Saturday, March 5, 2011
Wine Tasting 101, A Wine Appreciation Primer
Forty Wine Library members, friends and winery hospitality staff met for the Wine Primer with Sandi Lucchesi (www.asenseofwine.com) and eagerly started at nine without coffee.
In the first session, Sandi gave everyone a chance to compare, contrast and discuss the color—why a white tablecloth is a very good thing—and the aroma of three wines and their tastes: acid, sweetness and tannin.
In the next session, the class sampled three different teas, tasting for acid, sweetness (especially mouth feel) and tannin. After a brief consideration of cool and warm climates, of crisper and citrussy contrasted with full-bodied and richer, three wines provoked shared commentary with Sandi on their characteristics of color, nose and taste.
The class next worked in four teams to correctly identify wines of eight different aromas. Each team, practicing its newly honed skills, had a chance to successfully identify a wine in a black wine glass: its color, variety, and, going for the gold, appellation. Class concluded with the challenge of memorizing the whiff of a glass of corked wine and a solid round of applause for Sandi and her enjoyable as well as memorably productive Wine Primer.