The fine wines of the Langhe > Wine-tasting

Tasting food or drinks is a very much complex operation. In order to taste and identify a flavour, it is necessary inhaling the aroma: the nose knows what the tongue does not. The principle by which a sense is influenced by another one is called “sensorial interaction”. The junior taster is interested in bettering his own sensorial acuteness in order to be able to: separate the single sensations; dissociate a complex impression in its simple elements, and then recognize the nature, order, intensity of the stimulations; register the intensity variations of a smell, taste, and color. Since eyesight, olfaction, and taste strictly collaborate with each other, the apprentice period consists of three phases: a visual phase, which evaluates the wine’s aspect; an olfaction phase (direct and retro-nasal), which discovers smells, which are the aromatic components which are more or less volatile; a tasting phase, which takes place in the mouth and evaluates tastes. The single dominant perceptions must be re-associated in a final evaluation. The essential conditions for a correct tasting are the following: care, which depends on the subject’s internal attitude and makes him concentrated; the stimulation intensity, since it is easier to recognize the characteristics of and to evaluate a wine with marked smells; the stimulation intermittence, since even a strong stimulation may not be detected if it is continuous, for the mechanism of habituation. For this reason, for detecting the aroma of a wine, it is important the initial impact, then it is advisable to use the olfaction intermittently, moving the glass away for a few seconds and then drawing it up again.

The visual test

The visual test, besides the first and immediate classification of the wine into white, rosé, or red, takes into consideration: limpidity, color, fluidity, “archetti”, and effervescence (in case of natural-fermented or sparkling wines).

What does the visual test consist of?

A. after filling the glass for near a quarter of its volume, it is taken by its stem, using the thumb and forefinger; it is lifted at eye level, it is observed against the light: it is a sighting deed in order to evaluate its limpidity;

B. then, in order to focus on its color, the glass is slightly leaned on a white paper – or plane – and it is observed from the bottom to the top. By observing the disk which the wine makes on surface, one verifies if the color keeps its tone also on the borders. The shades can be detected by leaning the glass until the pouring limit and watching where the wine mass is less thick (nail);

 C. finally, the wine in the glass is slowly rotated, so that the sides are well wetted: it is observed the liquid film which, going down along the sides, makes a series of drops at regular intervals. These “tears” or “archetti” give useful informations about some components of the wine;

 D. in the case of sparkling or naturally-fermented wines, the attention will be concentrated on its bubbles and foam.

LIMPIDITY

Limpidity is an index of a stable and healthy wine. Turbidity evidences incorrect vinification or preservation practises, alterations or diseases. Transparency is linked to limpidity.

COLOR

Observing the color means observing vivacity, intensity, shades (or tones). Vivacity means brilliantness, shine, liveliness and freshness of the color. Intensity is easily recognizable: the color could be clear, pale, light, weak; or loaded, intense, covered, dark, dense, dim. The color shades or tones. Max Lèglise compares the changes of color of the wine with those of a red flower (a rose, a peony) which is gathered in a blossom, ready to open. A lively and shiny red color is for the moment of its full flowering; later it weakens, takes yellowish reflexes and brown at the end. The phenol components have the same behaviour in wine. Tonality is then a trustable mirror for the age.  

Red wine color

The purple red color reminds of the peony color: it is intense with tendency for the violet. Rubin red is a dark red color which recalls both the homonymous stone and the shiny red color of the cherry. The garnet red color, which is more intense of the precedent, shades into a bloody red color. The orange red color recalls the brick and can turn to brown or orange yellow.

Rosé wine color

A white-paper-colored wine is almost colorless. When, on a soft straw-colored bottom, herbal reflections are predominant, there is a greenish yellow color; the color of the hay suggests the straw color, which is more or less loaded. The golden yellow color is the color of gold, which is dense of shiny reflections. The amber color reminds of amber or topaz, and can turn also to brown in case of “passito” and strong sweet wine.

