Recently at church, our Sunday School class was studying The 5 Love Languages, which is a faith-based program that hypothesizes that people communicate "love" in different ways, and the better you understand how you and your mate communicate, the happier you will be. Good stuff.
And not that my mind was wondering during our group discussion, but I got to thinking about how wines connect to people. My theory? Wine "communicates" to us (and we reciprocally receive what it is saying) in three ways:
Smell - The first impression (usually). A wine can tell you a lot about itself with a little sniffy-sniff. First, a wine will tell you what kind of shape it's in. Overtly funky aromas are usually a sign that a wine has seen better days. On the flip-side, an inviting bouquet only makes you that much more excited to drink it. It might be all fruit, like apples, cherries, strawberries, citrus zest, and plums. It might give off some savory scents - popcorn, earth, mushrooms, stone, tobacco, leather, and minerals. Spice box, vanilla, honey, caramel, mint, and chocolate are also common aromas. A wine's nose might tell you if its young or old. It can tell you a lot about the conditions in which the grapes were grown - cool or warm climate, high elevation or valley floor, the types of soils; and how the wine was made - aged in oak or steel, new or neutral oak, New- or Old-World style. Over 70% of what we perceive to be taste is actually smell, so this "language" sets the stage for the next, which is...
Taste - This one might seem obvious, but wines tell a story with their flavors. Wines from cool climates tend to taste more restrained, spicy, with slightly higher acidity and lower alcohol. Those from warmer locales usually possess bigger, bolder fruit flavors with higher alcohol levels. Oak, if used in the winemaking process, imparts flavors of vanilla, toast, honey, and spice. Wines from single vineyards tend to be more dense and concentrated (even awkward when young), while "appellation" wines - those using grapes blended from multiple sites - are almost immediately approachable and more balanced. Likewise, a wine's taste can tell you how it was made. Bold, fruit forward styles usually indicate New World. Restrained, less approachable, more site-driven wines indicate Old World style. Tannic (astringent) wines are often a sign that the grapes and their juice were fermented whole-cluster, or at least with skins and stems. Of course, it's vitally important that a wine actually taste "good" to you. Otherwise, the rest of the story may never get told.
Experience - Not totally separate from the other two "languages" (in fact, the "smell" section of your brain is right next to the "memory" aisle), experience consists of those moments in time associated with a wine. All things being equal, a wine tastes better to me when I have walked on the soil in which it was grown, or met the winemaker whose hands rendered the product, or even just enjoyed the same bottle with friends one special evening. Perhaps the vintage of a wine is also a significant date to you, like the birth year of a child. All of these experiences - and many more - can be captured in a bottle of wine. Indeed, a recent trip to Santa Barbara wine country just opened up a whole new line of communication to me from the wines of that area (more to come in future posts).
As an enthusiast (not expert!), I strive to understand all three wine languages but, just as with The 5 Love Languages, one communicates more clearly to me, and it's "experience." Beyond just grapes, I believe wine is made up of time, place, and people. Experience helps me recall all three. What about you?
As for our Sunday School lesson...I'm pretty sure my love language is "service" (get your mind out of the gutter). Fortunately for me - and probably my wife - wine can be easily served. Liquid love, as it were.
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