner, Austria, 2010£10.99 W

5. Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir 2007, Marlborough £11.25 HM

6. Errazuriz Reserva Carmenère, 2010, Chile £6.99M

7. Ch. Caronne Ste Gemme ,Cru Bourgeois, 2007 £12.99 M

W Waitrose HM Hatch Mansfield M Majestic

Mystery wine

• By aroma only, which of today’s wines is this?

A reminder

• Session II• 15 February 2012• 2.30pm• South Australia

Finally…

Thank

you