Understanding Sweetness and Dryness in Wine ~ Session 2

In our second session we delved into the world of understanding sweetness in a wine. How does one identify a sweet wine? Is it really sweet, or is it fruity? How can we tell the difference?

We began the session by tasting sugar granules to determine where we taste sweetness on our tongues.

This is a diagram of the tongue, similar to what we looked at to help us understand where the basic tastes of sweet, salty, bitter and sour are located.

Generally speaking, we taste sweetness around the tip of the tongue. However, there can be differences of where one tastes sweetness, as we experienced among our group of tasters.

What makes a wine sweet?

The total amount of sugars left in a wine after it's made, is called its residual sugar. Residual sugar in a wine can vary greatly, and is often used to help balance out a highly acidic wine, or help to mask rough edges. (We will learn more about this balance in Session 3.)

Is it sweet, or is it fruity?

One of the misunderstandings that I have observed when pouring wine in a tasting room, is that people will often confuse fruity wines for being sweet. Fruity wines have distinct aromas and flavors of fruit that many people perceive as sweetness. This seems very sad to me, because people will often pass up trying a beautifully dry, but fruity wine simply because they think that "sweet" wines are of lesser value than "dry" wines. In my personal opinion, every wine on the sweet to dry spectrum has its rightful place!

How can you tell if the wine is actually sweet?

On its own, the nose cannot determine if a wine is sweet or not. One must use the impact on the tongue, to sense the sweetness. However, this is difficult when smelling the wine at the same time as you taste it. Even in your mouth, you are smelling the fruit as you taste the wine. (Recall the retronasal passage lesson from session one)

Try this at home: As you taste a wine you think is sweet rather than fruity, plug your nose while you taste. If the wine is indeed sweet, you’ll be able to actually taste the sweetness on the tip of your tongue without confusing it with what you smell.

We asked our tasters to taste through four selections and rate the level of sweetness they experienced on a spectrum of bone dry - dry - medium dry - medium sweet - sweet - very sweet. While they felt a little apprehensive about doing this "cold", we wanted them to have the opportunity to blind taste without having a preconceived idea of how sweet they thought the wine would be based on the varietal.

Wine #1: Louis Buoillot Perle de Vin "Grand Reserve" Brut
This was a sparkling wine we considered to be our "dry" choice.

Wine #2: 2007 Anglim Viognier, Paso Robles
Viognier is a light, fruity wine often confused with being sweet. This particular viognier was hard to recognize. It had some fruity qualities to it, but it was not as easily recognizable as a viognier. Had I not known I what I was pouring, I would have been thoroughly confused!
We ultimately decided it was in the dry to medium dry category.

Wine #3: Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti 2008
Barbara is an acidic grape that can be quite fruity, but can also be quite tart depending on the style and quality of grapes. This one ended up being very subtle in fruit, and a couple of people experienced tartness.

Wine #4: 2009 Rombauer Vineyards Zinfandel, Napa, CA
This wine was suggested to me by the guys over at The Wine Club in San Jose. (Super knowledgeable guys...I highly recommend this place!!) The residual sugar in this zinfandel was not high enough to consider it a Late Harvest Zin, but it was high enough to taste. There was no mistaking that this wine had been chosen to highlight a sweet red.


Point to Ponder... As you continue to sip wine, consider what you have learned in this session. Experiment with the difference between sweetness and fruitiness. Ask yourself how you would rate the level of sweetness and dryness in the wine. Are you surprised by certain varietals? Don’t be afraid to stretch outside your wine comfort zone ~ try something new!

Suggested for Further Reading...

As Jenn and I navigate our way through facilitating this study group, we have found the following resources very helpful...

Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, by Kevin Zraly

Think Like a Genius Wine Master, by Tim Gaiser, Master Sommelier

Wine For Dummies, 2nd Edition by Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan

How to Taste ~ A Guide to Enjoying Wine, by Jancis Robinson

The Oxford Companion to Wine, by Jancis Robinson
(This book is basically a dictionary of all things wine. It's a bit heavy for everyday reading, but it helps when we feel the need to "geek out" on the technical stuff.)

A New Meaning to Blind Tasting ~ Session 1

Our Wine Study Group is off to a fantastic start! During our first gathering, we decided to engage our new group in a little game of blind tasting. However, this was no ordinary blind tasting! Instead of blindfolding the bottles, we blindfolded the tasters.

