Page 143 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2025 GRAND VOYAGE

BY TOM GABLE

BLIND TASTING PARTIES: DRINK, LEARN, HAVE FUN

lind tasting is a fun and easy way to markers for wine varietals (e.g., new-mown
learn more about evaluating a hay as a starter for Sauvignon Blanc,
wine's appearance, smell, and taste, berries and cassis for Cabernet Sauvignon,
B better under- stone fruit for Chardon-
stand your prefer- nay). Some markers
ences, and expand might seem odd to oth-
your organoleptic ers (petrol for Riesling,
horizons for new plea- cat pee for Sauvignon
sures without being Blanc, barnyard for
swayed by a label. Pinot Noir). First-time
The good news is tasters may not have
we each start with a the experts' vocabulary
different range of sen- or range of analogies,
sitivities coded into but we can all share
our DNA – to odors, general impressions of
tastes, acids, tannins, wine and how much we
residual sugars, sulfur, like it or not. For added
and alcohol, among nuances, we can look
others. From there, we for aromas that trigger
build our knowledge memories of fixing or
and appreciation enjoying a dish. Refer-
through ongoing re- ences can include hints
search. This is demon- of spice, herbs, yeasts,
strated in educational mushrooms, ginger, cin-
programs from the lo- namon, nutmeg, or wal-
cal merchant and school levels up to uni- nuts, plus dozens more
versity curricula and blind tasting from your kitchen.
programs with experts from the Master
Sommeliers and Masters of Wine. Those ris- Setting the Budget
ing through the ranks, including in your
neighborhood, have fine-tuned and cali- An inexpensive way to try this the first
brated their sensitivities by tasting regu- time is with three white wines and three red
larly and noting their findings, even over a wines. Determine the budget, based on how
casual dinner at home with a bottle of much you typically spend, with a higher
cheap wine. price wine thrown in to see what differ-
The experts have vocabularies and ences you might discover. If your total wine

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