Tasting is your experience and yours alone

Allen R. Balik

In the early 1980s, when I was first learning about wine, I attended a Wine Spectator's Wine Experience event in San Francisco. I didn't quite know what to expect as this was the first event of its type I had ever attended and I was unsure how to navigate my way through all the seminars and Grand Tastings where countless (at least that's how it seemed to me) wineries from all over the world were pouring wines I had only read about.

While at the Grand Tasting on the first night, I happened by the Jordan table where André Tchelistcheff (famed Godfather of California wine and then consulting winemaker for Jordan) was standing. Feeling a bit intimidated, I introduced myself to Mr. Tchelistcheff and asked his thoughts on the wine being poured. His response was simple and expressed a feeling sometimes lost on others and especially by many considering themselves as "experts" in wine.

Mr. Tchelistcheff poured me a taste of Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon and politely said, "My opinion is not important so please tell me what you think of the wine." His message was simple and opened my eyes to a very important aspect of tasting and enjoying wine. Make the experience your own and don't be overly influenced or intimidated by others.

We all have detailed memory banks that associate a variety of flavors and aromatic nuances with our own personal experiences. While I may be tasting white peaches on the palate, another taster may be associating her impressions with nectarine. Neither is right and no one is wrong. It’s just our own impression that comes to mind whether sniffing a wine on the nose or tasting it on the palate. Your blackberry may be my blueberry as we are both sensing the same aromatics and/or flavors, but within our own frame of reference.

Often times when tasting with those new to the experience, I’m asked, “What is it I’m tasting (or smelling)?” When hearing this question, I encourage anyone who asks to explore their senses and interpret their impressions in their own way and to not feel coerced by others with differing views they may express.

Of course, it's always a great benefit to have wine knowledgeable friends as well as industry professionals and educators guide us to great wines and the intricacies of the tasting experience. But the ultimate impression of the wine is yours to determine regardless of conflicting views, price or the often meaningless scores a particular wine may have garnered.

The great lesson I learned from Mr. Tchelistcheff (a legendary master in winemaking history) at that tasting, was one I've not forgotten or neglected to pass on to others.

Unfortunately, wine is often perceived by some as a libation to revere rather than just simply enjoy. However, the history of wine dates back centuries and millennia where it was always an integral part of mealtime enjoyment and experienced simply as a congenial addition to the times friends and family spend together around the dinner table and in celebration of important passages in their lives.

Wine professionals almost always try evaluating a wine as being true to the variety (or blend of varieties), place of origin and vintage characteristics when determining its overall quality and compatibility with similar wines and selected dishes for pairing. And, I must admit I do this regularly (often sub-consciously) with virtually all wines I may be tasting.

But is all that necessary when you're just looking for something to enjoy? Most wines today, more than ever, will pass the "taste test" when pretense is cast aside and you're just looking for something that pleases the palate and fits the moment. Thankfully, our choices in today's market are many and varied so there's really no reason not to explore beyond what others may consider the "correct" choice to discover what you like.

The casual wine drinker and those new to the experience tend to go with the basic “I like it” or “I don’t like it” opinion. That’s fine, however, it may also be interesting for them to take the next step. While relishing the wine, I suggest spending a moment to focus on the aromatics and flavors contained in that first sniff and sip.

This simple exercise will help develop a personal memory bank and form a basis for future experimentation. Wine can be more than a pleasing beverage, but need not be so complicated that it detracts from its pure enjoyment. It’s all an individual choice.

Paraphrasing what Mr. Tchelistcheff said to me many years ago, "It's your opinion that counts and it's up to you to create your own experience."