Pcc Wine Circle Intermediate Wine Course

1. 3. Taste - Mouth
• Tip of tongue – Tingle of bubbles
• Front of tongue - Sweetness
• Front side of tongue - Saltiness
• Back side of tongue - Acidity
• Back of tongue - Bitterness

2. Taste
• Acid/fruit balance
• Which fruits or non-fruit flavours
– Fruity
– Floral
– Vegetal
– Mineral
• Length of taste

3. Tasting “ground rules”
1. Eyes first! • Colour, clarity, depth, rim
2. Smell • Fresh or musty?
• 500 chemical aromas
– objective & subjective
3. Taste • Tongue/senses
• ‘Length’ a sign of quality
• Teetotal tasters!

4. 2. Vega de la Reina, Verdejo, 2008
Rueda DO, Spain
• Rueda DO: a small but important white wine
region
• Verdejo: Aromatic Spanish grape with freshness,
acidity like Sauvignon Blanc
– Colour: Pale yellow (Quite old!)
– Aroma: Aromatic; citrus
fruits, freshness, grassy, zingy acidity ...
– Palate: Fresh, peach, citrus, grass ....
• Fruit/acid balance?
• Residual sugar?

5. Rueda

6. 3. Viñalba Seleccion Torrontes 2011
Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
• Torrontes: a distant relation of aromatic Muscat
grape.
• Argentina’s signature white variety.
– Colour: Pale straw
– Aroma: Fresh, ripe tropical fruits –
peach, lemon, pineapple ...
– Palate: Citrus blossom and tropical fruits....
• Fruit/acid balance?
• Residual sugar?

8. Some facts and figures
Where is wine produced?

11. League tables (2009)
• Rankings according to 1. France
quantity of annual 2. Italy
production 3. Spain
----
• Two thirds of all wine is 4. USA
produced in Europe
5. Argentina
6. Australia
• Spain has the largest
acreage of vineyards
-----
7. Chile
8. Germany
9. South Africa
10. Portugal

12. Consumption

13. UK Imports by volume
1. Australia
2. France
3. USA (California)
4. Italy
5. Spain

14. 4. Felsner Gedersdorfer Moosburgerin
Grüner Veltliner, 2010
• Grüner Veltliner
• Kremstal in Lower Austria
• Single vineyard; hand-picked
– Colour: Light yellow/green
– Aroma: Apple, citrus fruits ...
– Palate: Apple, with a peppery aftertaste characteristic
of the grape ...
• Fruit/acid balance?
• Residual sugar?
• Could accompany Asian cuisine

16. Effect of Food on Wine
• Salmon (Oily fish) • Enhances flavour of
fuller white wines
• Green apple • Sharpens the palate
• Chocolate • A flavour blocker
• Paprika • Spices need aromatic
white wines
• Cheese (animal • Neutralises tannins
protein)

17. 5. Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir 2007
Marlborough, New Zealand
• Hand harvested from a mix of vineyards in the
Awatere and Wainau valleys of Marlborough
• Matured 11 months in French oak
• Lots of awards!
– Colour: Light colour typical of Pinot Noir
– Aroma: Cherries, peppers and hint of spices –
cloves?
– Palate: Cherry/plum fruit, smooth and velvety, very
soft tannins ...

19. 6. Errazuriz Reserva Carmenère 2010
Aconcagua Valley, Chile
• Hand-picked; fermented in stainless steel;
matured in oak
– Colour: Medium intensity; purple indicating youthful
wine
– Aroma: Fruit – red currants; hint of stalkiness
characteristic of Carmenère; ‘green on the nose’
– Palate: Red berries, plums, gentle tannins ...

21. The Carmenère story
• Origins in Bordeaux in 19th Century.
• In Chile mixed in with Merlot in vineyards.
• DNA testing in 1990s showed it to be a
distinctive variety and often superior to Merlot.
• Now very much a Chilean variety in its own right

22. 7. Ch. Caronne Ste Gemme Cru
Bourgeois 2007 Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux
• Cru Bourgeois from the left bank ‘Haut-Médoc
[Below Crus Classés]
• A blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot,
3% Petit Verdot.
– Colour: Dense intensity; purple indicating youthful
wine
– Aroma: Blackcurrants and spices ..
– Palate: Blackcurrants, pepper....,
Still quite tannic; but very drinkable with meat
‘A good value for money Bordeaux’

24. Effect of Food on Wine
• Salmon (Oily fish) • Enhances flavour of
fuller white wines
• Green apple • Sharpens the palate
• Chocolate • A flavour blocker
• Paprika • Spices need aromatic
white wines
• Cheese (animal • Neutralises tannins
protein)

25. Today’s wines
1. Chablis, Les Champs Blancs, Pascal Bouchard, AOC, 2010 £14.99W
2. Vega de la Reina 2008 Rueda, DO, Spain £5.99 M
3. Viñalba Seleccion 2011 Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza £7.99 M
4. Felsner Gedersdorfer Moosburgerin Grüner Veltliner, Austria, 2010
£10.99 W
5. Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir 2007, Marlborough £11.25 HM
6. Errazuriz Reserva Carmenère, 2010, Chile £6.99M
7. Ch. Caronne Ste Gemme ,Cru Bourgeois, 2007 £12.99 M
W Waitrose HM Hatch Mansfield M Majestic

26. Mystery wine
• By aroma only, which of today’s wines is
this?

30. A reminder
• Session II
• 15 February 2012
• 2.30pm
• South Australia

31. Finally…
Thank
you