Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience

Exercise 9.1 201

EXERCISE 9.1

WINE SPICE IDENTIFICATION AND RANKING

For this exercise, I suggest using neutral
white and red jug wines to eliminate any
possible spice character interactions—I
would use a bulk-produced, unoaked
Chardonnay and a bulk-produced Merlot.

OBJECTIVES

To identify and define spice characteris-
tics in white and red wine; to categorize

the type of spice as sweet, savory, or hot;

to assess and rank the level of spiciness

for each wine sample.

Mise en Place: Things to Do Be-

fore the ExerciseReview the sections

of Chapter 9 describing the wine spice

sensations. Assemble the food ingre-

dients, wines, and other materials. Pre-

pare one sample per student (about 1

ounce) of each of the following wine

samples laced with spices as shown in

Table 9.4 and described in step 3 below.

Table 9.4 Wine Samples with Spice for Exercise 9.1

Wines Plain Sweet Savory Hot

White jug wine 1

No spice

2

Nutmeg

3

White pepper

4

Jalapen ̃o

Red jug wine 5

No spice

6

Cinnamon or cardamom

7

Black pepper

8

Cayenne

Table 9.5 Exercise 9.1 Materials

2 white paper placemats per student, with numbered or labeled circles to

place wineglasses (Figures 9.4a and 9.4b)

Crackers to cleanse the palate

1 spit cup per student Napkins

Corkscrew Drinking water for each student

1 copy of the Aroma Wheel per student 8 wineglasses per student

2 copies Figure 9.1 per student

STEPS

1.Purchase the wines.

2.Chill the white wine prior to the tasting.

3.Divide both the white and red wines into four equal parts. One part is to be left plain and not spiced. The remaining three parts
are to be spiced as shown in Table 9.4. The spice levels should be brought to a point where an aroma is detectable to the
knowledgeable wine evaluator. Allow the spiced wines to sit long enough for the flavors to infuse the wine.

4.Set out placemats and wine glasses and distribute the wine samples.