The Tasting Panel magazine

March 2015

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march 2015  /  the tasting panel  /  45 EDUCATORS F or the average consumer, it takes a lot of knowledge to negotiate the wine aisles at the supermarket or beverage store. If you read the descriptions on the labels, it's easy to see why some folks might end up more confused than when they started. "Muscular . . . firm . . . tight." "Bright . . . accessible . . . well-rounded." "Astringent . . . angular . . . racy." What's all that supposed to mean, anyway? And wouldn't it be nice if people could identify and articulate exactly what it was that made you fall in love with that lovely bottle you opened last weekend? Wente Vineyards believes that the more consumers know about wine, the more confident they'll be when they buy it, taste it and talk about it with friends. They want to help people discover what they love about wine and be able to ask for it by name. To that end, Wente Vineyards has opened up The Winemakers Studio at their estate winery in Livermore, CA. There, visitors can learn to differentiate and describe the aromas and flavors in the glass, learn how wine can be paired with food to make both more delicious and learn how to blend wine that will lift the veil on the winemaker's art. In the Aroma Discovery class, LeeAnn Kaufman, Studio Manager of The Winemakers Studio, says, "The class gives you an opportunity to become more comfortable with what you're smelling in a glass of wine, without being intimidated, because it is your nose and your eyes that see it." On the table in front of her are 30 glasses filled with sensory reminders: Strawberries, marshmallows, peppers, blueberries, melons, bananas, rose petals, shredded coconut and plain old earth are some of the scents available for sniffing, and all of them help make the connection between impressions from the wine to words on the tongue. Participants, who pay $55 for the 90-minute class, sniff some clear liquids that have been doctored with aromas, and they call out what they sense. "Lemons!" one person says. "Honey!" says another. "Apples!" Kaufman writes their impressions on a black- board, and the "students" jot down notes. Then they match up what was sensed in the glass with the items in the glasses on the table. It might sound a little like work, but it pretty quickly turns into fun. WENTE VINEYARDS OPENS UP CONSUMERS' SENSES WITH THE WINEMAKERS STUDIO AT THEIR ESTATE WINERY IN LIVERMORE, CA story and photos by John Curley LeeAnn Kaufman, Studio Manager of The Winemaker Studio at Wente Vineyards, leads an exploration in aroma.

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