Page 51 - Thirst Magazine Issue 1 (Feb 2017)

JUDGES AND TASTERS

WELL-BALANCED WINE?

By Dr Stephen J Hall

how do they really decide? orangey rimmed light ruby of an elegant Pinot
Being blind in your tasting is literally a Noir is very different from a youthful, dark
cover up for the bias of labels. ‘Label drinkers’ opaque Shiraz with its full ‘body’ on parade.
is almost a derogatory term for some, when The swirling of the glass to let aromatics
people go only for the brand name, as if wines loose into the air prepares the taste buds.
are handbags. However each vineyard with Anyone who has had a bad cold or flu knows
its own climate, history and site differences how a blocked nose affects taste buds. The
as well as the wine makers approach, can nose can therefore tell us about what we
have special qualities beyond the famous are about to taste. When nosing a wine,
names and preconceptions based on the label. there may be faults which can be detected
There have been numerous incidents such by experienced tasters, while we look for
as the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris blind intensity and the promises of fruit, floral
tasting in which a transatlantic battle of big notes and maybe spice. The aromas let loose
reds left French critics in disbelief about the by swirling tell whether there is a clean
Californian quality in the lesser known labels youthfulness or the complexity of aging where
of the New World Napa wines. This event was descriptors can really run through lots of
re-enacted 40 years later with an Oregon Pinot comparisons. The well known Wine Aroma
Noir besting the Burgundies. Judges therefore wheel lists many.
taste from the covered bottle of say Pinot Noir
and look for what makes a good quality wine
rather than being preoccupied with the name.
Wine tasting can make or break sales when
medals are given.
Commercial forces are clearly important as
points, accolades and awards are widely used
in marketing so the covered label, or blind
tasting is a necessity in diminishing a tasters’
expectations. Large scale wine tastings such as
Decanters Annual Wine Awards balance out
the sip into the unknown by grouping similar
wines with panel judges who are regional or
stylistic specialists. Tasting blind therefore
is usually a comparison of the similar, rather
than say tasting macaroons against pavlova.
Tasting is not drinking. As a wine judge,
I am often asked “Aren’t you drunk’ after the
20th wine?” It is all in the full mouth feel,
tasting and the all-important spitting after
each wine. Few know just how much water is
consumed at wine tasting events, rinsing and
clearing the palate. We will first assess the
wine’s colour as this will give an indication of The Wine Wheel is a tool that provides terms used to
age, the condition, ripeness and varietal. The describe the complexity of flavours and aromas in wines.

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