help..oenophiles

[Laura PourMeADrink]

going to a private vineyard in Napa for a wine tasting
with the owner. I would put us at somewhere on the
very lower end of intermediate wine connoisseurs.

What do we say? What do we ask?

[Orrex]

1. Self delete

I totally thought that this thread was going to be about something else.

[chrisa]

8. You sure have a lot of grapes!

:toast:

[6000eliot]

2. Be yourself.

Screw the wine snobs. They are douches.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. Last time I tried that...The winemaster said, "what you taste is

up to you. Everyone is different, with different palates."

I said, "I taste bacon."

He screamed, "No one has EVER said wine tastes like bacon."

[6000eliot]

6. Say , "Well I DO, so tough cookies!"

[EOTE]

9. If I could find wine that tasted like bacon, I'd be wasted 24/7.

It's about time someone went to work on creating drinkable bacon.

[OriginalGeek]

17. Ask and ye shall receive

http://www.moerbacon.com/2009/05/bacon-beer-rauchbier.html




"Beer. Bacon. Beer. Bacon.
Rauchbier is a beer that tastes like bacon. Yes, bacon (doesn't actually have bacon in it). See how it is made.

"Even if the brew tastes somewhat strange at the first swallow, do not stop, because soon you will realize that your thirst will not decrease and your pleasure will visibly increase."

That being said, this is a smoked beer and while it slides into your mouth it tastes quite a bit like bacon. Hooray for life."

[EOTE]

18. Have you had this?

I was actually thinking that if a bacon flavored beverage were to be made, it would need to be carbonated. I only drink beer occasionally, but that sounds pretty damned tasty.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

21. thanks EOTE...the 5 keys

just found a great article: "How to act like you know what you are doing"

The Five Keys

Swirl intensely, Sniff intensely
Don’t say that the wine is sweet
Use the words Tannin, Acidity, and Finish
Describe the wine using comparisons
Pick out a unique wine

[EOTE]

25. You can't say a wine is sweet?

What word should you use in its place? I tend to only like drier wines. I've had some Muscatels that I can only describe as sickeningly sweet. If I couldn't use sweet as an adjective, I'd probably have to keep my mouth shut.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

26. lol. I hate sweet too. They suggest "fruity" instead nt

[EOTE]

29. Odd. I've had a number of dry reds that I'd consider fruity.

And fruity is the last thing I think of when describing a Muscatel. I guess I've been using the word incorrectly. From now on I vow to spend more time drinking and enjoying wine and less time describing it. :)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. here's the excerpt on sweet

Do not say that the wine is sweet. 95% of the time, you will be wrong as the vast majority of popular wines are actually dry, and contain very little sugar – they just taste sweet because your brain associates fruity flavors with sweetness. Do not trust your foolish brain. Instead, it is perfectly acceptable to say that the wine is fruity.

[OriginalGeek]

31. I haven't found any yet but when I do

Imma drank it.

[Xithras]

13. LOL!

Bacon? What winery was that? I love wine. I love bacon. I have to try some bacon flavored wine :)

[petronius]

4. You say "Did I TELL you to stop pouring?!"

:)

Seriously, I wouldn't try to put on an act - just say what you like, what you don't, and why - in your normal speaking grammar. As for questions, I'm always most interested in the process of how the wine was made, how the grapes were grown, soil, climate, irrigation - there's an awful lot going on behind the scenes, and they love to talk about it...

[Laura PourMeADrink]

20. great advice. i must have an unusual nose and palate because I

never ever taste or smell what they say when leading a tasting.

I am definitely interested in knowing why cabs are so great coming out of the Napa Valley.

[dimbear]

5. Ask "do you have a case discount?"

Favorite question, probably.

[Xithras]

16. Right behind: "If I join your wine club for a discount today, when can I quit?"

:)

[NV Whino]

7. Ask anything

Trust me, we've heard them all. And don't be afraid to use the spit bucket.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

10. Is the bucket just for spitting?

Or can you pour a glass of wine into it, with a distasteful scowl, just to pretend to know it's bad.

Me, if I can't appreciate a wine, the second bota usually tastes better.