FLUIDITY

By observing the wine while it is being poured into the glass, or by slowly rotating it, one can detect its fluidity, or its consistence.

“ARCHETTI”

The so-called “archetti” or “tears” give us important news about a wine. These are curvatures, more or less strictly staggered, which are observable on the glass sides, after the wine has been rotated: a transparent and liquid film has left a deposit and slowly leaks downward, similar to tears. This phenomenon is strictly connected to the alcoholic content. On the glass sides the evaporation of the most volatile substance, which is the alcohol, takes place, and there is an increment of the remaining liquid, which wins the superficial tension and falls downward. The more the “tears” are thick, the higher is the ethyl alcohol content.

EFFERVESCENCE

The phenomenon of effervescence, which is characteristic of sparkling wines, is due to carbon dioxide which, freeing itself as soon as the wine is being poured, causes foam and bubbles. A test of effervescence evaluates:

The foam: it must be fine and dry, and disappear in a few seconds; the quantity of bubbles: there must be many bubbles; the quality of bubbles: their diameter must be small (0,1 mm), thus fineness is index of a good perlage; persistency: in a quality sparkling wine, bubbles are alimented by the “fontanella [small fountain]”, which pushes them on surface; the collar: the very fine ring of foam which, once the initial foam has disappeared, forms on the glass sides.

The olfaction test

The substances, which are responsible for the smells, are volatile substances, which evaporate as a property. The groups of smells are usually divided, according to their origin, into:

Primary smells: they come from grapes and are bound to the quality of the vine. Secondary: they emanate during the vinification processes, and they are the wine smells which fill the cellar during vinification. Tertiary: they emanate during ripening and ageing, first in the barrel and then in the bottle.

Smell, aroma, or bouquet?

The word “smell” has a general meaning, as an odour principle which is emanated by the wine throughout several phases of its evolution. When we talk about “aroma”, we mainly mean the “varietal” aroma, which is the totality of odour principles which are peculiar of young wines (primary smell); the bouquet, which is peculiar of aged wines (tertiary smell), is the totality of smells which were obtained during the ripening. It is complex and consists of several smells and shades: olfaction sensations are perhaps the most important in a wine-tasting. It is considered:

THE QUALITY (fineness, frankness, complexity). INTENSITY

PERSISTENCY

THE NATURE of the smell

What does the olfaction test consist of?

A. the first “sniff” is carried out with the glass still, without moving the wine: the nose is put next to the glass and one inhales shortly for two or three times.

B. secondly, the wine is sniffed after making it rotate in the glass, in order to better free the volatile substances. One starts with short rotations, sniffs, then rotates longer and more continuously. One put his nose as near as possible to the wine surface, profoundly inhales for three-four seconds and repeats the inhaling for two or three times, doing some instant pauses.

These two types of inhalation evaluate the wine intensity and quality, and make a first discrimination of the smells: the glass still, the lightest, most delicate and volatile; the glass moving, the heavier.

C. olfaction intervenes when the wine is put in the mouth (olfaction-tasting phase): here the smells are detected indirectly or retro-nasally. The wine rotates in the mouth, the air passes through teeth by small inhalation: one can detect the so-called “mouth aromas”.

D. one uses his nose again, after swallowing the wine, so that its aroma can persist in the mouth longer: it is the intense aromatic persistence (P.A.I.), which is a synthesis of more or less durable olfaction-tasting sensations.

E. finally, one gives the empty glass a final “sniff”: smells which have not been detected at first and indications about the evolution of the wine.

By leaving the glass resting for at least a quarter of hour, the smells, especially those of mature and complex wines, develop surprisingly.

A smell is of good QUALITY if it is:

1. frank, which means clean, spotless, lacking of extraneous, defective, or anomalous odours;

2. fine, which means elegant, distinct, balanced, harmonic, not decomposed;

3. Complex, which means rich of odorous shades.

INTENSITY

Intensity is the force, the power by which the smell (aroma, smell, or bouquet) expresses itself. The judgement on intensity is subjected to the one on quality: a very much intense but little harmonic and pleasant smell accentuates the wine negative characteristics.

