Be a wine tasting winner

Wine clubs and competitive wine tasting

Did you know wine tasting is actually a competitive sport? This year, a Chinese team achieved a perfect score, identifying twelve French wines by taste alone. The team said wine tasting was “fifty percent knowledge and fifty percent luck.” If you want to be an expert wine taster, try joining a wine club and going to wine tastings. Look at the wine against a white background. Swirl it very carefully. When you smell the wine, try to think of everything the smell reminds you of — not just fruit, but flowers, smoke, even crushed stone. When you taste it, notice the texture and mouthfeel. Once you’ve swallowed it, notice the aftertaste.

Wine tasting at a vineyard near St. Helena, CA

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where visitors can sample current releases and library wines. There you may find the 2010 Signature Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, a deep purple wine with a slight red edge that comes from the best two barrels of the vintage, has an aroma that begins with a strong cassis, with streaks of blackberry and blueberry and highlights of blue flowers. The oak adds elements of smoke to the bouquet. The palate of the ’10 Signature is similar to the aroma, with the taste of black, blue and red fruits, anise, smoke and violets. This is a wine that deserves to be kept and allowed to age. Join their wine club and order some of their wines today.

The art of wine tasting

Notice the taste and feel

If you’re a member of a Napa Valley wine club, you may be invited to a wine tasting. If it’s outdoors, plan for the weather, especially this time of year. Dress well but comfortably. While you’re tasting the wine, notice the texture and how it feels in your mouth — these are a key part of the experience. After you’ve sipped it, take a long moment to notice the aftertaste, or finish. Drink water between glasses, to clear the palate.

Wine tasting at a vineyard near St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where visitors can sample current releases and library wines and learn about the process of making and storing the wine. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide.

One wine you might get to try at an Anderson’s Conn Valley wine tasting is the 2009 Right Bank, a ruby blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot with purple edges. 2009 was a great year for winemaking in Napa Valley. This is a full-bodied wine with a rich finish, tasting of ripe black fruit and rounded sweet tannins. Join the Anderson’s Conn Valley wine club today.

Knowing the source of the aromas

Wine club wine tasting

One thing they might be talking about at a wine tasting held by a wine club is the aroma wheel developed by winefolly.com, which classifies aromas (and flavors) according to the point in the winemaking process they come from. Primary aromas come from the variety and terroir of the grape. Most of the possibilities come from this. The categories include citrus, tropical fruit (for some reason, bubblegum is classified here as a tropical fruit), black fruit, spice, earth and a category called “noble rot” which includes beeswax, ginger and honey.

Secondary aromas come from the fermentation process. The secondary, microbial aromas/flavors include mushroom, lager and cream. Tertiary aromas come from the aging process. The categories are general aging and oak aging, and include such classic aromas as cigar box and leather.

Finally, there are the faults. While some wines are considered to be the better for having a touch of farmyard about them, usually these smells diminish the experience — especially the notorious cork taint.

Wine tasting at a vineyard just outside St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where visitors can sample current releases and library wines and learn about the process of making and storing the wine. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase.

Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. Join their wine club today and schedule a wine tasting.

Wine tasting — the basics

Smelling and tasting wine

When you try wine at a wine tasting, smell it and think of whatever the aroma reminds you of. It may help to get a copy of Ann C. Noble’s Wine Aroma Wheel. This convenient device, available from winearomawheel.com, has most of the words commonly used to describe the aroma of wine, grouped in categories like “fruity” and “floral.” It even includes less complimentary terms such as “wet dog” which hopefully you’ll never need. After you’ve swallowed the wine, take a moment to notice the aftertaste, or finish. In wine tasting, this is an important part of the experience.

Wine tasting at a vineyard just outside St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices.

One wine you might get to try at a wine tasting is the 2008 Èloge. This dark ruby red blend was born of a year with a cold, dry early spring, a cool late spring and summer and a hot early fall, producing a wine both rare and excellent. The aroma carries the smell of black cherries, cedar, leather and crushed rocks, with a distant hint of smoked meats. The wine has a rich flavor of chocolate-covered black cherries, currants and plums, with hints of toffee, mocha and spices.

Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. Order some today.

Wine tasting — the basics

How to taste wine

When going to a wine tasting, dress well but comfortably. If you’ll be spending time outdoors, pay attention to the weather reports. There will probably be a tasting fee, but if you buy a bottle you might save on the fee.

When you take a glass of wine, be sure to hold it by the stem or the base, so the warmth of your hand doesn’t heat the wine too much. Put the wine glass on a flat surface and swirl it a little. This is called aeration. Swirling the wine in the glass will bring out the aroma. Smell the wine before you take your first sip — this is a big part of wine appreciation. (This is why you shouldn’t wear perfume or cologne at a wine tasting.) Think of the fruit and spice that the smell reminds you of. You might want a copy of Ann C. Noble’s Wine Aroma Wheel.

Even when enjoying food, texture is as important as flavor, though we don’t think about it as much. In wine tasting, texture and mouthfeel are acknowledged as vital parts of the experience. After you’ve sipped it, take a moment to notice the aftertaste, or finish. Drink water between wines, to clear the palate.

Wine tasting at a vineyard near St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves. These are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide.

So you’ve been invited to a wine tasting

Heading to a wine tasting

If this is your first time at a wine tasting, don’t worry. They’re genteel, low-key affairs. Dress well, but not to the point of discomfort. Don’t wear anything with a strong smell. A big part of the pleasure of wine tasting is appreciating the scent of the wine. Speaking of which, be sure to get a good, long inhale of the wine’s aroma (or nose) before you take your first sip. Place the wine glass on a flat surface and swirl it just a little. This is aeration.

There may be a spittoon available. Using it might seem gross and wasteful, but it keeps you from taking too much alcohol on board over the course of the tasting. This is important if you happen to have a low body mass or low tolerance for alcohol. As further precautions, drink water (which will also clear your palate) and eat something.

A wine club worth joining near St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where current releases and library wines may be sampled and visitors can learn all about the process of making and storing the wine. Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide.