Scientist ‘nose’ her wine
Alex Behan talks to expert bouquet-sniffer Dr Rebecca Deed about how to improve your wine-tasting skills.
Ever see someone swirling wine round in their glass, inhaling deeply with their eyes gently closed, and think to yourself, what an absolute tool? No fool, it’s you who are the tool. The nose is where all the flavour is.
The palate is restricted to the basics. Sweet, salty, acidity, bitterness, and umami.
However, the nose is a more complex beast and smell is the only sense that can truly appreciate a wine. Just ask a scientist such as Dr Rebecca Deed.
‘‘In terms of actual volume, less than 5 per cent of wine is aroma compound. It’s mostly water, of course, then alcohol, but there are thousands of different aroma compounds. You only need a minuscule amount, nanograms, or sometimes micrograms, per litre to detect it.
‘‘Because of that, and because we have thousands of olfactory receptors that are specific to a single molecule, we detect the complexity of wine in our nose.
‘‘When you put it in your mouth, the aromas go back up into your nose from the heat, but it’s still smelling.’’
Deed holds a PhD in biological sciences, and has been teaching on the Auckland University wine science programme since 2014. Her background is in plant science and she lectures in viticulture, wine microbiology and sensory evaluation. She’s also a wine-taster, making her an outlier in that particular field.
‘‘I guess it’s unusual for an academic to also be a wine judge. It’s not the norm. Winemakers in the industry make up the predominant number of senior judges.’’
She’s one of 17 judges of the New World Wine Awards this year, which means swirling
120 glasses a day for three days straight.
Local and international wines priced under $25 compete for gold, silver and bronze in the awards.
Deed understands wine-tasting has its own stereotypes. Her scientific way of thinking and describing wine gives her credibility in a world that may seem whimsical to some.
‘‘You have to be very thorough and not too subjective. Objectivity is key, trying to describe the wine in terms that other people can understand.’’
She says cliches abound in the world of wine, which is heavy with jargon and overused vocabulary.
‘‘There are a lot of definitions that can mean the same thing, and it’s very easy to just use those. They make you sound pretentious, whether it’s intentional or not.’’
There are other traps for beginners. ‘‘Some of my students start writing characters that don’t work with the wine, because they think it should be a certain way. For example, not all rose has strawberries and cream but, because it’s pink, you immediately trick your mind into thinking that it’s always present.
‘‘If the colour was blocked and it was in a black glass, you wouldn’t even think of saying strawberries and cream. You might say white peach, or lemon zest, or orange blossom. Your sight, the appearance of the wine, has a huge psychological impact.’’
Wine-tasting is something Deed encourages everyone to try, and believes anyone can be good – if they apply themselves.
‘‘Writing notes is key. Even if you feel silly, if you’re with mates, write down some tasting notes and it’ll help you become a good taster.
‘‘Practise. Concentration. Practise again. Go around smelling different things. Smell your fruit bowl, smell leather. Get these descriptors in your mind of aromas that are in wine.’’
It may surprise you to learn that wine-tasters have to stay in shape. Deed judges at three or four competitions a year, but is constantly sampling.
‘‘All of us do a lot of shows, so that keeps us on our toes so we’re always primed. I teach wine evaluation labs both semesters for my course, so we’re going through that process all the time.
‘‘I also judge wines at home with my family, we do little tastings. We rate them the same way, with the 100-point systems, just like with the New World Wine Awards.’’
The results aren’t out until October, and because the tests are entirely blind, she has no idea what she’s been tasting, but she knows what stood out to her finely-tuned senses.
‘‘Roses were excellent this year. There was diversity in style. You had the onion skin, dryer, French-style roses, then the beautiful medium pink styles. I was impressed with those.’’
This year, local chardonnay surpassed sauvignon blanc in sheer number of entries, equalling pinot noir to lead across all categories.
‘‘Chardonnay is always strong from New Zealand. This year was no exception. Really strong wines.’’
She’s also always on the lookout for new trends, and expects one, in particular, to rise here.
‘‘Albarino. It’s a variety from Spain. New Zealand vineyards are now seeing plantations of Albarino and winemakers are embracing that as the new white style.
‘‘In a similar category as a pinot gris or a sauvignon blanc, it’s an alternative to the fresh, zesty style, but with lovely mouthfeel and weight. [They have] peaches and pears and a lovely almost salty brininess to them like oyster shells. It matches so well with food because it is really savoury. It’s so delicious.’’