Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience

112 Chapter 5 The Impact of Sweetness and Acidity Levels in Wine and Food

EXERCISE 5.1

RANKING SWEETNESS LEVELS IN WINE

This exercise is designed to establish
baseline measures of sweetness levels in
wines ranging from bone dry to very
sweet. The table below provides exam-
ples for white wines and red wines.
Eighty-five percent of all red wines fall
into the dry category. Thus, it may be eas-
ier to obtain white wines with a range of
sweetness. The white wine suggestions
are those shown in the Wine Sensory An-
chor Scale (Figure B.2).
The numerical values on the Wine
Sensory Anchor Scale are intended to
provide you with a baseline to work with
as you learn to assess sweetness in wine,
but across these suggested wines, the
level of sweetness may vary depending
on the climate, the region where the
grapes were grown, and the techniques /
preferences of the winemaker (the earlier
discussions of climate zones, differences

between Old World and New World, and

traditions is applicable here). For exam-

ple, while the Wine Sensory Anchor Scale

indicates that Chardonnay will have a nu-

merical value of about 2 on the dryness

scale, it could range from somewhere be-

tween 1 to 3. The same is true for the

other wine suggestions. Also, your per-

ception of sweetness will vary depending

on the wine selection, temperature at

which it is assessed, your individual abil-

ities in assessing residual sugar, and

other interacting elements such as alco-

hol level, glycerin content, and acidity

level.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objectives are to identify dif-

ferences in sweetness levels in white and

red wines and to establish a numerical

baseline for reliable future assessment.

This exercise also provides experience in

wine evaluation as a whole and evalua-

tion of sweetness in particular.

Mise en Place: Things to Do Be-

fore the ExercisePrior to evaluation,

become familiar with the numerical ex-

amples shown in the Wine Sensory An-

chor Scale (Figure B.2). Keep this scale

and an aroma wheel at your side as a ref-

erence during the evaluation process.

While this exercise focuses on sweet-

ness, don’t miss this opportunity to do an

informal evaluation of the other elements

in each wine sample.

MATERIALSNEEDED

Table 5.5 Materials Needed for Exercise 5.1

1 white paper placemat per student with

numbered circles to place wineglasses (Figures

2.4a, 2.4b)

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 6 (or 12 if both whites and red wines are used)

wineglasses per student

Tasting instruction sheets for each student 1 (or 2) blank tasting form: wine sweetness only

Description White Wine Suggestions

Red Wine Suggestions

(optional)

Bone dry (numerical 0–1) Sparking wine (brut) Barolo

Dry (numerical 2–3) Chardonnay Cabernet Sauvignon

Medium-dry (numerical 3–4) Gewu ̈rztraminer Shiraz

Medium-sweet (numerical 5–6) White Zinfandel Late-harvest Zinfandel

Sweet (numerical 7–8) Sauternes Cabernet Franc ice wine

Very sweet (numerical 9–10) Cream Sherry Port