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!
Chardonnay & Oak Aging
This dry white wine, made from the Chardonnay grape, is the most popular of its variety. Chardonnay ranges in style, with some oakier versions contributing to taste. The purpose of Chardonnay aged in oak is to add some of the oaks characters, along with helping the wine develop its texture. Winemakers may lightly toast the inner surface of barrels, allowing the smoky oak or toasty characters to be detected in the final product. Oak gives the taste a dimension of spiciness and adds a hint of vanilla or coconut to the grapes aroma. The oak and Chardonnay combination is a favorite that is sure to last!
Wine Tasting - The Sense of Smell
There are a few very important things to note when we "nose" a wine. It is suggested to first smell the wine before swirling, noticing the delicate aromas. Next, swirl the wine and smell again after it is at rest. Depending on the bouquet, you may then notice a profound difference in the odors emerging. Aroma is a smell that originates from the actual grape, with very clear cut characteristics. Aroma is most prevalent in young wines. The bouquet of a wine refers to smells generated as a result of aging; smells found particularly in mature wines that were aged in a bottle. The bouquet generally has much softer and complex characteristics than aromas. Identifying what you smell is usually the most challenging part in wine tasting. Although there are many smell categories used to describe characteristics of wine, none have been exclusively agreed upon.
Santa Cruz Winery List
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Ahlgren Vineyard
Andersen Vineyards
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Aptos Vineyard
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Bargetto Winery
Bear Creek Vineyard Company
Beauregard Vineyards
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Bonny Doon Vineyard
Burrell School Vineyards
Byington Vineyard & Winery
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Chaine D'or Vineyards
Cinnabar Winery - Tasting Room
Clos La Chance
Clos Tita Winery
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Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards
Crescini Wines
Cronin Vineyards
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David Bruce Winery
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Devlin Wine Cellars
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Elliston Vineyards
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Equinox
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Fellom Ranch Vineyards
Fernwood Cellars
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Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery
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Generosa Winery
Glenwood Oaks Winery
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Guglielmo Winery
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Hallcrest Vineyards / Organic Wine Works
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Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery
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Kathryn Kennedy Winery
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La Rochelle Winery
La Rusticana Vineyards
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LaNebbia Winery
Lonen & Jocelyn Wines
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Martin Ranch Winery
McHenry Vineyard
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Mount Eden Vineyards
Mountain Winery
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Oliver Curtis Winery
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Osocalis Cidery & Distillery
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P & M Staiger
Page Mill Winery
Pelican Ranch Winery
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Picchetti Winery
Pinder Winery
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Rapazzini Winery
Ridge Vineyards
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River Run Vintners
Roudon-Smith Winery
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Salamandre Wine Cellars
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard
Sarah's Vineyard
Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards
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Silver Mountain Vineyards
Solis Winery
Soquel Vineyards
Storrs Winery
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Testarossa Vineyards
The Mountain Winery
Thomas Fogarty Winery
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Troquato Vineyards
Trout Gulch Vineyards
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Vinh-Rebhahn Vineyards
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Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery
Wines of Vine Hill
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Woodside Vineyards
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Zayante Vineyards
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