Il Gusto del Vino (The Taste of Wine)

Those who know me well have been expecting this post. I happen to be in the heart of Washington wine country at the moment.  Of course I would write a blog post about wine. There’s no question that I like it. I haven’t always liked it. It’s been an acquired taste in recent years. It’s partially understandable since I live in the second largest wine region in the U.S.  It mostly began with friends in Western Washington who took us wine tasting one weekend.  There’s something really fun about beautiful tasting rooms with pourers who can tell you about what they are pouring and why it tastes the way it does.  Even that very first tasting outing, I found wines that I didn’t expect to like, but they hit my palate just right.  I didn’t think I liked red wine up to that point, but I found a few I did like and putting them with the right food made them even more delicious and made the food taste better, too.

Since then, we have made a bit of a hobby of traveling to wine areas and doing tours or striking out on our own visiting different tasting rooms and getting to know the business and people involved in our local wine industry and the profiles of the wines they make.  Because I have an insatiable appetite for learning (you thought I was going to say “wine”, didn’t you?) what I found I enjoyed most about wine tasting was the opportunity to talk to the winemakers, hear their stories, ask them about their methods, learn the different types of grapes, and how they turn grapes into delicious wine.  I came to understand more about why I liked some more than others and what my personal taste profile is.  There’s also something to be said for gathering with friends, having a great meal, and sharing a bottle of really nice wine.  (And by the way, “nice” does not necessarily equate with expensive.)

All that said, this post is not really about wine, but about taste.  Some friends have told me that wine just tastes terrible.  For awhile I tended to believe that they had just never found their palate or tasted really good wine. I recently came across an article that examined taste in depth and it explains a lot about why people strongly dislike certain foods or wine in general. 

How do you feel about cilantro? People tend to either love it or hate it.  Some people describe it as tasting like soap or dirty feet.  Radishes?  Brussel Sprouts? Kale? Cloves? Coffee? I love my coffee black, but I have a friend who claims I drink hot water colored with a brown crayon.  I tend to not like bitter things. I abhor pineapple. (I know, that’s a weird one.) But as it turns out, there’s an explanation for different tastes.  The article classified people into general categories: non-tasters, average tasters, sensitive tasters, and super tasters. The degree of spiciness or strong taste you enjoy is directly related to which category you fall into.  It has to do with little things on your tongue called “papillae”.  Where they are on your tongue and how many you have determines taste tolerance. 

Relating this back to wine, non-tasters like big, bold wines and are not bothered by tannins (those things that come from skins and stems that suck all the moisture out of your mouth). Think Syrah, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Sensitive tasters want soft, smooth lighter wines like sweet or off-dry whites or Pinot Noir. This is why tasting wine matters.  If we want to enjoy wine we have to find our “category”.  People in the average taster groups enjoy lots of kinds of wine, while the non-tasters find soft wines watery or bland, and super tasters tend to not like the taste of alcohol at all.  Tasting notes are interesting, because often I don’t taste what the makers say I should.  But I do know there are distinct tastes in some wines that I either love or don’t enjoy at all.

However you feel about wine is great with me. If you're an abstainer, I have ultimate respect for that. I'll never try to talk you into trying if you're not interested. I also probably won't alter my opinion based on yours. I am very careful to be sure that I manage my consumption and that it doesn't manage me. If you already like wine and want to learn more, hop on a tour or visit a few tasting rooms and try something new. Or drop into the Cone abode - we usually have a bottle or two and are happy to share!  Cheers!