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“Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. There are five basic steps in tasting wine: color, swirl, smell, taste, and savour. Essentially, a taster is looking for clarity, varietal character, integration, expressiveness, complexity, and connectedness.”
Brel: “Can we have a refill, please?”
We all know some people take tasting to an extreme level. Despite the number of wineries we’ve visited, it all seems a bit pretentious – even for Brendan. Below, Brel tasting notes, as overheard at a recent tasting:
Mel: “Ugh, I don’t love that.”
Connoisseur Translation: Full bodied, peppery, bold, with hints of spice.
Mel: “Yeah I could drink a bottle of that.”
Connosseur Translation: Smooth, fruity, yet light on the palate.
Brel: “We could serve this to our friends. In a decanter. After 1 a.m.”
Connoisseur Translation: Cheap, cheap, cheap.
Mel: “This one, I like.”
Brendan: “Uh Mel, you’re drinking the spittoon.”
Mel: “I taste wine. Nothing but wine.”
Connoisseur Translation: Dark, smoky with hints of berries, vanilla and oak.
Brendan: “Dry on the palate with notes of chocolate…”
Mel: “Chocolate? Did you say chocolate?”
Wine Connoisseur: “A perfect accompaniment to poultry, pasta and seafood.”
Brel: “We could totally drink this for breakfast.”
Wine Connoisseur: “Enhances the flavours of red meats, spicy foods and chocolate.”B
Brel: “The perfect chaser for 5 pints of Tankhouse, 2 jello shots and a Roger Moore.”
P.S. We actually wrote this on our 4th winery visit, on a tasting placemat. Don’t worry, we’ve taken real notes too and will be posting a guide to great Argentine wines soon.
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