Originally Posted by
kipper
I think that is part of 1P's complaint. The winemakers and wineries say, "This is what you should taste," when what 1P tastes may not be what you taste, and I may taste something different than both of you.
While true, it's sort of not. During a formal tasting, you don't really use "poetic" descriptors because 1/2 the people won't know what the hell you're talking about.
That's the nice fluffy stuff that goes on the back of the label for marketing and driving of sales.
While taste/perception is subjective, there is a point in which people are just wrong.
We can perceive the sky to be blue, but if someone says it's green, they're just wrong. The same way say if someone says that they're getting red fruit flavours from a white wine, which won't be in a wine unless if added chemically. It's simply not in the profile of a white grape. Yes there are some thing that could go either way (minerality) and also somethings I personally struggle with like minerality or flowers in a red wine, but there is a limit.
Check out Taste Buds and Molecules if you REALLY want to dive deep into that. Was helpful for me in being able to justify why certain pairings worked, but felt like I needed a chemistry degree, which I don't have.
Originally Posted by
FLYMSY
+1👍
Black leather!?! I can’t distinguish the difference between the taste of black leather and brown leather. Woe is me!
”Dirty cranberry on the nose”??? I’ve never smelled a dirty cranberry. Something else to add to my bucket list.
There might be a difference, perhaps if a different type of animal is used? No idea.
As for dirty cranberry, I think of a cranberry with a bit of dirt that hasn't been washed.
It's mainly used for marketing to sell a wine and try to paint a picture in your head to give you an idea.
If I say "this wine smells like "fresh blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and cherry with a hint of smoke, vanilla, cedar and dry mud" the picture in your mind should be very different compared to "ripe yellow apple, peach, lemon, yoghurt and butter with a bit of oak". Taste could/should be along the same lines, but is not always the case.
After a while you learn how a wine is made and why you're more likely to pick up certain things in one type of wine vs another type of wine.
The WSET courses from super beginner to extremely advanced are designed to assist people interested in learning about wine to do so. I am more curious to hear thoughts from descriptor critics about the system used in that wine education. Does it create a good or difficult framework? Does it provide or not a system that helps you compare notes with others? etc.....
It's good to help paint a picture in your mind as well as when describing it to others. Also to assess, if the wine is any good.
Simple wines may not have much going on, but be enjoyable.
On the other hand you could have a well made wine, not enjoy it but recognize it's not your thing. Case and point, me and natural wines. I've only had a few that are ok for me to have more than 1 glass.
Originally Posted by
kipper
I think he is scared to make a mistake, hence asking. Unfortunately, in PA, owner operated wine shops are challenging to find, unless they only have one winery.
We all make mistakes. Life is short. Why stress?
When you get serious about it, you learn where you went wrong and adapt.
Although by that point, you start to hate wine a bit and wonder why you're bothering to do the examinations and certifications...
I didn't pass my somm exam (yes it sucks not to mention the $$$) the first time but learned from my mistakes, concentrated on making sure my weaknesses were improved and then passed the 2nd time. With that being said, even though I passed, there are still a lot of things I need to improve on.
It's a life long pursuit.
Even if you're not hardcore and casual about it, you learn over time. Those of us that do exams, we don't do it after trying 10 wines, we've spent a LOT of time, tasting, studying and serving. You get better as you "practice" more. I wouldn't say it necessarily difficult (especially if you do it as your job), but it requires a lot of time and effort.
Originally Posted by
darthbimmer
One of the challenges is knowing who the audience is. Many tastings IME are geared toward more sophisticated wine drinkers. Jargon which that audience understands is confusing and a turn-off to novices. Similarly, fine differences between wines may be interesting to advanced customers but beyond the understanding of novices. And certain kinds of wine, like cabernet sauvignon, take a bit more of a developed palate to appreciate. When I'm selecting wines for a party I make very different choices depending on whether I'm entertaining novice or experienced drinkers. Both types of crowds generally like what I pick for them.
Jargon (like slang) is in every type of industry. I'm not going to talk to someone about brix and ph levels that is asking me for a cheap pinot grigio.
Keep it simple and play to your audience. It's about them and not about making your own personal ego feel better.
As we were always told in our class "Look after your guest"
A lot of the tastings I go to (non-trade) are for wine noobs. Which is ok and I can still enjoy the wine, but I hate when people expect me to give a long and detailed tasting note, when in reality there's not much to go on.
When in doubt, serve Champagne.