Do You Really Like That?
a taste for good wine
By: Lisa Burgess

I think I only know of one or two people on the face of the planet who have the ability to really remember what something tasted like a week ago. Believe me, I’ve sat around many a table with bottles’ labels hidden by brown paper bags as a group of tasters try to, by process of elimination, determine what the wine is.

There is usually a lot of hand-to-forehead “d’ohs” when the true identity of the wine is disclosed. A much greater percentage of people are generally unable to “nail” the characteristics of a wine tasted blindly to determine, ultimately, what the wine is. And is that really the point? My answer is no. I enjoy doing it for the camaraderie and because I’m reminded every time that I, as most people (yes, even sommeliers), don’t have the palate to determine what every wine is. But, I do know I like different wines for different reasons at different times (even during the same meal). So the question is: Do you really like that wine or are you ordering it because you’ve heard that you should? Or, even more often the case: Do you order it because it is among your wine vocabulary?

The following is a specific example that explains more of what I’m talking about: I recently served wine to two ladies in the restaurant and one of them ordered the “oakiest” Chardonnay we had. I brought two wines for her to taste side by side. One of the wines I delivered was of the style she requested; the other was something entirely different. Guess which one she picked? You got it. The one she had not ordered. When I asked what she liked about the wine (which she tasted blindly) her reply was what I found fascinating. “I like it because it’s subtle and soft.” “Is it oaky?” I asked. “Oh yes, quite nice,” was the response.

The wines were: 1. A California Chardonnay with quite a bit of oak used in its production and 2. A French wine from Cotes du Rhone that consists of three grape varieties, none of which are chardonnay (that grape doesn’t grow in the Cotes du Rhone region of France) but rather Roussanne, Marsanne and a little Viognier. If there is oak utilized in its production, it’s definitely not much and probably oak that has been used before (which causes it to contribute less and less of its flavor as the barrel itself is saturated with wine; in a nutshell, it continues to become more neutral each time it is used). It’s quite possible that it is fermented in Stainless Steel vats, which is also neutral in its flavor. So, my hunch is she will be ordering Cotes du Rhone Blanc everywhere she goes Ð though you may not find it in every restaurant or retail store Ð even though you should because it can be a phenomenal value, which is one of my criteria for wine selection.

It doesn’t matter what you drink. It only matters if you want it to. Trying different wines is not unlike trying different food. As a culture we are continuing to explore and accept dining as a central part of our existence, and, for now, it’s easier to get friends to try food they think they don’t like. I take the same approach when presenting wine with a fairly high degree of success. Just try it!

A few wine terms and what they mean:
Oaky: The wine has had contact with an oak barrel, which imparts a flavor. Typically, Chardonnay is associated with oak because Americans determined they liked oak as the predominant flavor in their white wine. All of that has changed, fortunately, as we see wines made with much more balance of flavor and less of one overwhelming flavor that, frankly, is not that great when compared to better-made wines.

Dry: This term literally means all of the sugar found naturally in the grape juice has been fermented into alcohol by the introduction of yeast. The yeast feeds on the natural sugar and the bi-product is alcohol. Most wines people consume are “dry” wines. So, ordering the driest red wine in a restaurant basically tells the server nothing. They should probe further.

Sweet: This is the opposite of dry, meaning there is still residual natural sugar left in the wine. Checking the alcohol level listed on the bottle can oftentimes tell you what level of dryness or sweetness you can expect from that wine. Quite consistently, the higher the alcohol level is, the drier the wine will be. Conversely, the lower the alcohol level, the less dry the wine will be.

Contact Lisa Burgess at 913.888.7820 or visit her website at www.livewellservewell.com.