SSSSS & FATAH

No, this is not a posting about snakes and a certain congressman from Philadelphia.  Rather, it's about a few mnemonic devices or acronyms that refer to how to go about tasting and assessing a wine.  Students from my classes may recall that I usually make a point of following the

Five S's of Tasting

1. See : Tilt the glass of wine against a white backdrop and take note of the color and transparency



2. Swirl: Gently swirl the glass (the larger the better) to release aromatic compounds in the wine (aerators are also very useful for speeding up the breathing process)



3. Sniff: Breathe in deeply, bringing the glass closer and closer to the nose to appreciate the intensity and complexity of the aromas



4. Sip: Allow the wine to coat the palate and assess the flavors and body of the wine



5. Savor: Consider the overall sensory effects of the wine: length, complexity, balance and finish



Credit for this particular step-wise process of appreciating wines in a tasting goes to Master of Wine Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan whose "Everyday Guides to Wines" are available on DVD through the Great Courses Series. http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/professors/professor_detail.aspx?pid=391 

More on this series in a later post.

I always hasten to add when recommending this process that it has nothing to do with being "snooty" about wine-drinking.  Instead, it's all about appreciating and assessing wine for maximum enjoyment, especially for higher class wines.  If you're spending big bucks on particular wine, you are surely going to want  make the most of it!  Even for everyday wines, it can enhance the experience greatly.

FATAH

Fruit + Acidity + Tannins + Alcohol = Harmony


These are the essential elements that go into making a well-balanced (red) wine.  When all these elements are represented in proper measure, the result is a wine of great style, structure, and harmony. If you taste a wine that just doesn't seem right or is off, chances are that it's either lacking one of the elements or they show up in the wrong proportion.  For example, if a wine has a very high alcohol content, but doesn't have enough tannins or robust fruit aromas to stand up to the alcohol, it will likely feel too strong or overpowering and have the effect of an unpleasant intoxication.  Likewise, red wine with abundant fruit should have sufficient tannins and other acids to provide proper balance and structure.

White wines generally have little detectable tannin so instead you want to look for the proper amount of residual sugar that will balance out the acidity.  For example, a fine German Riesling with high acidity will taste crisp and dry even though it may contain higher levels of  residual than the average table wine.