RSLN December Master

Page 16 December Edition Seven Lakes News
Page 12 December Edition Southern Pines Today
Whether you are a wine newbie or
an experienced taster, wine tasting
events are a fun way to learn about
what you like and don’t like. It’s the
perfect opportunity to try new wines
without having to invest in a bottle if
you don’t like it.
To help you out at our next event, my
husband Tom and I, owners of Sandhills
Winery have compiled a list of
our top dos and don’t s, so no matter
how experienced you are, you’ll feel
right at home trying great wines on
Thursday evenings..
Our tastings are usually accomplished
by offering five different wines paired
with food for only $10.00 per person!
A recent Santa Barbara Tasting Event
we offered the following five wines:
Cambria Rose
Byron Santa Maria Chardonnay
Cambria Katherines Vineyard Chardonnay
Nielson Santa Barbara Pinot Noir
Cambria Tepesquet Syrah
Paired with a Charcuterie Board of
Savory Variety of Cheeses, Fresh
Fruits, Nuts, and Assorted Meats for
your pleasure... We begin at 5:30
and the tasting ends around 9:30.
Finding out about wine is like space
travel: Once you get going, there’s no
end in sight. Fortunately for those who
choose to be educated wine drinkers,
learning about wine is a fascinating
experience, full of new flavors, new
places, and new friends.
Join Us At Sandhills Winery
For A Wine Tasting Event
At Sandhills Winery wine tastings are
popular because they override the
limitations of sampling wine alone,
at home. How many wines can you
taste on your own (unless you don’t
mind throwing away nine-tenths of every
bottle)? How many wines are you
willing to buy on your own? And how
much can you learn by tasting wine
in isolation — or with a friend whose
expertise is no greater than yours?
At wine tastings, you can learn from
your fellow tasters, as well as make
new friends who share your interest
in wine. Most importantly, you can
taste wine in the company of some individuals
who are more experienced
than you, which is a real boon in training
your palate.
If you’ve never been to a Sandhills
Winery wine tasting, be aware that
a few matters of etiquette apply at
most tastings.
Familiarizing yourself with this etiquette
will help you feel more comfortable.
Otherwise, you’re likely to
be appalled by what you see or hear.
Why are those people behaving like
that?!
Professional wine tasters long ago
discovered that if they swallow every
wine they taste, they’re far less
thoughtful tasters by the time they
reach wine four or five...
At first, naturally, some tasters are
loath to spit out wine. Not only have
they been brought up to believe that
spitting is uncouth, but they’ve also
paid good money for the opportunity
to taste the wines. Why waste them?
Well, you can drink all of your wine
at a wine tasting, if you wish — and
some people do. But we don’t advise
that you do, for the following reasons:
Evaluating the later wines will be difficult
if you swallow the earlier ones.
Swallowing isn’t really necessary in
order to taste the wine fully. If you
leave the wine in your mouth for eight
to ten seconds this will give you the
taste test.
The simple solution: Spit out the wine.
Just about all experienced wine tasters
do. Believe it or not, spitting will
seem to be a very normal thing to do
at wine tastings after a while. (And,
in the meantime, it’s one sure way to
appear more experienced than you
are!)
Courteous wine tasters also do not
volunteer their opinions about a wine
until other tasters have had a chance
to taste the wine. Serious tasters like
to form their opinions independently
and are sure to throw dirty looks at
anyone who interrupts their concentration.
If you’re at a walk around tasting, the
whole experience can end up being
totally overwhelming, even for professionals.
Our advice is to give yourself
a theme to start with and play spot
the difference with wines from that
theme.
How you make notes at a tasting
event is completely up to you, but you
should try to do it. After tasting several
glasses, your memory can get a
little hazy. Use your own language so
it makes sense to you and give it a
score out of 10 based on how much
you personally like it.
Don’t just stick to what you know.
Chances are you will be tasting a
wide variety of wines, both familiar
and unfamiliar. If it’s a walk-around
tasting with wines from different regions,
check out your favorite grape
but from a different country. Leave
your misconceptions at the door and
try a wine you think you’ll hate. Worst
case scenario, you end up spitting,
but, you never know, you could discover
your new favorite wine!
If you’re not sure about a wine or
want to know the background, don’t
be afraid to ask our wine connoisseur
Aaron or the person pouring. A good
wine tasting host will be approachable
and informative and giving a
wine some context can help you to
appreciate it more. The host is there
to help you and guide you through
your tasting.
We always have water to take a sip
between tastings and use it to swill
your glass. Usually you’ll be offered
crackers or other nibbles during your
tasting.
Make sure to spit. Wine tastings are
dangerous places for the uninitiated!
Of course you can swallow if you
want to, but do this towards to end or
you’ll end up horribly drunk and not
remembering anything. You’ll learn a
lot more and your head will thank you
in the morning.
Don’t be afraid to give your opinion
on the taste of a wine. There is no
right or wrong answer in wine tasting;
it’s totally subjective. Share your
thoughts and opinions with other
guests. If your host asks you what
wine you like, tell them. That way they
can help match your taste with the
similar wines.
Make sure to: Look - check out the
color and clarity. Be more specific
than red and white - what kind of red
is it? Maroon, purple, ruby, or even
brown? Is it watery or dark, cloudy or
clear?
Swirl - When you swirl, the more droplets
of wine that cling to the inside
of the glass indicate a higher alcohol
content. Take this opportunity to
have a quick sniff of your wine to form
a first impression.
Smell - now bring the glass up to your
nose for a second impression and
take in the aroma. Is it dark black
fruit? Crunchy red fruit? Ask yourself
what it isn’t. That will help too.
Sip and Savor - finally it’s time to taste.
Sip, don’t gulp, and let it roll around
your mouth. A lot of wine tasting is in
the texture, which you will miss if you
swallow it too quickly. Breathe out
and see how long the flavor lasts. If
it disappears, it has a short finish. if
it lingers, it has a long finish. A long
finish is generally a sign of quality.
Always hold your glass by the stem,
not the bowl. Not only will you get
grubby fingerprints on the glass, but
you’ll also affect the temperature of
the wine which will impinge on your
tasting ability. It’s also another sure
fire way to annoy those wine snobs.
And finally don’t wear a white shirt..
Believe owners, Tom and Trish Elliot,
it’s not worth it.
By: Brittany Samuels SLN Reporter