Surprises from the blind wine tasting

By By Stan Torgerson / wine columnist
March 10, 2004
Last fall we had a blind tasting of six red wines. Bottles of cabernet, chianti, merlot, zinfandel, grenache and shiraz were selected and put in brown bags so no one could see the labels and know what they were drinking.
Then the tables competed against each other, tasting the wines and attempting collectively to decide which grape was in their glass. When people at the table reached a consensus, they turned in their slip and we compared it with the still-unknown wine. Then the wines were removed from the bags and we announced which were what.
There were a number of tasters with a great deal of red wine drinking experience. I expected them to do well. I was wrong. The winning table had only two right. One table with at least three of these experts went 0-6. Very embarrassing.
Last month we had a similar tasting, but this time using white wines. We selected six different wines made with different grapes and in all price ranges. After our red wine experience, we said to ourself four right should be good enough to win. Wrong. Two of the eight tables got every one correct. We had to go to a tie breaker to determine the winner.
Now why should it be so much harder to recognize red wines than it is to recognize white ones?
Easy. There are nuances in red wines, but basically there is great similarity from one to the other. Yes, cabernet will be more gutsy. Zinfandel identifies itself with a peppery taste, but so does shiraz. Merlot is more velvety, but grenache is as well. Chianti can taste like a light cabernet. Taste six different reds, one right after each other and the flavors get very difficult to distinguish.
But white wines have personalities and flavors all their own. There are some similarities, but basically an experienced wine taster will have a much easier time picking one from the other. Chardonnay is fruity. Sauvignon blanc has a strong citrus taste, particularly lemon.
Riesling, particularly German rieslings, have a Granny Smith apple flavor. Gewurztraminer has a spicy flavor. Pinot gris is tricky because it approaches the chardonnay's freshness and fruit, but with a slight difference. A white burgundy has more depth than chardonnay but not as much fruit.
We provided broad generic descriptions of the wines similar to the notes above. Based on those notes and some give and take table talk, the tasters did very well. Admittedly, most of them were more familiar with chardonnay than the others. But when you tell them a gewurztraminer has a taste of spice in the wine, it jumps out of the glass at you. Also, how do you miss a Granny Smith apple? If you learn a German riesling tastes like that, it is very hard to miss.
So what did we learn? We learn that white wine flavors run from sweet to dry, from fruit to butterscotch, from austere to strong personalities.
And frankly, that tells us white wine lovers owe more to themselves than just the habit of buying chardonnay. There are some wonderful wines out there that deserve to be tasted. Experimentation is fun and you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you discover. If you're inclined to pairing the proper wines with food you'll learn that sauvignon blanc makes a far better accompaniment to oysters, fish and other seafood than chardonnay.
Gewurztraminer is made to be served with spicy Asian cuisine. German riesling is backyard sipping at its best particularly with fruit or cheese. Chardonnay pairs nicely with chicken or turkey, but not with duck. Duck calls for a light red wine.
The same is true of red wine, of course. You're familiar with the old adage of red wine with red meat, but that doesn't mean all types of red wine. A big powerful cabernet simply won't do with vealm, but a pinot noir will and so will a light merlot. Chianti, of course, marries Italian foods well but so does a nice sangiovese or barbaresco. Zinfandel complements barbecue and almost any type of red wine can be paired with hamburgers.
The right wine with the right food makes your dinner parties different from the others. You'll be both proud and pleased.
March wine, cheese tasting
The response has been phenomenal and we already have a short waiting list. But no reservation is considered confirmed until payment has been received, and I'm confident some of these early reservations will become available.
The tasting will feature six unusual cheeses from all around the world paired with the proper wines. None of this cheese is available in Mississippi. Some will be from France, Switzerland, Spain or other countries, especially selected by our New Orleans cheesemaster. A ticket is $40.
The tasting will be at Northwood Country Club as usual. The date is March 25. You do not have to be a member to come. Call 482-0930 to make your reservation and send your check to Wines Unlimited, P.O. Box 5223, Meridian, MS. These wine and cheese tastings are highlights of the year, thus the demand. Next week we'll tell you about the specific cheeses to be served.