Ahh … a relaxing weekend just you and your spouse or just the girls. Where will you go? What will you do? Ever think about taking a drive along the California Coast and visiting the wineries? We have the perfect map for you, Califonia Wine Country.
Want to sound like and expert when you get to your destination? Here are some popular wine terms.
Nose
The nose includes aroma of the grapes, hints of such things as bell pepper in Cabernet Sauvignon. “Nose” may also have defective smells such as acidity, or vinegary smells, sulfur dioxide which smells like a burnt match or others like rotten eggs or sauerkraut. “Nose” also can be attributed to the smell of the oak barrels in which wine is aged – if it is aged just the right amount of time, there is a faint smell of vanilla, otherwise, the oak smell becomes distracting. Retronasal aroma is detected at the back of the nose. When wine is sipped and “chewed”, thus coating the mouth, aroma seeps up to the olfactory glands, an indication of the wine’s quality. The “finish” is the persistence of this olfactory experience.
Bouquet
This is the complex blend of smells produced by fermentation, such as yeasty and flowery smells arising during aging. Smells are created by the grape sorts themselves, the yeast which may be added, and the wood from the barrels in which the wine is aged. Wine is often described with terms such as berry, lemon, roses, licorice, pepper, hay, mint or toast. The taste can be notably sweet, sour, salty or bitter.
Body
A wine’s body refers to the fullness of the wine in your mouth, round, not flat or thin. Tannins are the astringent compounds in grape skins. Legs of the wine are the streaks which run down the inside of the glass when the wine is swirled, an effect of the alcohol content. Heat indicates the percentage of alcohol. Finish describes how long the flavors last on the tongue.
Look
Look at the color and clarity of the wine, which should be free of impurities, bright and not cloudy nor dull. If wine is too old (this varies as to the type of wine, some reds can be stored for decades), oxidation darkens the wine. A young wine will show the same color as it thins along the rim. Red color which thins to a bluish or purple color may mean grapes were not very ripe when picked. If the red thins to a deep orange, the wine is well-aged and reaching its perfection. Swirl the wine in the glass to open up the “nose”. Put your nose into the glass to breathe the bouquet and aroma.
Taste
Taste the wine on your tongue. Professional wine tasters will not drink the wine but will spit it out. What a shame! Typically, a small piece of bread or cracker will be nibbled between tasting different wines to clean the palette. Color and clarity should be brilliant, clear, free of tartrate crystals, which settle on the bottom of the bottle and look like salt crystals. Red wines range from ruby to garnet shades, straw-like colors are typical for Chardonnays, Chenin Blancs, etc.