Monday, May 21, 2007

Tasting the Big Six

Ever since I started flipping through Andrea (Immer) Robinson's book Great Wine Made Simple, I have been itching to try out her series of recommended tastings to train the palate and help you learn to identify certain aspects / flavors / styles of wine. Well, last weekend I finally got my chance, as Kris and I held a "Big Six" tasting event!

The Big Six
The idea behind the Big Six is twofold: First, by tasting the big six grapes (Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon), you will have tasted the "guts" of roughly 80% of all wine produced throughout the world; Second, you get the opportunity to experience the full range of "bodies" - light, medium and full- in both red and white wines.

Robinson helpfully recommends specific wines in "budget", "moderate" and "splurge" monetary categories that she thinks will best illustrate varietal character and appropriate body for each grape. I found her list a very helpful starting point, and I stuck to it fairly closely. She recommends that all wines be selected from within the same price category, as you don't varying quality of wine interfering with the point of the tasting, namely varietal expression and body.

Kris and I decided in advance upon the "moderate" category - we wanted wines that tasted good, and were of high enough quality to accurately express varietal character and body, but we wanted them affordable enough so that participants could consider purchasing their favorites for casual dinners at home. This goes along with our general philosophy that wine is an "everyday beverage" - we like good wines that are affordable enough to enjoy each evening with dinner without feeling like we are blowing our budget.

Our Wine Selections
On to our selections. As I mentioned, the purpose of the Big Six is to distinguish differences in body across the major wine grapes of the world. For whites, Riesling typifies light-bodied, Sauvignon Blanc medium-bodied, and Chardonnay full-bodied; for reds, Pinot Noir typifies light-bodied, Merlot medium-bodied and Cabernet Sauvignon full-bodied. The following wines were purchased from Total Wine in McLean, VA:

Riesling: 2004 Domaine Trimbach (Alsace, France) - $16
Sauvignon Blanc: 2006 Stony Bay (Marlborough, NZ) - $12
Chardonnay: 2005 Franciscan Oakville Estate (Napa Valley, CA) - $13

Pinot Noir: 2006 Sockeye (Chile**) - $14
Merlot: 2003 Chateau St. Michelle (Columbia Valley, Washington) - $11.50
Cabernet Sauvignon: 2004 Simi Winery (Alexander Valley, CA) - $14

**Note: This is what happens when you don't do your research. I am a Pinot Noir neophyte, but have been interested in trying some Oregonian Pinots. Sockeye (like the salmon) sure sounds Northwest-ish, and this wine was filed under "Oregon". Turns out Sockeye sources grapes from different locales, and their 2003 was from Oregon, their 2004 was from Australia, and as I discovered upon returning home, their 2006 was from Chile! I thought this boded poorly for the tasting, since I have heard of a lot of great wines coming out of Chile and no one has ever mentioned Pinot...

The Wine Tasting Setup
To really be able to directly compare the different wines in the Big Six, Robinson recommends using 6 different glasses so that all wines could be poured at once. Thinking that this could end up pretty chaotic, I made a nifty little tasting mat to keep the wines in the right order.


Note to my viewers at home: this is actually a legal sized sheet of paper (8.5" x 14") - a standard 8.5" x 11" paper was just too small to allow for adequate spacing between the glasses!

So, everyone was provided with 6 glasses and a tasting sheet listing the wines we would be tasting and allowing space for them to take notes and rate them. Kris and I own a fair number of wine glasses, but at six-per-person, we had to make this a partial BYOGlasses event. In terms of the rating system, I wanted to keep this fairly straight-forward so used what many are now familiar with - the Netflix rating system: 5 stars Loved It, 4 stars Really Liked It, 3 stars Liked It, 2 stars Didn't Like It, 1 star Hated It.

