Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience

Exercise 2.2 37

MATERIALSNEEDED

Select wine samples for each of the varietals listed below:

Table 2.4 Materials for Exercise 2.2

Body Style White (Wine choice) Red (Wine Choice)

Light Riesling Pinot Noir

Medium Sauvignon

Blanc

Merlot

Full Chardonnay Cabernet

Sauvignon

1 white paper placemat per student with

numbered circles to place wineglasses

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 6 wineglasses per student

1 glossary of wine terms per student 1 tasting instruction sheet for each student

STEPS

1.Buy the wines.

2.Set up the glasses using the placemats (Figures 2.4a, b) in the following order:

3.Open the wines and pour about one-ounce servings in number order. To maintain a proper temperature in whites, you may
want to pour each wine individually or group them by whites and then reds for initial evaluation.

4.Following the wine evaluation sheet outline (Figure 2.2 or Figure 2.3), complete the information for each wine: wine type/
category, wine producer, vintage, date, and temperature.

5.Taste the wines in number order. Make sure all tasters are working quietly on each wine sample.

6.Using the tasting instructions, aroma wheel, and glossary at the end of the text, take notes about your personal observations
in order to train yourself to recognize the wine’s characteristics.

TASTING INSTRUCTIONS

WHITEWINES

Riesling (Number 1)

●Sight.Visually inspect the wine. What is the color and clarity? The typical color of Riesling is pale yellow-green.

●Swirl and smell.Inspect the viscosity and smell the aroma (follow the nosing instructions). What aromas can you identify?
Close your eyes and smell the sample; write down any descriptive associations that you pick up. These may be typical

Table 2.5 Six Wine Varietals in Ascending Order

1 2 3 4 5 6

Riesling Sauvignon

Blanc

Chardonnay Pinot

Noir

Merlot Cabernet

Sauvignon