Wine Tasting - The Sense of Sight
Wine tasting basics begin with knowing how to use your senses to understand, interpret, and enjoy the wine. The ability to recognize what you see, and furthermore describe it in clear terms, is a very important wine tasting skill.
Although some may say the appearance of the wine is the least important aspect with regard to the senses, it is still worth noting. When examining appearance, we are looking for clarity and color. We want the wine to be free of any sediment, leaving it clear and brilliant. Red wines tend to lose their color as they mature, while white wines tend to grow darker with age. A good quality wine generally will be intense in color. The "legs" seen running down the sides of a glass after being swirled, are an indication of flavor density. It is best to use a plain white background, and tilt the glass slightly as you observe clarity and color.
Wine Tasting - The Sense of Touch
Touch is an important category of taste sensation. This is where we try to feel the wine on the palate. Here we seek to find impressions of such things as texture, body, temperature, and astringency. The aftertaste, finish, and length of a wine are all things we feel on our palate. We are looking for how the wine feels in weight (light, medium, full) and texture (silky, coarse, velvety). Try to observe how long the sensations last in your mouth. Most will tell you the longer it lasts, the better the wine!
Sassafras sea scallops with
truffle butter, mushrooms and fried grits
Recipe courtesy of Sassafras
Restaurant & Wine Bar,
Santa Rosa, CA
18 dayboat or diver scallops, 3/4 oz. each
1 1/2 C brut sparkling wine
1 1/2 C fish fumet
4 shallots, sliced thin
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 C sauteed chanterelles or other light-flesh mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
2 T chopped italian parsley
4 T truffle butter
1 1/2 oz brut sparkling wine
1/2 C grits
1 1/2 C water
1/2 t salt
2 T chevril, chopped
2 oz sharp white cheddar
2 T unsalted butter
Start
the grits at least 3 hours before serving. Cook the grits in salted
water until tender and thick. Turn off heat, stir in chervil,
cheddar and butter. Spoon into a square or rectangular dish small
enough to assure that the grits will be 1 - 1 1/2" thick.
Chill 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Cut into 12 pieces. Fry, browning all sides.
Meanwhile:
Combine the sparkling wine, fish fumet, shallots, and cream, bring to a boil, and reduce by 2/3. Add the mushrooms, bring back to a simmer, and season. Swirl in the truffle butter, parsley and remaining wine.
Sear the scallops in a very hot pan. Do not cook
beyond medium-rare.
Spoon the sauce into individual dishes. Place two pieces of grits
in the center. Arrange 3 scallops per dish around the grits.
