CONCLUSION
Just try to name the grape variety and area of
origin, and give some indication of the age and quality of the wine. Wise
tasters will not risk their credibility by having a stab at anything more specific,
such as the producer or vineyard, unless he or she is 100 percent sure. In the
Master of Wine examination, marks are given for correct rationale, even if the
conclusion that is drawn is wrong, while it has been known for a candidate to
name the wine in precise detail but, because of defective reasoning, to receive
no score at all. Wine tasting is not a matter of guessing. It is about
deduction, and getting it wrong should be encouraged because that is the only
way to learn.
Sight
This
Distinctive Yellow-Gold Color
Retains
Its Intensity To The Rim.
Various
Possibilities: A Sweet Wine,
A
Full-Bodied Dry Wine, A Mature
Wine,
Or Something Obscure Like
Retsina.
If None Of These, It Could
Be
A Gewürztraminer.
Smell
Gewürztraminer!
Full, Rich, And
Spicy,
The Aroma Hits You Between
The
Eyes And The First Instinct Is To
Think
Of Alsace. Usually You Will
Be
Right, But Bear In Mind The
Possibility
Of A Top Grower In The
Rheinpfalz
Or Austria. If The Aroma
Were
Muted, It Might Be Italian; If
Exotic,
Californian Or Australian.
This,
However, Seems To Be A Classic
Example
Of A Ripe Alsace Vintage Of
Perhaps
4 Years Of Age.
Taste
A
Rich-Flavored Wine; Full, Fat, And
Fruity
With Well-Developed Spice And
A
Soft, Succulent Finish. Evidently
Made
From Very Ripe Grapes.
Conclusion
Grape
Variety Gewürztraminer
Region
Alsace
Age
About 4 To 5 Years Old
Comment
Very Good Quality
|
Sight
Stunning
Color, More Distinctive Even
Than
The Gewürztraminer, The Old
Gold
Immediately Suggests A
Full,
Rich, And Probably Very Sweet
Wine.
Sauternes Springs To Mind,
But
Austria, Or Even An Oddity From
Australia
Are Also Possible.
Smell
This
Has The Amazingly Full, Rich, And
Opulent
Nose Of A Botrytized Wine.
Anyone
Who Dislikes Sweet Wine
Should
Smell A Wine Like This Before
Giving
Up On It Altogether. A Touch
Of
Creamy-Spicy Oak Rules Out
Austria
And Its Maturity, Probably
Between
10 And 15 Years, Probably
Disposes
Of Australia.
Taste
Everything
Is Here From Peaches,
Pineapple,
And Cream To The
Honeyed
Aromatics Of A Fairly Mature
Wine.
Only A Classic Sauternes Can
Have
Such Intense Flavors, Yet
Possess
Such Great Finesse.
Conclusion
Grape
Variety Mostly Sémillon
Region
Sauternes
Age
About 15 Years Old
Comment
Premier Cru, Great Vintage
|
Sight
The
Orange-Pink Of This Wine Almost
Certainly
Pins It To Provence Or
Tavel,
Although, If The Orange Hue
Is
Not Indicative Of The Style And
Vinification
Of The Wine, It Could
Be
Almost Any Over-The-Hill Rosé.
Smell
Put
The Dunce’s Hat On And Stand
In
The Corner! The High-Toned Pinot
Noir
Aroma Dismisses The Firm
Conviction
Of A Tavel Or Provence
Rosé.
But What Is It? It Is Not
Oxidized,
So It Cannot Be An
Otherwise
Obvious Wine That Has
Gone
Over. Is The Orange Hue A Clue
To
Its Origin? More Information Is
Needed;
Must Taste The Wine.
Taste
Definitely
Burgundian, But With
A
Very Distinctive, Piquant Pinot
Noir
Taste. At Its Peak Now, But
Certainly
Not On The Way Down. By
Eliminating
What It Cannot Be, Only
Rosé
De Marsannay Fits The Bill.
Conclusion
Grape
Variety Pinot Noir
Region
Burgundy
Age
4 To 5 Years Old
Comment
Medium Quality
|
Sight
This
Sparkling Wine Has An
Attractive,
Lively, Lemon-Yellow Color.
Not
Young, But Not Old, Its Mousse
Is
Evident, But Its Power And Size Of
Bubble
Cannot Be Assessed Without
Tasting
It. Its Star-Bright Limpidity Just
Makes
It Look Like A Fine Wine.
Smell
Its
Quality Is Immediately Evident,
With
The Autolytic Characteristics Of
A
Wine With Several Years On Its First
Cork
(In Contact With Its Lees Prior
To
Disgorgement), Which Eliminates
Every
Possibility Other Than A Fine
Champagne.
It Has The Zippy Tang
Of
Ripe Chardonnay Grapes. This
Must
Be A Champagne Blanc De
Blancs
With A High Proportion Of
Wine
From The Côte Des Blancs.
Taste
A
Gently Persistent Mousse Of Ultrafine
Bubbles.
The Fresh, Lively Flavor
Has
A Long Finish But Needs Five
Years
More To Reach Perfection.
Conclusion
Grape
Variety Chardonnay
Region
Champagne
Age
About 5 Years Old
Comment
Top Quality
|