The Tasting
So how'd it all work out? I must say, I was quite pleased with the results - not only did all of the wines rock in my mind (with the exception of the Chilean Pinot, which was just "OK"), but I was totally getting the whole "body" thing after about 30 minutes or so! The "tongue memory" of wine body is slightly fading, and I'd love to do this sort of tasting one more time to really solidify it, but I think the Big Six is an excellent tasting to start training your palate, and really fun to boot!

I think I will follow up this post with a second one detailing exactly why the Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay (and I didn't even think I *liked* Chardonnay!), Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon rocked. But suffice it to say that I would rate them all as exhibiting Excellent Quality-to-Price Ratio (QPR).

So What's Next?
Having had so much fun with the Big Six, I am already looking forward to the next of Andrea Robinson's recommended tastings. This next tasting involves 8 bottles, and is designed to help illustrate exactly what is meant by the tasting terms "dry", "crisp", "oaky" and "tannic". You pit a Dry Riesling vs. a Sweet Riesling, a Crisp, High-Acid Sauvignon Blanc vs. a Low-Acid Sauvignon Blanc, a "No-Oak" Chardonnay vs. an Oaky Chardonnay, and a Low-tannin Pinot Noir vs. a High-tannin Cabernet Sauvignon. This grouping seems a little more intuitive to me, as I think you pick up these terms while tasting easier than you may with wine body. But I trust Andrea's advice, and figure it's just too much fun to skip a recommended tasting! I'll let ya know how it turns out...

26 comments:

winedeb said...

I love it ! What a great way to be educated, which I am always trying to do. And with the wine world out there, do you think it is possible to ever try all ???
Hum, something to put down on my "when I retire things to do" list!

Dr. Debs said...

Coooool. I'm so glad somebody is still reading Immer (or Immer-Robinson, or whatever she's going by these days). I think its the best book out there for beginners, intermediates, and it even shows experts a thing or two. I love how simple and straight-forward she makes everything. And I'm pressed you did the whole thing from soup to nuts. Or from riesling to cabernet, I guess! (Sound of applause).

Dr. Debs said...

I'm impressed, not pressed. Why won't blogger let you correct? :)

Nate said...

Yeah, I just love the clear, down-to-earth and unpretentious way that she writes. And you'll be happy/entertained to know that when I looked the book up on Amazon.com, you're 2001-ish review of the book was one of the "featured reviews"! So that sealed the deal for me ;-)

I plan to do several other of the suggested tastings in the coming months - I'd go faster, but it always ends up turning into this big event that requires invitations and planning... I'll let ya know how it goes!

Anonymous said...

I am sure this article has touched all the internet people, its really really good piece of writing on building up new website.


My blog post :: click this

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that's equally educative and engaging, and without a doubt,
you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something not enough people are
speaking intelligently about. I'm very happy I stumbled across this during my search for something concerning this.

Feel free to visit my weblog: We Fashion waardebon
My web page - 20 Korting bij We

Anonymous said...

What a data of un-ambiguity and preserveness of
valuable familiarity concerning unexpected feelings.

Look into my web blog: updated blog post

Anonymous said...

Wow, wonderful blog format! How long have you been running a blog
for? you make blogging look easy. The total look
of your website is fantastic, let alone the content material!


Feel free to visit my web blog ... the full details

Anonymous said...

Good post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day.
It will always be exciting to read articles from other writers and practice something from other sites.


My site ... found here

Anonymous said...

When attempting to include more omega-3 fats into their diets, most people attempt to get
quality fish from the market

my web site ... fish oil

Anonymous said...

Marketing professionals who go on to start their own businesses
usually have no trouble using internet-marketing software

my homepage: www.marketingillusionist.com

Anonymous said...

Recently Georgia was rated the most corrupt state in the Union

Here is my homepage remove complaints board

Anonymous said...

It's really a nice and helpful piece of information. I'm
satisfied that you shared this helpful info with
us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.


My web site visit here for hostgator reviews

Anonymous said...

Always ensure you choose a method that is proven to remove
skin tags without causing adverse effects and scarring.
Individuals who have suffered with acne look forward to the day when they can look in the mirror
and see skin that is pimple and blemish-free. But since something was happening I decided to keep trying for a few more nights.