:hi:

[NV Whino]

24. Absolutely!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. hell ya. In Santa Ynez, we went on the same winery path as they did in Sideways

the beginning of the day - it all tasted like shit...toward the end it was like
so divine we even bought some. It was the first time I actually dumped a
bottle of wine in the drain.

[EOTE]

11. Ask them what they've got in terms of boxed wine.

All true oenophiles buy their wine in a box. If you ask for wine in a bottle, they'll think you're totally gauche.

[MilesColtrane]

12. Ask them if they have a beige '06 you can try.

[mulsh]

14. Ask any question you have to ask. Relax & have a good time.

if you feel comfortable let the owner know you're a neophyte and eager to learn about their wine and wine making in general.

Wine snobs are a real pain in the ass. people with a genuine interest in wine are always learning new things. Wine snobs are mostly interested in telling other people how little they actually know about the subject.

[Xithras]

15. Just know your terminology.

Generally, I agree with the "just be yourself" sentiment. I've seen leather-clad bikers wine tasting, and nobody looked down on them.

My only caveat to that statement is that you SHOULD know your terminology, especially if you're doing a private tasting. If you don't know the difference between a wines brix and it's body, it's time to bone up on your terminology.

A couple of pages I found on Google...and there are a million more on the subject out there:

http://www.eccodomani.com/wine-education/how-to-taste-wine/index.asp

http://www.eccodomani.com/wine-education/wine-terms-and-wine-lingo/index.asp

[Laura PourMeADrink]

19. thanks! will study up on the proper terminology. I appreciate you

providing these links.

[Xithras]

23. Not a problem.

I had an opportunity to do a private barrel tasting at a local small family winery recently, and it was a lot of fun. It was a bit less-so for my wife, who didn't understand some of the terminology and got a bit lost when the winemaker started talking about some of the technical aspects of winemaking. It's not something you get a lot of when wine tasting, but is almost a given when you're talking directly to the wine maker. My wife has since learned the lingo, so she'll be better prepared next time :)

Have fun!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. Take a huge gulp, wipe your mouth with the back of your hand,

belch slightly, and say, "Damn! This shit is even better than Ripple!"

[Laura PourMeADrink]

27. roflmao.....do they still make Ripple? cut my teeth on that in high school...nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

36. I still have a bottle of the stuff. I won it as a joke prize in April of 1981.

I can't imagine what 30-year-old Ripple tastes like, and I'm not going to open the bottle to find out.

:puke:

I think they stopped making it quite awhile ago, so I suppose my bottle is a collectors' item.

[nolabear]

30. Remember bouquet, mouth feel, finish.

Swirl he wine a little to "open" it. Oxygen develops the taste. Stick your nose WAY into the bowl and inhale. Be honest about what you smell. Wines--good wines--can smell like berries, citrus, perfume (white) chocolate, oak, tobacco, even leather (reds) and all kinds of things that would surprise you. That's the "nose" btw.

Then take a sip, inhale a little with your mouth while the wine is in there, hold it a sec, and swallow. The mouth feel is how creamy or sharp or astringent it feels, what it makes your taste buds and salivary glands do. Comment on that; you won't sound silly; you'll sound curious and that's a good thing.

The finish is how your mouth feels afterward. The tannens in the wine will leave varying amounts of the aforementioned feelings in your mouth for a while. A long finish means it stays a while.

I got a kid in the industry. (grin)

Mostly, ask questions and have fun!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

33. thanks nolabear.....BTW, are you from Nola?

think I have most of it down...guess it escapes me the difference between acidity and tannins. I take it
too much tannin is bad...means wine is too young?

[GoneOffShore]

34. If you've got time read The Accidental Connoisseur

By Lawrence Osborne. It will give you a view of the wine world, plus some good terms.

You can always ask them what they think of Robert Parker, the wine writer, who's had an undeniable impact on winemaking styles. Be prepared to duck.

[rockne]

35. Steal Shamelessly

Some great suggestions. Going to Seneca Lake wine trail in a few weeks, do you have any suggested must see wineries or wines?