Our Wines of the World class is a great way to meet new wines.  Each Tuesday night at 7 PM, approximately 20 friends assemble, novices and experienced wine enthusiasts alike, to taste 8 to 10 wines in our collection.  We discuss the varietal, the area where it was grown, how it looks, smells and tastes, the wine making process, how the wine would change if grown in another region, and food pairings.  Every week, we show different wines so guests always try something new.

We encourage our students to taste wine methodically in detail.  Tasting wine rather than just drinking it increases our appreciation of the wine.    To new students, this process may seem repetitive, but it becomes a subconscious habit.  Soon each class member is participating in discussion of the wine, regardless of personal preference.  I encourage students to keep a journal of the wines they taste.

DO AN IN-HOME TASTING  – follow these steps to evaluate wine

Prepare for a Tasting

The ideal tasting room is free of tobacco, food and perfume smells.  The palate should be  by unaffected by tobacco, food, coffee, gum or toothpaste.  When tasting at FLOW, each student tastes with a clease glass with a rounded bowl that is large enough to swirl the wine.  The sides slope inwards to concentrate the aromas and the stem allows us to hold the glass without warming the wine.

Appearance
Hold your glass again a piece of white paper.  What color is the wine?

Nose
Smell the wine.  Swirl it in the glass to release as many molecules as possible.  (Go ahead and stick your nose in the glass.)    What do you smell?  Fruit?  Spice?  Earth?

Palate
Tasting is a subjective matter.  Our sensitivities to sweetness, acidity, tannins and aromas certainly differ.  The tongue can detect the following aspects – bitter, sour (acid), Salt, and sweetness.  Tannins are detected mainly on the gums.  The nose detects the actual fruit aromas.

Length
A balanced, pleasant finish where the flavors linger for several seconds is an indicator of a high quality wine.

Complexity
A great wine is one that has many different flavors.  Wines that have only one or two flavors quickly become boring.

Value
Now that you have looked at all of these factors, you can pass your own judgment on whether or not you like the wine.

Wine is such a fun thing!  Everyone’s palate is different.  What might be a bitter mess to one may be a gem to another.