My dad is a huge wine guy. He’s in wine clubs, goes on wine trips to France, hosts tastings, etc. Growing up in a household that had wine every night for dinner, I was starting to feel a little embarrassed that I didn’t know much about wine past whether I liked it or not. When I was home this past weekend I had my dad give me a lesson in wine tasting! I only like red wine, so that’s all we tasted, but I thought it would be fun to share with you what I learned! When you get a glass of wine, you will first want to observe it’s color. Is it a dark brown/red? Is any light getting through it? The color of the wine can indicate how heavy the wine will taste. Generally the darker the wine, the heavier the wine. After you have critiqued the wine’s color, you should slowly tilt the wine to one side of the glass and bring the glass back to level. This allows you to observe the “legs” of the wine (i.e. the drops of wine that run down your glass). The wine’s legs can tell you how much alcohol is in the wine. A wine with a high alcohol content will have “long legs”, meaning that the wine drops will be thick and easy to see as they roll down the side of your glass. During this step you will also be able to determine if there is any sediment in the wine. Sediment is the little pieces of stuff that can float around in wine. The older the wine, generally the more sediment you will see. This is also why you should never pour the last little bit of an old wine into a glass, because it will generally consist of mainly sediment. After you’ve accessed the wine’s legs, you should swirling the wine in the glass to allow the oxygen to mix with it. Most wine is aged for at least a few years, and the taste changes as it is exposed to oxygen. This is called letting the wine “breath” or “open up.” Next, you want to smell the wine. You will want to stick your whole nose into your glass and breathe deep. This lets you determine the wine’s “bouquet.” It will give you a hint as to how the wine will taste. Some wines smell floral and fruity, while others will literally smell like dirt. French Bordeaux’s are famous for their “dirt nose.” Now you are ready to taste!! Here are some of the things I noticed when I tasted five different types of red wines. Note that we tasted wines that were all made between 2012 and 2013 and around $20-$30 to keep things fair between bottles.
Pinot Noir – This wine is very light in color. No sediment, which means the wine isn’t very old. It smells very floral. It would be good paired with fish, pasta, and veal. Red meat or sausages would probably over-power this wine. This would be an excellent red wine to drink in the summer since it’s fairly light. Merlot – Much darker in color than the Pinot. The wine isn’t as sweet as the Pinot, it tastes more peppery and fruity. This wine would be good with red meats. You could also drink this wine as a cocktail, without food pairings.
Malbec – Similar in color to the Merlot – dark. It has a very smooth finish (meaning it doesn’t burn when it goes down). It tastes dryer than the Merlot. It would also be good drunk as a cocktail without food pairings.
Cabernet Sauvignon – This wine is also dark in color, and has a fruity peppery smell. It isn’t quite as dry as the Malbec. This wine has a lot of tannins (meaning it burns a little as you swallow). As the wine ages, the tannins will “burn off” and it will become a much smoother wine. In general, you should look for Cabernet Sauvignons that have been aged more than a few years to get a smoother finish. You could pair this wine with anything, although it would be very good with aged cheddars, red meats, and lamb.
Zinfandel – Lighter in color (similar to the Pinot). It smells very sweet and fruity. It has a very mild taste. I have to say this was by far my least favorite. I didn’t finish my glass. In general, Zins are not mild or light, so this was specific to this particular bottle. Zins, more than any other grape, have the most variation between vineyards. This wine should also definitely be paired with food. It would be good with steaks, BBQ, or any heavy cheeses.