An Introduction To Wine Tasting: Claus Brabrand

An Introduction to Wine Tasting
Claus Brabrand
[ brabrand@daimi.au.dk ]
Universitetspædagogik, Sandbjerg Claus Brabrand: Introduction to Wine Tasting August 10, 2005
Agenda
• Background:
• France and Bordeaux
• The 57 A.O.C.s
• Optimal circumstances
• Wine Tasting:
• I) Visual Examination [sight]
• II) Olfactory Examination [smell]
• III) Gustative Examination [taste]
Background
- France and Bordeaux

- The 57 A.O.C.s
- Optimal Circumstances
France and Bordeaux
• Production:
• France: 12% (of world production)
• Bordeaux: 13% (of French production)
Bordeaux
• Ideal climate:
• Gulf stream, Forrest shield
• Moist spring, sunny summer,
warm fall, and rare frost
45N
• 45°N
Bordeaux
• Underground:
• Chalky + Geological diversity
The 57 A.O.C.s
• Médoc
• Graves
• Libournais
• Côtes
• Entre-2-Mers
• Bordeaux
A.O.C. (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée

Classifications (Region-Specific!)
• ”Le Classement de 1855”:
• 1. Crus > 2. Crus > 3. Crus > 4. Crus > 5. Crus
– 60 Crus de Médoc
– 1 Cru de Graves
» AOC Pessac-Léognan, Château Haut-Brion [Matrix II]
• ”Le Classement de Saint-Émilion”:

• Premiers Grands Crus Classés A >
Premiers Grands Crus Classés B >
Grands Crus Classés
Optimal Circumstances (1/2)
• External factors:
• Lighting conditions (lots of white light)
• Noise (no noise)
• Smells (no food smells, no perfume, …)
• Room temperature (aprox. 20°C)
• Wine temperature (mature Bordeaux red: 15-17°C)
• Decanter (only for younger wines: 1-7 years!)
• Background color (white for color identification)
• Glas (tulip-shape for Bordeaux red):
– Only 1/3 full! (for visual examination)
Optimal Circumstances (2/2)
• Internal factors:
• Hunger (not too full)
• Fatigue (not too tired)
• Taste interference (no coffee, tobacco, cheese, …)
• Time-of-day (optimal around 11 am)
• Note:
– Highly culture-dependent :
- depends on what you have been exposed to so far
Structured Tasting
• Organized:
• 3-4 wines (max. 5-6 wines)
• 2-4 people
• ”Vertical Tasting” :
• Same vintage (year)
• Different region (AOC) [ Better  ”Worse” ]
• ”Horizontal Tasting” :
• Same region (AOC)
• Different vintage (year) [ Younger  Older ]
Wine Tasting
- I) Visual Examination
- II) Olfactive Examination
- III) Gustative Examination
I) Visual Examination (1/2)
• [v1] Color/nuance ( general age)
– Oxidisation process:
• Blue’ish  Orange’ish
Purple’ish red Cherry red Brown’ish red Orange’ish red
1-2 years 3-5 years 7-10 years 10+ years
I) Visual Examination (2/2)
• [v2] Color/intensity ( specific vintage)
• Lots of rain  clear wine
• Little rain  dark wine
• [v3] Limpidity ( A.O.C. or non-A.O.C.)

• A.O.C.’s are always limpid:
– They have used ”glue” (egg whites) or barrel storage
• [v4] Brilliance ( age / still good?)

• Brilliant: youthful
• Matt brilliance: mature
• Dull brilliance: on the decline!
II) Olfactive Examination (1/2)
• The 11 Aromatic Families:
• Animal (fresh/dried meat, blood, musk, %urine…)
• Balsamic (pine, rasin, %turpentine…)
• Woody (woody, damp wood, pencil, tobacco, %cork…)
• Chemical (alcohol, iodine, %petrol, %eggs, %metal…)
• Spicy (dill, anis, cinamon, nutmeg, %garlic, %oignon…)
• Empyreumatic (smoke, toast, caramel, coffee, cocoa, %rubber…)
• Etheral (apples, bananas, pear, %acetone, %soap,%beer)
• Floral (acasia, rose, tulip, citronella, honey, %broom)
• Fruity (grapes, raisins, cherry, prunes, berries, melon…)
• Mineral (flint, quartz, schist, limestone…)
• Vegetable (herbs, pepper, leaves, peas, %mud, %cabbage)
• [o1] ”First nose”
• Calm glass:
– Aromas
– …and aromatic intensity
• [o2] ”Second nose”

