I'm going to provide a basic overview of the major winevarietals, how to recognize them, and what to expect from a tasting. I'llprovide more in-depth coverage of the individual varietals as a follow up. I'llstart with the reds.
There are six or seven major grape varietals. Three reds:pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah. Three whites: Sauvignon Blanc,Chardonnay, and Riesling. Merlot is the seventh, but it gets lumped in withcabernet in the "taxonomy."
For our first tastings, I used: Mirassou 2008 Pinot Noir ($7-8); Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon ($8-9);Cline 2007 Syrah ($9-10). Fetch three glasses, pour samples side by side byside, line them up, and proceed. Remember, if this process doesn't work as wellas you'd like…simply refill and start again.
We begin with Pinot Noir, the lightest red. Swirl and take abig sniff. The nose is generally soft and fragrant. You'll often smell flowersand cherries. The taste mirrors the noselight and delicate. The finish tendsto be soft, especially in comparison to the other reds. Wine folks greatlyappreciate pinot because the flavors are subtle and complex. Pinot's flavorsalso change and intensify as you drink. After the first taste of the Mirassou,wait a minute and then take a second sipthe flavor and finish becomes almostchocolatey at the end. If you're thinking about pairing pinot (or any wine, forthat matter) with food, the operative concept isn't the type of food. The style of food is more important. Lightwines complement light food. A pinot would go with poultry, pork, or fish. Itwill also work with a number of spicy or saucy foods, as it's an incrediblyflexible food wine.
On to Cabernet Sauvignon. The first thing you'll notice isthe colora much deeper, darker purple. When you take your first sniff, you'llnotice a smell sort-of-but-not-quite like blackberries. If you hear peopletalking about "cassis" or "blackcurrant" notes, that's whatthey mean. The taste is also very different. The fruit and alcohol flavor ismuch stronger than the pinot, but the real difference emerges a few secondsafter. You'll feel your mouth start to "dry out." Cabernet Sauvignonis known to be a very "tannic" wine. Tannin is a chemical naturallyoccuring in grape skin. The effect of the tannins is a sensation is called"astringency," which you'll also get from strong black tea. Thefinish of a cabernet is longeryou'll taste the dryness for quite awhile afteryou swallow. Cabernet is the most tannic of the "major" varietals.That tannin is useful in pairing cabernet with fatty, earthy, or heavy foods
Finally, we arrive at Syrah (also called Shiraz) the biggest of the reds. Not thedriest…the biggest. The color is blackish purple, generally. The nose is strongand fragrant, full of plums and blackberries. When you taste, you'llimmediately sense the "roundness." The flavor is full of berries,plums, and black cherries. The finish is fruity and not overly dry, and oftenhas a licorice or chocolate flavor (which is why syrah is a fantastic chocolatepairing). You'll taste tannins in this wine, toobut they're not as pronounced.Syrah is best paired with just about anything you can put over fire or anythingwith a rich flavor will go well with syrah's richness.
Differentiating between varietals is one of the keys toappreciating wine, pairing with food, or just finding something to fit yourmood. I hope this gives you a good starting point. Until next time…classdismissed…