PERSISTENCY is the quality which makes a smell continuous and durable.

SMELL DESCRIPTION

It is an operation which can reach high levels of complexity. There are two general basic factors:

Habituation: olfaction rapidly adapts itself to a smell and becomes progressively insensible to it, going on and detecting a less intense one. This allows to discriminate and identify the diverse smells; - the volatile grade of the substances which are responsible for the odours. At first, the lightest and most ethereal smells (some floral and aromatic smells) are detected, then the medium volatile ones (fruity and herbal ones), finally the heavier ones (some animal, or tar, or torrefaction notes). In order to identify – and describe – the smells it is advisable to follow some steps:

1. detecting the dominant tonality, which is cleaner and more intense, and dominate at first;

2. Searching for the family this smell belongs to: floral, fruity, spiced, etc.

3.  Searching, among the family, for the closest natural odour.

4. Individuating, among the precedent series, the specific fruit of reference.

At this point, one is ready for defining also the origin of the individuated smells: primary, secondary, or tertiary.

In order to describe the odours, analogy criteria, with odours of flowers, fruits, spices, or other products (alimentary or not) are adopted.

The commonly detected wine odours are divided into series or families.

Floral:

Acacia, whitethorn, rose, iris, geranium, honeysuckle, orange blossoms, vine blossoms, field blossom, elder, linden, verbena, violet, hyacinth, narcissus, jasmine, broom.

Vegetal:

Herb, fern, hay, lemon verbena, salvia, green olives, rub leaf, dead leaves, walnut husk, green pepper, mushrooms, mint, musk, humus (undergrowth), tobacco, tisane, tea, truffle.

Empyreumatic (toasted):

Smoked, cocoa, coffee, caramel, rubber, chocolate, creosote, goudron, toasted almond, toasted bread, flint.

Other aliments:

Flour, crust of bread, yeasts, butter, cheese (dairy odour), honey, cider, beer.

Fruity:

Apricot, pineapple, banana, cherry, quince, rennet, pear, plum, exotic fruits.

Aromatic spiced:

Anise, canella, clove, fennel, liquorice, nutmeg, pepper, bay, thyme, basil, lavender, ginger, vanilla.

Animal:

Amber, fur, leather, meat, game, sweat, cat pee, zibet, foxy (wild)

Chemical:

Vinegar, sulphur, medicine, disinfectant, celluloid (derived from chemical wine compounds: alcohol, ethyl acetate, sulphurous dioxide)

Dried fruit:

Dried fig, almond, walnut, hazelnut, dried plum, orange, sultanas, jam, cooked fruit.

Balsamic:

Noble resins, pine, incense, juniper, turpentine.

Wooden:

Odours coming from the wood in which the wine was preserved, cigars box

Ethereal:

Nail polish, English sweet, soap, wax, dairy (derived from fermentations, superior acid esterifications, lactic bacteria, fermentation alterations).

The gustative test

There are four fundamental tastes: sweet, acid, salty, bitter. Sweet and acid tastes (and a minor quantity of bitter and salty tastes) are mixed. The taster will then try to distinguish them and evaluate their relation. Physiology helps us once again: it is proved that the fundamental tastes are detected in different times.

Tactile sensations

Besides the strictly speaking tastes, the mouth detects tactile sensations. They can be caused by the wine:

Inhibition – which tannins are responsible for – is a sensation which sets the teeth on edge and causes a contraction of the gums, dryness sensation and tongue wrinkledness, salivation decrement; the carbon dioxide itch is very evident when a sparkling wine is tasted. In the mouth, an itch and a sensation of freshness are felt; a heat, or a causticity, corrosiveness, pseudo-heat sensation are felt with acid, metallic salts, basics, alcohol. These impressions are caused in wine by alcohol; sensations linked to temperature, which modifies and falsifies the tastes deeply; consistency, which is mainly linked to sweet wines: sensations go from fluid to unctuous.

