Two Tips for Improving Your Wine Palate

If you were unable to take my 'Tips for Improving Your Wine Palate' class at the Honest Weight Coop last week, here is the suggested shopping list.

The aroma of each one of these items may be found in red, rose, sparkling and/or white wines. By remembering what foods smell and taste like, we may be able to more easily pick up the smells and tastes in the wines we enjoy.

Jellies and Jams:

Apricot
Black Currant
Strawberry
Cherry
Blackberry

Fruits and Veggies:


Melon
Kiwi
Apricot
Pear
Green and Red apples
Lemon
Orange
Banana
Grapefruit (juice OK)
Pineapple (canned or frozen OK)
Strawberries (frozen OK)
Cherries (frozen OK)
Blackberries (frozen OK)
Blueberries (frozen OK)
Raspberries (frozen OK)
Bell pepper
Mushroom

Wines can also display non-food aromas, including these:

Around the House:


Leather
Tobacco
Vanilla
Clove
Cinnamon
Black and white pepper
Indian spices
Wet teabag
Melted butter
"Twizzlers"
Licorice
Dark chocolate
Butterscotch
"Juicy Fruit"
Caramels
Skittles


Take a walk and look for:


Skunk
Freshly-cut grass
Eucalyptus tree
Wet pavement and wet rocks
Fresh-cut lumber
Barnyard
Wet Dog
Freshly tilled earth
Mud

Here's a fun experiment to try with your favorite red wine. Tell me about your experiences by leaving a comment below.

Host a Wine Sleepover:

1. On Friday night, open a bottle of red wine. Pour a few ounces in
three glasses. Swirl, sniff and have a taste right after opening.
2. Enjoy the other glass an hour later.
3. Put the third glass in the fridge for 20 minutes, then taste it.
4. Leave the bottle on the counter overnight. Taste some the next
morning, then the next night.
5. Does the wine change? Do the tannins soften? Does the wine feel
different in your mouth?
6. Does it smell different at different temperatures and as it is
exposed to oxygen?



Here is a report back from two class attendees last week:

I was at your Wine and Food Pairing class last night at the Honest Weight Food Co-op. My friend Mike and I were sitting in the back. I just wanted to let you know that we really enjoyed the class.

We picked up a bottle of "7 Deadly Zins" and tried 3 glasses (1 right after opening, 1 chilled for 20 minutes, and 1 left out for an hour). The wine was very complex. It had a lot of flavors at different points in each sip. I can't say that I could really tell the difference between the 3 glasses, but I think the one that was left out might have tasted a little bit fruitier. Either way, it was still fun to sit around and try to pinpoint all the flavors we were tasting.

I think the best thing I learned from your class was that practice makes perfect, and I intend on doing a lot of practicing.


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