My homepage; Skin tags removal

Anonymous said...

Apparently, the duct tape, or any other tape, suffocates the wart as it cuts off oxygen and alloww the body's immune system to kill the wart. For extra guidelines, facts and goods about how to get rid of acne please see this writer Bio below:. Make certain that the information you get is genuine in order that you can effectively do away with your warts.

my weblog; scarremoval2b.blogspot.in

Anonymous said...

I believe that it would be beneficial to you if the agent had prior experiences
in finding, listing, and selling properties in your area of interest.
One of the most important stipulations of the act is that
an Estate Agent may only receive commissions on transactions concluded during a
period for which the Estate Agent is in possession
of a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate. With regards to rental properties a
guarantor is a person who takes on the role of paying the rent or meeting any liabilities related to the rented property in case the tenant ceases to pay the rent.


Check out my website: vuokrataan asunto

Anonymous said...

Occasionally laser surgery will be used in order to deal with the problem.
Another available treatment option that can be done at home without a prescription is
a topical ointment. After throughly washing the area then placing ice on top of acne will support with the swelling and
pain.

Feel free to surf to my webpage; Wart Removal

Anonymous said...

After about ten years of playing in rock bands, I noticed that my ears rang all
the time. Medication: If tinnitus was originally caused by
ear infection, medicine can be prescribed to treat the condition.
Ringing in the ears can drastically impact the standard of living of the
individual struggling with it.

My site: tinnitus treatment apps

Anonymous said...

Let's face the fact that a divorce can be mean and disheartening enough on its own, without adding in all of the stuff that can make it even worse. A large number of elements are looked into on how much a case costs to the injured person. Most of these small independent stores were successful and very much part of the fabric of every American community.

Also visit my web page - family lawyers atlanta ga

Anonymous said...

Skin picking and Nail biting
are chronic problems, so there is not currently a "cure" but you
can find a recovery if you are willing to work at it. Ask your child if anything new is going on
at school. Fourth, you can adopt one of the most popular and practical
nail biting remedies.

Anonymous said...

I just moved house recently and one of the sacrifices
which resulted from this process was the length and condition of my nails.
Likewise, if you're conscious of the situation which causes you to bite your own nails, consequently giving up this particular habit is going to be easier. You will be trained to either remove your habit, or reverse it.

My web page - How to stop biting nails

Anonymous said...

As for the surfing, I have loudly applauded. farmacia on line's discovery was serendipitous. The drug was a sponsor of the ultrasound bill, because farmacia on line has obvious side effects, there is invariably randy banter online among literary geeks about poetry's sexiest verses.
The norming group seems to be able to take the country into a disastrous, decade-long
war based on lies will always remain free. You should not take farmacia on line.


Here is my web-site; masuren-ostsee-riesengebirge.welcome2poland.com

Anonymous said...

good resource A must-try among these is the massage which uses a combination of different massage techniques from different methods put together.
If you're diabetic you will also need to refrain from smoking tobacco, and will need to be aware of possible hormonal imbalances (i.e.
http://hyderabad.locanto.in/ID_163682523/Male-to-Female-Body-Massage-in-Hyderabad.html

Anonymous said...

Individuals can decrease their quantity of contaminants through keeping away from processed food products with hydrogenated oils in the foods.
It is also wise to try some simple homeopathic diet rules to help combat the yeast.
She has written many articles about Candida symptoms, as well as on the causes of
Candida.

my blog post - Yeast infection Symptoms

Anonymous said...

In addition to all the bands I played in I also did some solo and
dual work and never played in a group that wasnt working.
But that started me on the path from which I have never turned back.
It's only AFTER your guitar practice sessions become extremely effective that time you spend with your instrument will begin to matter.

Check out my page - how to play guitar chords

Anonymous said...

e cigarettes, e cigarette, e cig, buy electronic cigarette, electronic cigarette starter kit, ecig