I approximately tasted between 3600 and 4500(+) wines a year, which represents about 9-12 wines a day, without necessarily always counting or writing about the ones that I drank during lunches or dinners with family and/or friends. Sometimes even more when traveling in France and Spain (and elsewhere) to taste multiple wines at the barrel in the Chateaux and wineries’ cellars and during many special tastings where sometimes the amount of wines exceeded 300 different labels. But it is not much compared to professional critics who can taste easily up to 10,000+ wines a year, which represent more than 27 wines a day.
You may wonder how critics and wine buyers like me can taste so many wines and spirits in a year without being alcoholic or drunk pretty much everyday? Well, it is easy, when tasting wine and spirits, the secret is that you have to spit, and you have to be diligent at it.
The high numbers are easier to access than you may think. A few weeks ago, I went to a few portfolio tastings over a period of 2-3 days (Weygandt Selections, David Bowler Wine, etc..). Each portfolio tasting had about 14-18 tables showcasing between 8 to 12 wines, which represent between 112 and 216 wines depending on the number of different wines, labels and brands per table. But I also went to a much bigger tasting (Martin Scott Wines) held at the Lincoln center, where they had more than 75 tables… I let you imagine the amount of wine tasted there.
Me (LeDom du Vin aka Dominique Noël at Lincoln Center, New York, Martin Scott tasting)After spiting, the other secret is to possess discriminating tasting attributes, nose and palate, which will hallow you to quickly dissect each tasted wine in a matter of seconds rather than minutes. For some people, the olfactory sensation, better known as the scents and aromas perceived by the olfactory receptors in the nose, represents about 50-60% of the quality of the wine and the rest is dictated by the taste buds.
In my opinion, the nose only represents 25% and the remaining 75% constitute the gustatory sensation, better known as the sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus during its short journey through the palate. In clear the most important and usually most memorable part. Because, even if you and I could spend hours conversing about the bouquet of certain intriguing and/or very expressive wines on the nose, at the end of the day, you don’t only smell wine, you drink it!
The palate is mostly everything to me, and the more accurate and sharp your palate is, the better to precisely assess the quality of a wine. As a consumer, you may make mistake and be disappointed when drinking a wine not to your liking. As a wine buyer, this is my job to make sure that I completely understand and comprehend a wide array of wines ranging from the lightest, more acidic, bright and crisp wines to the heaviest, bold, powerful and opulent ones.
Tasting is everything and it is the only way you will educate and sharpen your palate and learn about what you like and how you like it. Reading is the second best way to complement and increase your knowledge. Despite the fact that “The World Atlas of Wine” by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, and the “Oxford Companion of Wine” by Jancis Robinson, remain in my opinion the most comprehensible and authoritative wine bibles in the market, (both that I profoundly respect and that I met quite a few times in tastings on both sides of the Atlantic ocean but also as customers when I was a Sommelier in London), ...there are plenty of other great authors out there.
In the wine world, it is impossible to generalize, as it is impossible to be specific about certain colors, aromas and flavors, because it all comes down to personal perception and interpretation. Each of us has his or her own way to interpret the different olfactory and gustatory sensations transmitted to our brain. For example, where most of us will distinctly smell cherry fruit aromas in a red wine, some of us may say that it smells like red cherry, while other will say ripe dark cherry, as other may even say raspberry or blackberry. But only the most educated nose and palate will really make the difference.
A great way to transform your palate into a discriminating mean tasting machine is to observe, smell, taste and record in your brain all the colors, scents, aromas, tastes, sensations and flavors in everything that you can see, smell and eat. In short open your eyes, clear your nostrils and awake your taste buds, and remain open minded to everything all the time.
Do not say, I do not like that type of grape or region or wine, because you never know, you might be agreeably surprised by something you previously thought was not to your taste. As I said previously, do not generalize or be too specific, just go with your feelings and sensations and try not to be influenced by the price, the region of origin, the winery and more especially the ratings.
More than anything about it, don't be snob! Wine is a noble yet humble agricultural product usually crafted by hearty and earthy, down-to-earth people who spend most of their time in contact with Mother Nature to extract the best from the soil and the vines. And every-year, winemakers have only one shot to succeed producing the best wines they can. Nothing snob about it. They are magicians that allow us to drink the fruit of their labor which will become a moment of sharing and happiness once in our glasses drinking with family and/or friends.
Here is my simple yet undeniably useful tasting technique that consists of looking, smelling and tasting and recording in your brain all the colors, scents, aromas, tastes, sensations and flavors in everything that you can see, smell and eat, everywhere you go (note how important this sentence is; it is the 3rd time that I use it in this post).
As much as I can, diligently, I try to do it with my 4 years old kid, like my grandfather did it with me. It is fun and interesting, and may even surprise you. Where ever you are: in town or in the countryside, at the local green-market or at the supermarket, or visiting a local farm or a winery, just take the time to observe, smell, taste and record in your brain all the colors, scents, aromas, tastes, sensations and flavors in everything that you can see, smell and eat.
