DTN Lesson 1: Why We Drink Wine with Meals and How Food Alters the Taste Perception of Wine
This first lesson is supposed to show the changes in the taste of the wine when paired with a fatty food like cheese or a spicy food like pepperoni. For this lesson I used a 2015 Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes Du Rhone that I picked up from the Vintage Cellar.
Step 1: Open the wine and do a regular wine tasting without food.
Name: 2015 Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes Du Rhone
Variety: Grenache
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2015
Shop Review: The color is purple-tinged garnet.The aromatic range of the nose goes from fresh berries (wild raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry) to spices.The palate is big and full-flavoured, with silky-smooth tannins and aromas of the fruit already mentioned. The finish introduces touches of liquorice and pepper. A Côtes du Rhône with great complexity for an every day drinking.
My Review: This wine was dark purple, maroon color. In this wine I smelled pepper spice, dark cherry, and vanilla. On the palate this wine was hot, tannic, and dry with notes of spice and dark cherry.
Step 2: After letting the wine sit open for at least two hours try the wine again.
After trying this wine again I the smell of the wine remained the same for me. The taste however was more open in the sense that I could really taste more of the fruit components of this wine.
Step 3: Try the wine with cheese.
For this step I used a sharp cheddar cheese. When tasting the wine with cheese it absolutely had more flavor and came off much smoother and almost heavier than when I originally tasted the wine. I enjoyed the more pronounced berry flavors from the wine.
Step 4: Try the wine with food.
For this step I used pepperoni slices. When tasting the wine with the pepperoni the wine tasted lighter and somewhat more crisp. It felt as thought the spice took away the fruity components of the wine and made it more peppery and dry.
Step 5: Let the wine sit open for a few more hours and taste again without food.
After smelling and tasting the wine after a few more hours of oxygen exposure I really didn't sense any differences from step 2 of this lesson. It was still more open with the smells and flavors I described previously.
Conclusion: This lesson was very beneficial as I was really shocked at the difference the food made to the taste of the wine.
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