BEFORE JUDGING A WINE, TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT
I was leading a tasting recently where a participant was sampling a wine style she had never tried. The southern Rhône white was rich and textured, relatively low in acidity. Aside from browning pear, there was not a ton of fruit, as is always the case for these wines. She said: “I could never drink this.”
“You mean, you could never drink this as an apéritif,” I replied, making a comparison to cars: both Ferraris and 4 x 4 vehicles are great, but they are not interchangeable.
In as much as a Ferrari would not be the optimal choice driving off-road, southern Rhône whites are not made for sipping by the poolside. Most white-wine novices assume all whites are apéritif wines, but like Chiantis, red Bordeaux or Brunellos, these wines show best when they are served at the table with food. I explained to the taster that with a steak tartare, or a plate of scallops, this “weird” Rhône white would be heavenly.
Her reaction is not unfamiliar to me. Many enthusiasts judge a wine by trying it on its own, without food. I am convinced this is why so many red wines loaded with sugar are popular.
I am talking about the Apothics, Caymus and Lianos of the world. Sugary drinks are easy to drink — which explains why so many cocktails are sweet.
My “wine brain” functions in a different way. When I try a wine for the first time, especially if it is a style that’s new to me, I try to imagine how to best serve it. I try to understand it. I never pass judgment on first sip. I’ll drink my glass.
While I may not like every wine out there, or find a place for it at the table, many of these wine styles have been around for centuries, if not millenniums. If anything hangs around that long, there has to be something good about it.
One of my favourite examples is Retsina. This pine-resininfused white is a bit of a laughing stock in the wine world, even among top sommeliers.
But I challenge any wine to achieve the heights it does when served alongside a plate of tzatziki and fishy Greek entrées. There are many examples of less popular wine styles, which, when served with the right food, will rock. Sweeter-styled Riesling with spicy foods, green pepper infused Cabernet franc with garlic, fruit-challenged and rocky Muscadet with raw oysters. I could go on and on.
In the same way many people look at unadventurous eaters as missing out on so many different textures and flavours, the same goes for wine.
By trying to understand a wine that at first seems weird and jarring, you are training your palate to appreciate different wines, most of which are very deserving of your interest.
Heck, I used to hate Brussels sprouts, too.
Facebook: billzacharkiwwine twitter.com/BillZacharkiw You can hear Bill Zacharkiw pair wine with rock on CHOM-FM (97.7) every Friday at 7:45 a.m.