Good Morning!

Last night a friend said they had never been to a wine tasting, a real wine tasting. The kind of wine tasting where there are buckets and lots of different wines. I ask, why not? They responded, it is too confusing and I just don’t know what to do. I said “well, it is kinda like your first french kiss”, you have no idea what to do, but you want to try it, you know each one is going to be different, some will be WAY better and some will be LAME.

He and I laughed for a bit. But then I thought how sad, here is a great guy who wants to experience wine tasting but he is intimidated, so I thought I would pass on what I have learned.

There are several kinds of tastings, like at a friends house, everyone brings a bottle, sometimes they leave the bottles in a bag and you then “blind” taste. Which can be great fun without the pretentiousness. There are tastings where you might taste all the same grape variety but from different winemakers, that is called a vertical tasting (Think of ZAP the Zinfandel event held every year in January at Fort Mason in San Francisco, only Zinfandel is tasted). There are regional based tastings, everyone brings a bottle of a wine from Finger Lakes area producers.

Then there are the tastings my friend was talking about. The kind with 100’s and 1000’s of different wines from all over the world and even local producers. These wine tastings are excellent, but you have to have a strategic plan or you will have a numb mouth, you will be hammered and at some point you will buy wine from a great salesman and weeks later when you open a bottle, you might question if you really like it….I am speaking from experience.

One of my favorite large scale wine tasting events happens every May in Indianapolis, IN called the Wine Cornicopia. It is a massive fundraiser and the tickets where about $65-150 bucks. The higher priced ticket gets you in the VIP tasting areas where you will sample some high end wines like Quintessa and Opus One. Like I said it is a fundraiser so it is not filled with total wine geeks but since it is pricey you will not get the walk in folks who are just looking for some free hooch. (Like you might if there was a wine tasting at the liquor store on Saturday afternoon).

OK, so you buy your ticket and you are waiting for the doors to open, here is what you will want to remember. They will give you a glass, it will be etched with the event logo on it, or normally is. Then they will give you a list of the wineries and where they will be located.

Things to remember each table will have several wines ranging from dry to sweet and sometimes some sparklings or ports too. I scan my list to see if there are some winemakers I have wanted to try first. I make a straight line to his table right outta the gate. I am not a “sweet” wine drinker…but remember my number 1 rule, TRUST YOUR PALETTE! So I start with wines I have wanted to try first. You hold your glass out and the host will ask which wine you want to try, if you know what you want, ask for it, if you are not sure all you have to do is say, I have heard about our wines, and I really would like to try something….then you name what you like, red, dry, light, sweet…the folks on the other side of the table will pass no judgment, they do not care what you try, they will answer any question, they knows these wines inside out.

If you wanted to ask questions, like is this wine 100% Chardonnay or is it a blend? If you ask, was this wine fermented in barrels or in stainless steel? They will know all about it. They have 3 goals for the night, introduce you to their wines, get you to try them (so they do not have to carry them back out of the exhibit hall) and of course maybe not that night but at some point in the future they want to sell you some of their wine.

So you had a sip of the first wine, if was ok, but now it is time for the second wine. DO NOT CHUG THE LAST OF THE FIRST WINE. Rookie mistake and you will only last about an hour before you need a cab. You dump the remaining wine in the bucket, if you plan on sampling for hours you pick up the bucket or lean over and spit out what is in your mouth. It is not rude, it is not crazy, it is what you do to not be rocked with a major buzz in 30-45 mins.

I swallow, I like the check out the finish, but I only sample what I want to, the folks at the table will want to pour you everything they have and some of these tables will have 4-10 wines for you to try. The amount you are consuming will surprise you by the end of the night. Next you say, well some of the old wine is still in the glass and they want to pour the next wine. You will want to rinse, they will have water on the table, most folks will pour a little water in the glass and then swish it around and dump it in the bucket. But the real wine pro does this….when you are ready for the next pour have them pour just a little of the new wine into the glass, swish and swirl it around and then dump it and then have them pour your sample. This is done to clear the old wine and all of it’s aromas and prepares the glass for the new wine. Either way is perfect!

Next is trying to remember what makes each wine so great. They will give you a pad with the winemakers and wines on it, or each winemaker will have a paper about the wines, take notes. At first your notes will be ridiculous when you read them the next day and say something like, that was good. I like it…whatever, but as you start to develop your palette, you will find yourself making connections like, this would be great with grilled steak or it has a big nose and long finish. (Lots of aromas and the flavor stays with me long after I swallow).

Remember there will be plenty of water around and lots of food at most all these events. Eat up and drink up, your mouth and nose will get fatigued. It happens today I can last about 40-60 tastes and then I know I am done or done for at least a couple of hours. I hope to get up to 100 in the future, but I am not trying to be a professional judge and I am learning right along with you so I will go as long as I can and then I just find the wine I liked the best and most times the winemaker/producer will pour me a glass and I will then walk around and chat with everyone.

If you want to purchase wine, you can order it there, sometimes they will even have it available to take right then, some times they send it to you, just ask. There are normally some nice discounts at the event if you buy then. There are just a couple of things to remember, try many wines, ask questions, you really can’t screw up, you are drinking wine what could be more fun?

I forgot, what happens if they serve you a wine you hate….you pour the rest of it out and just say, that is not really my style of wine. No reason to drink something and be afraid of what anyone thinks of you….it’s your palette!

TIP…ladies, it is really hard to carry a purse and juggle a wine glass and plate and take notes…figure out a way around carrying a handbag if you can, I don’t care how cute it is!

Have a great weekend everyone, stay warm and safe and red wine will cure cabin fever!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Tasting at the CIA in Napa, CA, Merry Edwards Pinot Noirs