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Wine Tasting - The Sense of Sight
Wine tasting basics begin with knowing how to use your senses to understand, interpret, and enjoy the wine. The ability to recognize what you see, and furthermore describe it in clear terms, is a very important wine tasting skill.
Although some may say the appearance of the wine is the least important aspect with regard to the senses, it is still worth noting. When examining appearance, we are looking for clarity and color. We want the wine to be free of any sediment, leaving it clear and brilliant. Red wines tend to lose their color as they mature, while white wines tend to grow darker with age. A good quality wine generally will be intense in color. The "legs" seen running down the sides of a glass after being swirled, are an indication of flavor density. It is best to use a plain white background, and tilt the glass slightly as you observe clarity and color.
Meyer Lemon Currant Sauce
6 servings
Recipe courtesy of Brix Restaurant, Yountville, CA
2 cups red currants, fresh
1 each meyer lemon, zested and juiced
2 ounces simple syrup*
1/2 each vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2 pinch salt
* Simple syrup is equal parts by weight; sugar and water. Bring water to a simmer, add sugar, and remove from heat. It will keep for weeks in the fridge so it’s practical to make extra to have on hand.
Method:
1. Crush currants and place in a stainless steel saucepot, add
meyer lemon juice, zest, vanilla bean and simple syrup
2. Place on medium heat. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes,
skimming surface
3. Strain through a chinois and return to a clean saucepot
4. return to heat and boil for about 5 minutes, until sauce reduces
by half and thickens, stirring constantly
5. Chill in icebath
6. Final sauce consistency may be adjusted with simple syrup after
it has completely cooled