• Swirl glass to aerate (and release more aromas)
– Aromas
– …and aromatic intensity
Note: always best first time you smell (then it converges on alcohol)
III) Gustative Examination (1/2)
• 4 Taste bases (4 taste buds):
• Sweet (only moelleux wines)
• Salty (not really for wines)
• Sour
• Bitter Impacts tasting sequence
• ”Feel” (middle of tongue):

• Mechanical (rough, structured, thick, silky, tanins)
• Thermal (hot, cold)
• Chemical (co2, alcohol burn)
III) Gustative Examination (2/2)
• Interaction:
• Synergy (constructive interference)
• Masking (destructive interference)
• Contrast (no interference)
• [g1] Taste:
• Swirl to stimulate all taste buds
• [g2] ”Retro-olfaction” :
• Breathe air in through mouth out through nose
• [g3] Persistence (in seconds)

• Important that it finishes in a good way (lasting impression!)
Personal Comments
• Wine preference …is:
– Culture dependent
– Fashion dependent
– Subjective!:
• ”The wine is good” vs. ”I think the wine is good”
Fin
Questions…?
Wine Tasting Wine Tasting
Date: --------------------------------------- Date: ---------------------------------------
A.O.C.: --------------------------------------- A.O.C.: ---------------------------------------
Château: --------------------------------------- Château: ---------------------------------------
Vintage: --------------------------------------- Vintage: ---------------------------------------
Visual Examination: Visual Examination:

Nuance: --------------------------------------- Nuance: ---------------------------------------
Intensity: -------------------------------------- Intensity: --------------------------------------
Limpidity: ------------------------------------- Limpidity: -------------------------------------
Brilliance: ------------------------------------- Brilliance: -------------------------------------
Olfactive Examination: Olfactive Examination:

1st nose: --------------------------------------- 1st nose: ---------------------------------------
- Intentity: ------------------------------------ - Intentity: ------------------------------------
2nd nose: -------------------------------------- 2nd nose: --------------------------------------
- Intentity: ------------------------------------ - Intentity: ------------------------------------
Gustatory Examination: Gustatory Examination:

Aromas: --------------------------------------- Aromas: ---------------------------------------
Retro-olfaction: ------------------------------ Retro-olfaction: ------------------------------
Persistence: ----------------------------------- Persistence: -----------------------------------
Overall: --------------------------------------- Overall: ---------------------------------------
Let the Tasting begin…!
Horizontal Tasting:
- Médoc ’03, ’01, ’97, ’93
• Aromas:
• Primary aromas:
» From the grapes
• Secondary aromas:
» From the fermentation process
• Tertiary aromas:
» From the barrel/bottle
– This blend of aromas = The ”bouquet”

– Lots of primary aromas  Good potential
– absence of primary aromas  Not good potential
Let the Tasting begin…
• #1: Médoc 2003: 60 kr
• Château Leboscq
• #2: Médoc 2001: 50 kr
• Château Cabanieu
• #3: Moulis 1997: 120 kr
• Château Haut-Franquet
• #4: Médoc 1993: 109 kr
• Château Lafitte-Tramier
These are all Cabernet-Sauvignon grapes


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An Introduction to Wine Tasting

- France and Bordeaux

A.O.C. (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée

• ”Le Classement de Saint-Émilion”:

Purple’ish red Cherry red Brown’ish red Orange’ish red

1-2 years 3-5 years 7-10 years 10+ years

• [v3] Limpidity ( A.O.C. or non-A.O.C.)

• [v4] Brilliance ( age / still good?)

• [o2] ”Second nose”

• ”Feel” (middle of tongue):

• [g3] Persistence (in seconds)

Visual Examination: Visual Examination:

Olfactive Examination: Olfactive Examination:

Gustatory Examination: Gustatory Examination:

– This blend of aromas = The ”bouquet”

These are all Cabernet-Sauvignon grapes

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