Yes, You Have a Palate

Not all Cabernet Sauvignons taste the same. If they did, it would all come in milk cartons. To me, the only reason to drink wine is to experience to complexities of flavors, textures and aromas each delivers. The question is how do you know there are differences? Our palate; something we all have. Like anything else done for enjoyment, training is the key. Here’s your guide for your own personal palate training program: This is the part where I use one of my $3 words and Ipromise not to get technical ever again – Olfaction– our sense of smell. Did you know that our senses of smell and memory areas of our brains are closely related? We’ve all had an experience when we smelled something and it reminded us of another time and place. To me, smelling a freshly cut pine tree is instant Christmas. Our sense of smell can bring up both good and bad experiences that help us to identify a smell. Taste- Better known in the wine and cooking world as your palate. There are four areas on your tongue that help identify different tastes you experience. Sweet, sour, salt and bitter identifier taste buds are also enhanced by supertasters in each region. Your palate will also detect textures – what’s known as mouth feel. Mouth feel is important in wines. Tannins in the wine can produce a multitude of textures or structure in the wine: Chalky, astringent, soft, layered. If all you had to do is taste an overripe banana it wouldn’t be so bad. But when you put that slimy bite in your mouth… It’s all part of the overall impression of a wine that makes you go back for more or pour it down the drain. Visual- The color and clarity of wine is important. Red or white, the clarity and color help our brains to determine if the wine is going to worthwhile or not. There’s a lot of chemistry involved; something I will, for good reason, will not tackle in this forum! It’s supposed to fun after all!! Descriptors – This term is used in the wine world often. It captures the words used to describe the wine’s aromas, tastes, textures and colors. Wine is made from grapes but you rarely taste the “grape” in the wine. Good descriptors -For reds, it’s about cherries, blueberries, licorice, mint and even leather. For whites, it’s peaches, apples, nectarines, honeysuckle and jasmine. Bad descriptors –burnt rubber, diaper pail and barnyard. Keep in mind; this is the tip of the descriptor iceberg. There are thousands. Your palate training will be simple. Be aware of smells and tastes you experience. Good and bad. Now, grab a bottle of wine and pour aglass. What does it look like in the glass? If it’s white, is it clear or cloudy? If it’s red, how deep is the color? Spend some time gently swirling the wine in the glass, smell, swirl, smell. Close your eyes and let the aroma identify itself to you. Now, taste. Let the wine settle on your tongue a moment. Swish it around before you swallow. Again, let the taste identify itself. This is your wine experience, your descriptors. You might be very surprised at the results! The more you take the time to breakdown the aromas and tastes of each wine, the better trained your palate becomes. Plus, it’s fun! Make sure you’ve got a few folks around for two reasons: 1) it’s depressing to drink alone and 2) you can exchange your opinions. Believe it or not, this can help with palate training as well. You might agree with aromas others found that you didn’t- all part of the identification process. There are many other, more sophisticated, ways of palate training and I’m sure I’ll get panned for this simple method. But, hey, you’re not looking to impress party crowds with flowery interpretations of what a wine should be. You’re looking to enjoy the wine you drink. I once tasted with a superb winemaker who described a particular Cabernet as “cow pie with a cherry on top”. I couldn’t wait to taste it! It was hideous! She made good on her claim and it was all part of my palate training. Taste on!