Observe and learn how to recognize plants, fruits, herbs, vegetables and meats: their color, their smell and more especially their taste. Record their distinctive smell and taste, and slowly learn how to recognize them in wine (spirits and other beverages). Mother Nature is a natural display of color, smell and taste at your disposal everyday and pretty much everywhere. And wine color, smell and taste are greatly influenced by the type of soil but more especially by the immediate nature that surrounds the vines from which the wine was made from.
When you look, smell and taste something, even meat, just take your time to appreciate it and define the sensations and impressions that it procures you. Your vocabulary will be enhanced by your knowledge and your aptitude to recognize the smell and taste that you previously record. Do not doubt yourself, your first guess is surely the best, because it is the first image triggered by your mind. At first, you may only smell apple or citrus in a white wine, but if you concentrate a little you might find other nuances and aromas complementing your first impression.
Do not feel that other may know better, because you have a different impression. It is just a question of personal interpretation and your palate will always differ from someone else. Moreover, your taste buds (or gustatory papillae) detect predominantly the four major tastes: Acidity, Sour, Sugar and Salt; but it is the harmony and balance and complementarity of each element and the final overall sensation (from the attack to the finish) of the wine that is important. Yet here again, each of us will have his or her personal experiences and points of view, but some patterns of smell and taste may be similar because more distinct, even to two different palates.
Of course, after century of debates and innumerable tastings, wine vocabulary now follows certain worldly recognized patterns, which have been divided in a few specific categories by various persons within the 20th century. Imitating Mother Nature most precious gifts (color, smell and taste), the two most notorious accessories manly created, that you can also use at home, (but definitely not better than real fruits, vegetables, herbs and meats), are:
- Le Nez du Vin - The definitive world renowned olfactory wine essence kit. Kit choices feature the common essences or smells of the great wine growing regions of the world. Developed by world-renowned French wine expert, Jean Lenoir, each kit contains small vials of essences, which replicate the complex array of aromas and esters found in wine. Each kit consists of a number of different aromas (ex. clove, cassis, cherry, etc.), a small booklet giving a scientific presentation of recent research and descriptors of each wine aroma. This is a great aid for both the novice and professional enthusiast!
- Ann C. Noble aroma wheel - The Aroma Wheel provides a visual graphic of the different categories and aroma components that one can encounter in wine. Both professionals and amateur wine tasters used this standardized terminology. The wheel breaks down wine aromas into 12 basic categories and then further sub-divided into different aromas that can fall into those main categories. The aroma wheel is obviously only for aromas but can be also used for some flavors.
The following list, which is in no way exhaustive, resumes some of the most common aromas and flavors you may find in wine. It should help you refine your wine vocabulary and help you to be more specific (whenever you can). Some categories may overlap or contain similar aromas and flavors.
- Chemical – Includes aromas like sulfur, petroleum, copper, etc…
- Pungent – Aromas like alcohol, volatile acidity, vinegar, etc…
- Oxidized – Aromas like acetaldehyde, slight nuttiness, madeirisation, etc…
- Microbiological – Aromas like yeast, lactic acid, Brettanomyces, etc…
- Floral – Aromas geranium, blossom, violet, rose, linalool, etc…
- Spicy – Aromas like licorice, anise, cinnamon, cumin, etc…
- Fruity – Aromas like red and black cherry, strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, plum, prune, pomegranate, elderberries, bramble fruit, stone fruit, mango, citrus, orange, pear, apple, peach, apricot, tomato, etc…
- Vegetative – Aromas like eucalyptus, artichoke, tobacco leaf, green bell pepper, freshly mown grass, black or white pepper, mint, etc…
- Nutty – Aromas like walnut, hazelnut, chocolate, etc…
- Caramelized – Aromas like butterscotch, molasses, etc…
- Woody – Aromas often imparted by oak like vanilla, coffee, smoke, tobacco, etc…
- Earthy – Aromas such as mushroom, underbrush, forest floor, mildew, leather, tar, pencil shavings, barnyard, farm, funky, truffles, etc…
- Minerality – Minerals, wet stone, stony, flinty, siliceous, etc…
- Herbal – Thyme, Rosemary, clove, mint, etc…
Now, armed with a few more words in your wine vocabulary and the simple yet undeniably useful technique of looking, smelling and tasting and recording in your brain all the colors, scents, aromas, tastes, sensations and flavors in everything that you can see, smell and eat, everywhere you go; you are fully ready to brave the wine world, explore the shelves of your local wine boutiques and supermarkets and more importantly impress your taste buds and yourself with new sensations that will make you a more accurate taster and help you define what you like best in the wines you enjoy drinking.
Have a good tasting, Enjoy!
LeDom du Vin
Remember also that if you are looking for a very specific wine or label or brand (spirits or any beverages), make sure to go to www.wine-searcher.com, which is in my opinion the most customer friendly website to find any wine in the world within the inventory listings of participating wine & spirits retailers across the globe. You can refine you search to New York only or anywhere else in the world. It's pretty neat.
Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.
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