 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
In Reply to: How do you taste a [red] wine before its time? posted by NewbieBaby on August 16, 2001 at 19:59:16:
Newbie,
new wine is like a diamond, you are looking for Colour (i.e its intensity - gives a good guide to the tannin levels).
Clarity (is it well made or not?).
Cut - in this case the overall acidity of the wine - without acidity, it will not age well, but if it is acid, and has poor tannins then the acidity will not ever be balanced.
Carat - this is the overall weight of the wine. 'Brand new' wine fresh from the ferment will (should) have strong fruit flavours, with the heft of the tanins will produce wine that is weighty - these will 'close in' over the initial months of ageing, and the material it is aged in then takes precidence (i.e. Oak) leading to a thin woody wine on tasting. However, this period does end (with a good one) and the fruit flavors re-emerge, balanced by additional flavours produced by the ageing process itself - i.e. palate complexity.So, to purchase a reasonable/good new red wine for ageing you are looking for:
1/ It must be clear (no fermentation byproducts present)
2/ It must have a good depth and concentration of colour
3/ it must have a suitable acidity
4/ It must have a good 'strong' fruit flavour frame work.I always taste young wine with a smooth cheese (not strongly flavoured) as the lactates imitate a little of the glycerine that gives the wine body, and neutralises a portion of the acidity - giving a glimpse of how things could turn out.
For whites:-
1/ Again, colour and clarity are important
2/ good body
3/ reasonable acidity
4/ good 'flavour framework'All of this is dependant on the style of wine being made - is it appropriate?, and the overall blend.
The best way to work out how to taste them is to do exactly that - get out there and start slurping. If it tastes great young, and has the 'bones' (i.e tannins and acidity) to carry age - likely as not, it will be very good with some time.
Finally remember that 95% of the worlds wine is drunk far too young.
Spit don't swallow
Owe
Follow Ups:
Owen, thank you for your excellent advice. I think you could add looking for sugar on the rim of the glass when you swirl the wine around as a preliminary to tasting. I never manage to keep to the bit about "spit, don't swallow" but you may do it as a profession or have greater will-power!My only experience of this is the "Great Australian Bottling Party" - I would imagine the same holds good for Cal residents. In Oz you can buy young wines in bulk, usually 44 gallon drums. This is like buying hay on the field. You save lots of money if you can handle the hassle and have the proper facilities. With hay you need a trailer, muscles, a barn, etc with wine you need bottles, corks (or equivalent), a bottling contraption, a sink, lots of friends, a bath/shower (both preferably) and a cellar. A few spare beds is a useful addition and the means of coping with copious supplies of vomit is a necessity...
First you bottle until you run out of bottles - then you drink the other 30 odd gallons. You find you have an orgy on your hands - so enjoy it. A few days later you have cleaned up, your headache has gradually dissapated, you have found the last pair of panties discarded in the most unlikely place, kicked your oldest friend from Uni out with or without his latest girlfriend/s and you look at all these bottles in the cellar and think "I won't touch them for 5 years". So you arrange them, date stamp them and work out that you should turn them a quarter turn every month and try one every 3 months. What really happens is that you find after you try the first one that you open one every time you don't want to open a special wine and you need a "vin (very) ordinaire". You make comments like "good thing this didn't cost much" and "Oh well the party was fun". After 2 years you find the wine is turning into a really good red but you only have 5 or 6 bottles left. That's life. Happens every time!
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
