Throughout my life, I have been considered a jack-of-all-trades
type of guy, but as the saying goes, master of none.
Throughout my life, I have been considered a jack-of-all-trades type of guy, but as the saying goes, master of none.
My palate is no different. I would describe my palate as being a little above average. That mediocrity does not deter me from trying or experimenting with new foods and beverages.
The other day, I met some friends at the Good Life Cafe in downtown Morgan Hill. We had decided to catch some bluegrass music that was being played in an almost impromptu fashion by local musicians.
The cafe also serves wine and beer in addition to great coffee and teas. We decided to order a bottle of zinfandel to start the evening, one that I had not tried before.
After a few sips, an aroma in the wine kept popping into my head. I commented to a friend, “Wow, I think I sense some asparagus!” I was not joking.
Ann Noble, a scientist with the University of California, Davis, developed a tool in the mid-1980s to help categorize flavors in wine. This has become known as the wine aroma wheel or Davis wheel.
Noble teaches sensory evaluation. So for her, it makes sense to describe wine in scientifically precise terms.
When creating the wine aroma wheel, Noble believed that a wine taster with minimal sensory training and experience could recognize and unambiguously report to another person of similar skills various flavors in wine, without using ambiguous terms like heavy, flinty, ponderous or elegant.
The original wine aroma wheel was broken down into 132 words or phrases to help standardize the wine taster’s lexicon in scientific, objective terms.
At the core of the wheel, there are major categories such as vegetative, earthy, chemical, fruity, spicy, floral, caramelized, wood and microbiological. These categories are then subdivided and even further divided under each subcategory.
For example, fruity gets subdivided into dried fruit, tropical fruit, tree fruit, berry and citrus. In dried fruit, one would find prune, raisin and fig.
In berry, one would find strawberry, blackberry and raspberry. In citrus, one would find lemon, grapefruit and orange.
Other examples: Floral gets divided into violet, geranium, rose, jasmine and terpene. Spicy gets divided into mint, licorice, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper.
The chemical category is divided into sulfur, petroleum, papery and pungent.
Tar, plastic, diesel, onion, burnt match, cardboard, soapy and even wet dog can be found on this spectrum.
I cannot imagine the back of a wine label stating “this bordeaux blend has a forward berry flavor, combined with hints of fish, rubber and ethanol that round out its sanitation yard mouth feel.”
I was somewhat relieved to find asparagus in the subcategory of vegetative, along with green olive, black olive, artichoke and green beans.
Because I lack a notably refined palate, I look to the aroma wheel to spark recognition. I also seek the opinions of others to help me notice certain characteristics in wine.
I can more readily discover the hidden flavors or aroma in wine when discussing this with friends.
I was sipping a syrah once and sensed a flavor that was very familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Figuratively and literally, it was on the tip of my tongue.
Someone threw out the word bacon, and it all came to light at that moment! Bacon is not found on the aroma wheel, but the taste was definitely present in the wine.
One word of caution: Do not get caught up with waxing on endlessly about the nuances of each wine you taste. Most people find this intimidating and boring.
It also takes away from the enjoyment factor. Why are we drinking wine in the first place?
In future columns, we will continue to explore fun ways in which you can strengthen your palate and detect subtleties in wine.
As a reminder, you can reach me at wi**********@***oo.com if you have any questions or thoughts on wine.
Before I sign off for the last time in 2005, please let me extend my best wishes to everyone for a joyous New Year! Stay safe on the roads, and use good judgment by not drinking and driving.
Cheers!
