Wine 101

Last night, I attended The Wine Bottega’s "Wine 101" lesson, which I mentioned in “Tales from the Tasting” (October 15).  I could not have been more pleased with this event, and I highly recommend it to anyone in the greater Boston area who wants to learn the basics of tasting and describing wine.  Held the first Thursday of every month, the two-hour lesson is only $10.  This is not a “sit down, look forward, be quiet, and raise your hand” kind of lesson; it is an informal discussion with lots of laughter.  LOTS of laughter!  

As a writer, the worst affliction possible is a loss of words.  That’s what happens to me when I sample a new wine – the only thing I can manage to articulate is whether or not I like it, along with one or two entry-level adjectives, such as “red” or “Italian” or “sparkling.”  Putting on the Captain Obvious hat is not exactly the best way to make my readers want to try what’s in my glass.   

The class began with a sampling of a few different liquids that exhibit the flavor profiles expressed in wines – acid, sugar, tannin, and alcohol.  Then, we learned several of the characteristics typically used to review and evaluate wine, such as color, viscosity, scents, and – duh – flavor.  We sampled three whites and three reds, and the wines we tasted were very diverse – from very sweet, very dry, very fresh and acidic, and very “oh my God I need to buy that!”  Kerri, the shop's owner, provided an assortment of breads, crackers, and cheeses, and encouraged us to sample while we sipped and get a feel for how certain foods bring out flavors in wine and vice versa.  Rather than telling us what we “should” smell or taste in each wine, we were encouraged to use our own senses and come up with our own terms to describe the scents and flavors we found in our glasses.  Some were typical, similar to the ones seen in wine magazines – peaches, cherries, berries – but some were quite interesting – pleasant descriptors, such as Christmas, rosemary, and leather, and some out-in-left-field ones such as mothballs, antique store, and – my favorite – “clean port-a-potty.”  The best part?  None of these answers are incorrect!  If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, wine is in the nose and tastebuds. 

As I predicted in “Tales from the Tasting,” the Italian reds are still my favorite – but now I know why!  I prefer medium- to full-bodied wines, I’m not a fan of sweet wines, and I adore tannic wines.  Turns out, tannins and fats are a perfect pairing.  No shock that I'd like something that pairs well with bacon and butter!  As for whites?  I like some of the acidic, crisp whites, but my white wine soul mates are “orange” wines, which are darker in color, more tannic, and have more body than many other whites as a result of the grape skins being left in the wine for a longer time.    

So there you have it – if I try a wine, I can now describe it, and you can decide for yourself if it’s something you’d like to pour.  I highly recommend Wine 101 (or, for those outside of Boston, something similar) for anyone who loves the vino but lacks the vocabulary to explain why they love it!