Drink This Now ! Lesson 1: Why We Drink Wine with Meals and How Food Alters the Taste Perception of Wine

Tasting -     Bellini Chianti 2014

What To Do:

1.       When I first opened the wine I found it to have an oaky and musty aroma.  The color was a vibrant ruby red color.   No fruit flavors were noted. However, I did pick up smoky and tobacco flavors.  This wine had medium body and left a spicy aftertaste in my mouth.  Mouth puckering experience at the first sip and tart.

me sniffing the wine

2.       Two Hours Later after letting the wine “open up” leaving cork off to get oxygen in the smoky and tobacco aroma was still present but less powerful than when I first opened it.  I still did not note any fruit taste. The body of the wine is medium, and tannins softened a bit and not as much of a mouth puckering feel.

3.       With Wine & Cheese – Parmesan I still detected a smoky taste but also picked up some jammy (plum) undertones.  It also made the cheese creamy and gave a smoother finish and less mouth puckering dryness and softer tannins.  I also tried it with swish cheese, and it did create a similar experience, but I also detected a slightly nutty aftertaste.

4.       With dried cured salami the wine extenuated the spiciness in the salami. The meat and wine created a different taste that included a peppery flavor.  I still noted smoky and tobacco flavors.  I also tried it with asparagus and found this also changed the flavor to a spicy and slightly peppery flavor. 

5.       I left the wine out overnight (uncorked) and found the wine took on a more earthy and musty aroma.   I still detected smoky and tobacco undertones, but did not pick up any fruit scent.  The body of the wine was still medium body. The taste was more of a mushroom, musty and slightly peppery.  Tannins were softer and the wine tasted more balanced and less mouth puckering tartness.

Below is the chart I completed from Lesson 1: