food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington

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Chapter 5 The Impact of Sweetness and Acidity Levels in Wine and Food
This exercise is designed to establish
baseline measures of sweetness levels in
wines ranging from bone dry to very
sweet. The table below provides examples
for white wines and red wines.
Eighty-five percent of all red wines fall
into the dry category. Thus, it may be easier
to obtain white wines with a range of
sweetness. The white wine suggestions
are those shown in the Wine Sensory Anchor
Scale (Figure B.2).
The numerical values on the Wine
Sensory Anchor Scale are intended to
provide you with a baseline to work with
as you learn to assess sweetness in wine,
but across these suggested wines, the
level of sweetness may vary depending
on the climate, the region where the
grapes were grown, and the techniques/
preferences of the winemaker (the earlier
discussions of climate zones, differences
MATERIALS NEEDED
EXERCISE 5.1
RANKING SWEETNESS LEVELS IN WINE
between Old World and New World, and
traditions is applicable here). For example,
while the Wine Sensory Anchor Scale
indicates that Chardonnay will have a numerical
value of about 2 on the dryness
scale, it could range from somewhere between
1 to 3. The same is true for the
other wine suggestions. Also, your perception
of sweetness will vary depending
on the wine selection, temperature at
which it is assessed, your individual abilities
in assessing residual sugar, and
other interacting elements such as alcohol
level, glycerin content, and acidity
level.
OBJECTIVE
The primary objectives are to identify differences
in sweetness levels in white and
red wines and to establish a numerical
Table 5.5 Materials Needed for Exercise 5.1
1 white paper placemat per student with
numbered circles to place wineglasses (Figures
2.4a, 2.4b)
1 spit cup per student Napkins
baseline for reliable future assessment.
This exercise also provides experience in
wine evaluation as a whole and evaluation
of sweetness in particular.
Mise en Place: Things to Do Before
the Exercise Prior to evaluation,
become familiar with the numerical examples
shown in the Wine Sensory Anchor
Scale (Figure B.2). Keep this scale
and an aroma wheel at your side as a reference
during the evaluation process.
While this exercise focuses on sweetness,
don’t miss this opportunity to do an
informal evaluation of the other elements
in each wine sample.
Crackers to cleanse the palate
Corkscrew Drinking water for each student
1 copy of the Aroma Wheel per student 6 (or 12 if both whites and red wines are used)
wineglasses per student
Tasting instruction sheets for each student 1 (or 2) blank tasting form: wine sweetness only
Description White Wine Suggestions
Bone dry (numerical 0–1) Sparking wine (brut) Barolo
Red Wine Suggestions
(optional)
Dry (numerical 2–3) Chardonnay Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium-dry (numerical 3–4) Gewürztraminer Shiraz
Medium-sweet (numerical 5–6) White Zinfandel Late-harvest Zinfandel
Sweet (numerical 7–8) Sauternes Cabernet Franc ice wine
Very sweet (numerical 9–10) Cream Sherry Port