Class No. 3

Just when I thought I was getting the hang of this whole spitting thing I discovered I was wrong…I dribbled wine down the front of my shirt not once, but twice! Did I mention we were tasting RED wines? Oh dear!

Red wines get their colour from grape skins and, as I mentioned in an earlier post, grape skins also contribute tannins to the wine. Tannins cause a mouth drying sensation that can be perceived as bitter but it can also bring complexity and structure to a wine. Like acidity, tannins can also help a wine to age.

The third class started off with Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir grapes are pale in colour with thin skins and they are notoriously difficult to grow. Burgundy is a French wine region known for their Pinot Noir and Oregon, also known for their Pinot, has one of the closest climates to Burgundy in the world. Pinot Noir from wine regions in the New World tends to be more fruit forward than their Old World counterparts which are generally earthy and higher in tannins as they are meant for aging. Pinot Noir produces a light to medium bodied wine that is relatively low in tannin and high in acidity. To illustrate we compared a 2009 Francois Gaunoux Burgundy (Old World) with a 2014 Astrolabe Pinot Noir from New Zealand (New World).

Next we jumped right into Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are small and thick-skinned, with high tannins and acidity. These grapes need plenty of sunshine and produce medium to full bodied wines with aromas and flavours of black fruit, like currants. Once again we compared Old World with New, tasting a Chateau Bel Orme Bordeaux and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. In this instance both wines had aromas of dark fruit, but the Bordeaux I would describe as earthy, while the Cabernet from Napa had vanilla notes and was higher in tannins.

We then moved onto Merlot which tends to have softer tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon. This time we compared two Old World wines, and both were from Bordeaux. The first wine was medium bodied with some aromas of what I noted as coffee and it had flavours of red fruit, like cherries. This wine had medium tannins and acidity. For $15, this Chateau Courteillac Bordeaux was light and pleasant.

The second Merlot was high in tannins with medium acidity. On the palate it had intense flavours of oak, vanilla and black fruit. The wine had a longer finish than the first and more layers and complexity. If you are thinking this big wine comes with a big price tag, you would be correct – Chateau Clos de l’Oratoire Bordeaux will set you back $139.

The last red noble grape varietal left to try is called Syrah in the Old World and Shiraz in the New World. No matter what you call it this grape produces deeply coloured wines that are full bodied with medium-to-high tannins and flavours of pepper, clove and black cherry. To illustrate we went straight to Australia and tried Punch in the Face Shiraz.

We ventured away from the noble grape varietals and also tried a Chianti from Italy and an earthy Rioja from Spain.

Chianti is made from the Sangiovese grape which produces a medium bodied wine with high acidity, making it a perfect grape to pair with acidic foods like tomato sauce! Acid in food actually decreases the perception of acidity in the wine, while increasing the perception of body, sweetness and fruit.

I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Chianti and I should also mention that I can probably count the number of Chianti that I have tried on one hand, but this one left an impression on me. It was a 2012 Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva for $36. The aromas were earthy with notes of leather and it had flavours of red fruit, like cherries. The wine itself was medium bodied with medium tannins and high acidity. It would be nice to pair this with pasta in a robust tomato sauce!

The end of this post means there is just one more class to go. Next class we will discuss food and wine pairings and all the wines will be from one of my favourite wine region – British Columbia! There will also be a multiple choice exam, so I better get studying!