Broughton Quarterly - Spring 2009 - (Page 16) food + drink Cork Jes ter TALK THE TALK Spring is in the air and the wine country calls. But don’t dive in like a dabbler. Learn how to find the words and swirl with purpose. “A Jennifer rosen Winner of a James Beard Award for wine writing, Jennifer rosen is the author of “Waiter, There’s a Horse in My Wine” and “The Cork Jester’s Guide to Wine,” both winners of The Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Wine Literature. read her columns and sign up for her weekly newsletter at CorkJester.com. TWINGE OF SOUTH ASIAN MOON fruit, laced with blue truffle…” Where do they get this stuff? You stick your nose in and smell—wine. Maybe other things too, but what are they? How do you find the words? You could just nod knowingly and say, “Well, at this pH level, what do you expect?” No one remembers which pH is which anyway. (Let’s see, if the strip turns blue it’s acid; pink, it’s base. No, wait, blue means base, pink means you’re pregnant.) Start by swirling the wine to release aromas. Then shut your eyes, plunge your nose in, and inhale deeply—no dainty sniffs. Pretend you’re a bloodhound. Take a sip and swish it all around. Breathe in through your mouth to aerate. Breathe out through your nose to activate your retro-nasal route. Spit or swallow, then sigh. Take your time, paying attention to the images and feelings evoked. Write them all down, no matter how bizarre. My notes are full of things like “grandma,” “Band-Aid,” and “spider webs.” If you’re stuck, give your right brain a go. Is the wine sharp or smooth? A high, shrill flute or a rumbling tuba? Dark, stormy night or bright, summer day? We resonate to different metaphors, but starting at opposite ends of any spectrum helps narrow your focus. Another trick is the gimme: in red wines it’s cherry; in white wines it’s apple. But don’t stop there. Is it Golden Delicious? Fuji? Granny Smith? If there’s apple, is there pear? Now you’ve got a pile of notes crammed with feelings, fruits, and improbable things like goat hair. But what good are clues untranslated? This is where classes are invaluable. They’ll teach you the discipline of a system. If it proceeds from fruit to earth to wood, you won’t overlook faint raspberry odor just because smoky oak leads the charge. The best part is cracking the code. How cool to learn that cinnamon, cloves, and other Christmas spices say French oak, while coconut and vanilla mean American. Or a certain tongue-drying effect screams Tuscany. During an introductory course by the Court of Master Sommeliers, I was astounded how quickly newcomers learned to pin down wine. Master Sommelier Doug Frost kept us on course, saying, “First, find three fruits,” to a student who had jumped on whiffs of petrol. If we said oak, he’d say,“French or American? Old, soaked barrels or brand new? What percentage new?” When we placed a wine in the Rhine valley, Frost nudged us to the east bank, saying, “No region but Germany could put in this much flavor at this low alcohol.” This kind of tasting transcends self-conscious stabs at exotic fruits and flowers. If you’re at all interested in wine, I suggest you give it a go. Meanwhile, if you’re at a total loss you can always resort to, “I’d call this wine extremely liquid.” Q THE EDUCATED OENOPHILE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY Wednesday evenings at Los Olivos Café offer a chance to talk shop with local winemakers as they present five selected wines, paired with tempting hors d’oeuvres. A weekly event, “Evening with the Winemaker” is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. No reservations required. $15 per person includes all wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres. Call 805.688.7265 or log onto LosolivosCafe.com. CENTRAL COAST April 30 – May 2, Hospice du Rhône hosts a three-day event regarded as the most important and enjoyable gathering of international Rhône wine producers and enthusiasts in the world. The 2009 event will be held at the Paso Robles Event Center in Paso Robles. For details call 805.784.9543 or see HospiceDuRhone.org. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA April 4, the South Coast Winery in Temecula hosts a day of tutored wine tastings and an educational exploration of the relationship between food and wine. Chef Alessandro Serni and winemaker Jon McPherson will tempt your palate and increase your knowledge of all things wine and cuisine. Call 951-587-9463 Ext. 7210 or visit WineResort.com for more info. 16 broughton Quarterly SPRInG 2009 http://www.CorkJester.com http://www.LosolivosCafe.com http://www.HospiceDuRhone.org http://www.WineResort.com
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