What does the gustative test consist of?

A. a small quantity of wine is poured in the mouth; B. first, the wine is held in the anterior part of the mouth and, by tongue, is brought to the most sensible parts of the oral cavity. This way, softness, acidity and inhibition can be evaluated, together with their balance; C. keeping the wine on the tongue, it is inhaled some air: this way wine active principles are volatilized and gustative and tactile sensibility are amplified; D. the wine is either expelled or swallowed; E. a rhythmic “mastication” is carried out, in order to evaluate the intense aromatic persistence (P.A.I.).

Synthetically, gustative sensations are divided into three moments: 1. the impact which is felt in the first seconds; 2. the evolution of the gustative sensation; 3. the impression which stays in the mouth when the wine is expelled.

What does the gustative taste evaluate?

The intensity and quality of the retro-olfaction sensations (MOUTH AROMA), the persistence and pleasantness of the final sensations (MOUTH END or AFTER-TASTE), the evolution of the wine.

When a wine is put in the mouth and it rotates by tongue, a global impression is felt, which is related to its structure or corpus. The corpus is determined by ethyl alcohol and the totality of non-volatile substances, which are called extracts. The total structure is the result of precise balances. The most common gustative sensations, which influence the total balance, are the following: the alcoholic content produces a sensation of vinous, a sensation of heat and power. The two terms are not synonymous. In fact: sweetness defines a wine according to its sugar content; softness (moelleux in French) is the totality of the sweetness and mellowness which the wine leaves in the mouth. Acidity, again it has to be made a distinction between the acid taste which is felt and the acid component in the wine, which is due to the fixed acidity which influences the gustative balance. Acidity causes sensation of freshness, vivacity, and vigour. If it is too high, the wine will be aggressive, sour, and will give an impression of hardness, testy, harshness. If it is too low, the wine will be slack, flat, lacking of strength. Inhibition causes impressions of wrinkledness and dryness: very much tannin wine seem sour, rough, setting the teeth on edge. On the contrary, since tannins are a component which determines the wine corpus, there will be empty, shapeless wines, when the tannin component is scarce.

BALANCE

Alcoholic content, softness, acidity, tannin content: given the main components of the wine, the result is their “algebraic sum” (Emile Peynaud).

Between them relations of reciprocity take place: masking (the presence of one hides another), strengthening (the presence of one strengthens another), antagonism (the presence of one neutralizes another).

Balance in white wines

In white wines, which basically lacks of tannin, the balance is the result of the contrasting action softness/acidity. For this reason, they are said “two-dimension wines”. In dry white wines, which are drunk young, the optimal balance is given by a sufficient softness and a light dominance of acidity, which will give vivacity and freshness; in more structured white wines, which are drunk after ageing, there will be balance if acidity, which is moderate, is counterbalanced by softness, which is due to a good alcohol content, which is slightly dominant; in sweet white wines, the balance between alcohol and sugars is added to the one between acidity and softness: the alcohol content must be rather high in order to contrast the high percentage of residual sugars; in fermented white wines, it has to be considered a slight tannin component, which is not comparable to the one present in red wines.

Balance in red wines

Softness, acidity, and tannin content determine the balance for red wines: for this reason they are called “three-dimension wines”. Since acidity and inhibition strengthen each other, a red wine is unbalanced if it has, at the same time, a high level of acids and tannins; in young red wines, a slight percentage of acidity contributes to the total freshness. On the contrary, a discreet content of tannins will guarantee a good softness; in aged red wines, it will be normal an initial predominance of tannins, which is necessary for longevity. Later, these wines will have roundness and softness, still preserving a characteristic inhibition component (austerity).

MOUTH AROMA

Olfaction participates decisively to gustative sensations. For the judgement over the quality of a wine is determinant what is called “mouth aroma”, which is the totality of gustative and olfaction sensations, which are felt through a retro-nasal operation.