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

Merlot (Number 5)
Exercise 2.2 39
● Sight. Visually inspect the wine. What is the color and clarity? Tilt the glass against the white placemat. The deeper color
indicates a fuller-bodied wine than the previous examples. What else does the darker color indicate?
● Swirl and smell. Inspect the viscosity and smell the aroma. What aromas can you identify? Close your eyes and smell the
sample; write down any descriptive associations. Notice the aroma is more intense than the Pinot Noir’s—an indication of a
fuller-style wine.
● Sip and spit/swallow. What stands out as dominant elements in this wine? Taste and feel the difference in body. Do you notice
a more puckery sensation? How would you describe its intensity? The Merlot is obviously richer and heavier than the Pinot
Noir.
● Savor. How intense is the wine? How long is its finish? Does it have any spicy characteristics?
Make notes about your observations. Pay particular attention to a lack of acidity, tannins, alcohol level, body, flavor
intensity, finish, and dominant flavors.
Cabernet Sauvignon (Number 6)
● Sight. Visually inspect the wine. What is the color and clarity? Is it darker than the previous wines? Some Cabernet is almost
inky in color. Cabernet is naturally dark and full-bodied.
● Swirl and smell. Inspect the viscosity and smell the aroma. What aromas can you identify? Close your eyes and smell the
sample; write down any descriptive associations. Is it stronger and more intense than you expected?
● Sip and spit/swallow. What stands out as dominant elements in this wine? Taste and feel the difference in body. Is the
puckery sensation greater than that of the Merlot?
● Savor. How would you describe its intensity?
Record your observations of its intensity and lingering effect on your mouth.
RANKING THE MAJOR VARIETALS
Once you have evaluated the six wines, go back and rank-order them in terms of components, texture, and flavors.
1. Dry to sweet. Rank the wines from driest to sweetest. This is not always as straightforward as it might seem. The interaction of
acidity and residual sugar can balance and lessen our initial impression of sweetness. Recall the palate mapping exercise. Where
did you identify the sweet sensation on your tongue? Alcohol can also be perceived as sweetness on the tip of the tongue.
Evaluate the warm sensation to sort out residual sugar from alcohol.
Driest 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. Sweetest
2. Acidity (crispness). Rank the wines from least tart to most tart (acidic). Be sure to try to separate acidity from bitterness and
astringency. Here again recall the location of acidity, bitterness, and astringency sensation from the palate-mapping exercise.
Least tart 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. Most tart
3. Tannin. Rank the wines from no tannin to high tannin. Focus on the puckery sensation throughout your mouth. Can you determine
differing levels of astringency in these wine samples?
No tannin 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. Highest tannin
4. Body. Rank the wines from lightest body to heaviest body. Inspect the viscosity and color for clues. How heavy does the body
feel in your mouth? Think of dairy products—is the mouthfeel similar to skim milk, 2 percent milk, whole milk, half and half, or
heavy cream?
Lightest body 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. Heaviest body
5. Flavor intensity. Rank the wines from least intense to most intense flavor. Would you describe the flavor intensity as having no
flavor, having weak flavor, moderate intensity, intense, or powerful?
Weakest flavor 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. Most intense
6. Flavor persistence. Rank the wines for length of finish from least persistent to most persistent flavor. After swallowing or spitting
out each wine sample, see how long you can identify the dominant flavor(s) in your mouth: 3 seconds or less, 4–6 seconds, 7–
9 seconds, 10–12 seconds, or 13 seconds or more.
Least persistent 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. Most persistent