[Groop] I'm disappointed Groop

[Chad Riden]

On Feb 8, 2004, at 8:15 PM, MisterElie at aol.com wrote:

> Where's the outrage?  

I'm outraged!


> The intellectual discourse? 

Can anybody please explain to me the effects Existentialism had on art 
and literature during and after World War II?


> The latest trends in wine tasting? 

The three steps in wine tasting are: Look, Smell, and Taste.
 
Look

You can tell much about a wine simply by studying its appearance. The 
wine should be poured into a clear glass and held in front of a white 
background (a tablecloth or piece of paper will serve nicely) so that 
you can examine the colour.

The colour of wine varies tremendously, even within the same type of 
wine. For example, white wines are not actually white; they range from 
green to yellow to brown. More colour in a white wine usually indicates 
more flavour and age, although a brown wine may have gone bad. Where as 
time improves many red wines, it ruins most white wines. Red wines are 
not just red; they range from a pale red to a deep brown red, usually 
becoming lighter in colour as they age.

Rim colour: You can guess the age of a red wine by observing its "rim." 
Tilt the glass slightly and look at the edge of the wine. A purple tint 
may indicate youth while orange to brown indicates maturity.

Swirling: Swirling the wine serves many purposes, but visually it 
allows you to observe the body of the wine. "Good legs" may indicate a 
thicker body and a higher alcohol content and/or sweetness level.

Smell

Swirl your wine. This releases molecules in the wine allowing you to 
smell the aroma, also called the bouquet or nose. The two main 
techniques that wine tasters use are:

1.) Take a quick whiff and formulate an initial impression, then take a 
second deeper whiff or

2.) Take only one deep whiff.

Either way, after you smell the wine, sit back and contemplate the 
aroma. Don't try to "taste" the wine yet, concentrate only on what you 
smell.

It may be difficult to describe in words when you're a novice, but 
after trying many wines you will notice similarities and differences. 
Sometimes a certain smell will be very strong with underlying hints of 
other smells. Take your time. By labelling an aroma you will probably 
remember it better. You may even want to keep a notebook of your 
impressions of wines, and save the labels; next time you see the wine 
you won't have to purchase it to know if you like it . . . or you 
don't!

Taste

The most important quality of a wine is its balance between sweetness 
and acidity. To get the full taste of a wine follow the following three 
steps:

1.  Initial taste (or first impression): This is where the wine awakens 
your senses (your taste buds respond to sensations).
2.  Taste: Slosh the wine around and draw in some air (even if you do 
look funny in front of your dinner guests). Examine the body and 
texture of the wine. Is it light or rich?  Smooth or harsh?
3.  Aftertaste: The taste that remains in your mouth after you have 
swallowed the wine.  How long did the taste last? Was it pleasant?

After tasting the wine, take a moment to value its overall flavour and 
balance. Is the taste appropriate for that type of wine? If the wine is 
very dry, is it supposed to be?

Some serious wine connoisseurs assign a point score to a wine to 
determine its quality. While this method can be useful, it is in no way 
necessary to determine a quality wine. The more different wines you 
try, and the more attention you pay to each wine, the better you will 
become at ascertaining and describing each wine's characteristics.
 
( from <http://www.tasting-wine.com/html/tasting.html> )


> In short, where did you all go this week?

I made a couple short trips to Ashland City, TN, but spent most of my 
time in Nashville and Hermitage.


--
Thanks for putting up with my crap,

Chad M. Riden
http://www.ChadRiden.com/
http://www.MangyDog.com/
http://www.NashvilleStandup.com/
http://www.Riden.org/