Murphy’s Law. Heading out the door on my way to Boston and back for a 36 hour road trip and a half-hour post just got eaten by the Internet. It really was a stunner.
It’s almost a shame to begin to talk about the basics of tasting wine with the look. It’s not that it’s not important – it’s just that it can be so subtle and the toughest place to start. We’ll help you with that!
Before we begin though, let’s start with the Golden Rule of tasting:
- Wine is what you perceive it to be. There are no true rights and wrongs and most of us will never know a more formal rule than this. Most experts are very open with this; at least the ones I choose to believe.
This is about fun – be confident and enjoy!
For many years there was a perception that certain colours were ‘better’ than others – particularly in different types of grapes. This has been challenged in recent years as many wine regions and countries allow vintners (wine makers) to add colour to their product without listing it on their label. This removes much of any argument that a ‘better’ colour equals a ‘better’ taste.
Wine ranges in colour for many natural reasons as well, including:
- It’s age (typically older wines are darker)
- The type of grape used
- How it was aged (i.e. wine aged in oak is also often darker)
- How much ice you put in it (this was a joke)
Typical colours of white wine range (from lightest to dark) as:
- Pale (or Pale yellow-green)
- Straw (Straw yellow is also used)
- Yellow-Gold (light gold)
- Gold
- Old Gold (dark gold)
- Yellow-Brown
- Maderized (which is the result of oxidation typically used in a Spanish fortified wine named Maderia); not a term I’ve heard many say and you’re free to use your own description of course.
- Brown
Red wine does not go from bright to dark – instead it goes from purple to bright red and then to dark, such as:
- Purple
- Ruby
- Red
- Dark Red (Brick Red)
- Red-Brown
- Brown
Most of us still can’t see the colour though. Here’s a few tips that will make the colour more apparent:
- The more wine that’s in a glass, the darker it will look (think of the depths of the ocean). Pour a little at start to see its colour and note the difference as you add more to a glass. A large glass also helps for this purpose (i.e. the wine will be further spread out and easier to see)
- Tilt your glass to the side (this can be done very subtly). You will see a prism of colour – from the outsides with little wine being lighter than the darkest core of the glass.
- Hold your glass near a natural light source (be cautious of most indoor lights which are fairly yellow).
- Imagine a chef serving a fine meal on a plaid plate.. The natural beauty of their plate would be obscured by the background. As most wine glasses are clear you run the risk of whatever is behind the glass having the same effect. Hold your glass in front of a white tablecloth or sheet of paper. My favourite trick is agreeing to wear white to a wine event with a partner so we can subtly do the same trick.
This last tip is ridiculous, probably not relevant and absolutely untested but it is something I am going to start to do because I want to (and I thought I’d share at the risk of being shamed ):
- Keep a wine journal (not so ridiculous). “Paint” a swatch of your wine (this will mostly apply to reds) in the journal. Oxydization will change its colour over time and it feels a bit like scrap booking but could be a fun exercise.
Those tips should help you better ‘see’ the colour – but how do you learn one from another? My chosen profession specializes in educating adults – and this is where I can help out with some level of expertise.
As adults we learn the fastest by comparison and contrast. Learning colours one-at-a-time is a very difficult way to learn. It requires you to compare the look of a glass in front of you to the memory of one from the week before – a very difficult task indeed.
Here’s some homework that will absolutely increase your ability to recognize and learn about the colours of wine:
- At your next dinner party or social occasion that you plan to open two bottles or more, set extra glasses aside. Save a bit of each bottle and pour it into a sample glass and keep the empty bottle and glass to the side. As you go through the night, repeat the process and compare the glasses. Use the cheat sheet above of different wine colours to draw your own conclusions.
- Consider buying 2 or more small bottles so you can contrast even more samples (you will need a minimum of 2 bottles but don’t go past 5 or 6; two much comparison get’s very difficult to process and most of us can’t compare more than 5-7 things at a single time).
- Buy multiple bottles from a single producer and compare their different types of wine. Sometimes you can find blends as well and buy 3 bottles – 1 of each grape on it’s own and then a bottle that is a blend of two (this will not be possible at all or even most vintners).
- Buy multiple bottles of the same type of grape from a single region and compare the differences in colour.
- Buy multiple bottles of the same type of grape from multiple regions and compare the differences in colour.
- Many of us store leftover portions in our fridge – consider opening two bottles and storing 2 remainders (if you plan to consume in short order).
- Go to tasting events where multiple glasses can be tasted at the same time – this is an essential experience at most vineyards.
- My least favourite: buy an “expert” book, judge the wine for yourself BEFORE reading (you will be influenced if you do it after. This may help boost your confidence – or could erode it. It’s not evil, it’s just that your perception is as correct as theirs.
I hope some of these tips have been useful – would love to hear any from out there and would adore hearing if anyone tries these and has success (or struggle).
Come back tomorrow for a largely neglected element of tasting – the smell.