In this first activity, Jenn and I wanted to test our new group's ability to tell the difference between a red and white wine. In order to make the test a bit challenging, we chose two wines that would be very similar to each other in structure and as close as possible in taste. We served them at room temperature, and did not allow the tasters to see the bottles before the blindfold activity.

Here are the wines we chose to use:

Red: 2009 Louis Tete Les Charmeuses Morgon - This is a Beaujolais wine from the Burgundy Region in France that is light in structure and taste.

White: 2009 Domaine Des Terres Dorees Beaujolais Blanc “Classic" - Also from France, this white wine is a 100% Chardonnay. The structure on this wine was firm enough to stand up to a light red.

The tasters were given partners and asked to swirl, sniff, and taste each wine, carefully deciding which was red and which was white. After two minutes, we asked them to hold up the wine they believed to be the white wine. I'm happy to report that everyone passed!

You may be wondering why we would torture our friends this way, but there is a method to our madness. In addition to being a fun activity to break the ice during our first gathering, we also wanted to begin showing the connection between all of our senses when we go about the process of tasting. By blindfolding ourselves, we take away one of the senses that gives us a clue about what we are going to taste. In a way, our brain likes to give us clues about what we are about to eat or drink in various ways. Not being able to see the wine, takes away one of the preconceived notions we might already have about a “white” or a “red” wine. This leaves us with only the sense of taste, and smell.

Why is this important? We do not taste with our taste buds alone...

The importance of the Nose:
• Smell is the most acute sense (1,000 times more sensitive than taste)
• Flavor is determined by about 75% smell and 25% taste
• “Taste” is actually something that is determined by what we sense with our noses and mouths combined
• We actually taste and smell at the same time when we are chewing. Vapor will travel up to our olfactory receptors, sending our brain messages about what we are eating.
• Volatile substances (like wine) shoot flavor elements (vapor) off into the atmosphere all the time, making them an interesting and rewarding experience.
• By actively smelling everything you drink, and eat, you can at least double the pleasure it gives.

Point To Ponder...Try this the next time you go to sip your wine... As you bring the glass up to your lips, breathe in through your mouth at the same time that you're smelling the wine. What do you notice?

Introducing the Self-Made Sommelier Group Leaders...

Jennifer and Kristen doing some tasting at Ridge



Kristen

I have long been fascinated by the world of wine. I'm not really sure when my love affair began exactly...Perhaps it was when I moved to Sonoma County and lived among the vines. Watching them change through the seasons, getting heavy with fruit and anticipating the harvest. What I do know however, is that once I started exploring wine and wine culture, I was hooked.

My full time inquiry into wine began in 2005 when I worked for a family owned organic farm and winery in Healdsburg. I knew almost nothing when I was hired, but quickly started to pick things up. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. I threw myself into my studies with eager enthusiasm, and vowed to never stop exploring this passion. After recently making the decision to follow my passions further, I decided that I needed to dedicate myself to really understanding my wine tasting palate. So Jennifer and I convinced a group of tasters to join us on a journey of exploring our palates, and we invite you to follow along with our experience.



Jennifer


My love and fascination for wine started about 9 years ago. Not sure exactly what it was that peaked my interest ~Maybe it was turning 21~Maybe it was the simple presence of it at our Sunday family dinners where my Dad would often share his newest find~ Maybe it was just the want to learn about something new~ But I soon became fascinated by the complexity and expansive big world of wine.

Whether it was throwing wine tasting parties with friends, taking trips to Paso Robles, Napa and Healdsburg, or visiting all our amazing local wineries, I quickly became intrigued by the complexity of wine and was fascinated with the broad array of tastes I was being introduced to. There was a whole new world I wanted to learn more about and become more knowledgeable in...if only it were that easy..:)

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life as a wife, mom to two beautiful girls, and working part time as a behavior therapist for our local school district, I find that at the end of a long week, (okay, sometimes a long day) I find much peace in enjoying a nice glass of wine. I love experimenting with different varietals and new wineries and taking my knowledge to new heights. I am thoroughly excited to take this love and passion for wine to the next level as I learn all I can to broaden my palette and expand my vocabulary by embarking on this next wine journey.

Join us as we explore the senses and learn how to taste wine like true professionals!