The Perfect White Wine Tasting

Clare and I recently returned from Achasta (a Reynolds Community) in Dahlonega, Georgia where we conducted a white wine tasting. The purpose of this tasting was to introduce people to the wide variety of tastes and smells in white wines. The wines were purposefully chosen to represent the entire spectrum of the ViniCode, and to give tasters a whiff of some aromas that might be unexpected and new. If you would like to recreate the perfect white wine tasting here is what we did.

First, if you want this tasting to work correctly, you need to let the tasters know exactly what to buy - or if you are loaded, buy everything yourself. The wines we chose were not expensive. All of them were in the $10 - $20 range. Second, you need a Bacchus Box (OK, you don't really NEED a Bacchus Box but it does make setting up a blind wine tasting so much easier). Third, inform your guests about the flavor profiles of the six wines. Use the following section as a guide. The great thing about this tasting is everyone will come away feeling as if they have learned something. These wines are so characteristic that they are easily identifiable. Go to a wine merchant that you trust and ask for the following:

1. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - Ask for one that smells distinctly of asparagus and herbs. Nobilo and Kim Crawford are two excellent examples.

2. Sancerre - This is the French version of Sauvignon Blanc. Comparing this to the NZ version is a perfect old world style versus new world style.

3. California Chardonnay - In this case you want something big and oakey. The oakier the better!

4. Viognier - Ask the merchant for a nice ripe Viognier. What you are looking for here is tropical fruit. Yalumba is a good and inexpensive example. We chose a local version from Frogtown Vineyards.

5. Sweet Riesling - Most people think that all rieslings are sweet, but that is not the case. This one is fairly flexible. You can go all out dessert sweet, or reign it in and get something slightly sweet. It is up to you.

6. Dry Riesling - This one is the wine that surprises most people. Be sure and ask for a dry riesling the smells distinctly of petrol, or kerosene.

As always, this tasting was blind, but we did tell the tasters what to look for. We had 24 people at this event and I dare say almost every one of them was able to pick out the individual wines. The tasters were asked to rank the wines, not in an effort to pick an overall winner, but to begin determining the tastes and smells that they prefer.

Many thanks to Jason LeBlanc of Achasta, and Marie Garrison of Reynolds Plantation for their assistance and support.

Here are the ViniCodes (not in order of preference). Click in the ViniCodes to get a closer look.

Tapestry
Riesling
12.5% alcohol

Tapestry is a traditional dry riesling from non-traditional Australia. It is dry, but not bone dry (try an Alsatian Riesling). The wine had a nice acidic edge to it that gave it some crispness and backbone. Rieslings are not oaked, so we expect that number to be quite low. The fruit comes from a nice citrus aroma and includes that wonderful acidity mentioned above. Rieslings often have a sort of oily texture to them in the mouth. This gives the feeling of fullness as you swallow. But the kicker is the aroma of kerosene. One taster said that if he had come across this wine and didn't know any better, he would have thrown it out. It is an acquired taste for most of us and if you find it particularly unpleasant - then dry rieslings may not be for you!

Daniel Chotard
Sancerre
12.5% alcohol

I am putting this one next because its ViniCode is very similar to the riesling's. As for dryness and edginess, they are pretty much the same. Both are unoaked, so the scale there is also identical. But the Sancere is slightly fruitier, and this is probably a question of balance. Have you ever seen a graphic equalizer on a stereo system? Perhaps this wine seems fruitier, because it is less earthy. The earthiness here comes from the flinty, chalky nature of the Sancerre wines. This wine is subtle, but not delicate. Finally, the Sancerre is lighter in body than the riesling, due mostly to the "oily" feel of the Tapestry selection. If you prefer this wine to the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc below, then you might lean toward old world style wines.

Kim Crawford
Sauvignon Blanc
13.0% alcohol

It makes sense to put the Kim Crawford next. Although the differences between the old world style wines and their new world counterparts are getting blurred, the Sancerre and the Crawford are perfect examples of their heritage. When you compare their ViniCodes, the Crawford is drier, edgier, unoaked (so no difference there), fruitier, earthier and lighter. As a rule of thumb old world should conjure up the ideals of subtlety and elegance. New world is brash and in your face! The fruit in the New Zealand selection is citrusy with some pear and maybe apples figuring in there. The earth is the characteristic asparagus. Again, this might be a smell that takes some getting used to, but I think it is worth your time and effort. If you loved this wine, ask for new world style wines the next time you go to the wine store.

Frogtown
Viognier
14.0%

Viogniers are really wonderful wines. If you have not tried one, you need too! The only problem is that they can also be extremely disappointing. Ask your merchant if they have actually tasted the wine in question. Luckily for us, the Frogtown Viognier was delicious. It was everything you look for in this type of wine. Like I mentioned earlier, for those of you who can't get Frogtown, try and find Yalumba at your local wine store. Looking at the ViniCode for our viognier you can see that this wine was dry and quite round. It really felt smooth and rich in the mouth and throat. You could detect the oak, but it had a supporting role. The aroma was of tropical fruit; pineapples, mangoes. The smell of a good viognier can almost be as surprising as that of a dry riesling. This wine had very little earthy notes (spice, herbs, moss) and felt quite full in the mouth (check the alcohol content - often associated with fullness). If you liked this wine, then you might prefer full bodied, balanced wines.

Gallo Family
Chardonnay
13.9% alcohol

The chardonnay had a very similar ViniCode to the viognier. They were both dry and round. But here is where the ViniCode graphically demonstrates the idea of balance. The oak value for the Gallo Chardonnay was higher than its fruit or earth values. Meaning, the first thing that caught your notice was the barrel. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing. Many people love oaky wines. And the smells and tastes that oak can give to wine are unique and interesting. This one reminded me of hot buttered popcorn. My biggest concern with over-oaked wines is that you lose the individuality of the grape. But on the other hand I was transported right back to the movie theatre when I smelled it! If you loved this wine, you love oak.

Selbach
Riesling Spätlese
9.5% alcohol

This wine was really the odd man out. Of course, people nailed it immediately. Spatlese means late harvest. The grapes are riper, and the wine can be sweet or dry (trocken). There are sweet wines and there are SWEET wines. This wine was perfect, delicately sweet, without tasting like dessert. As for rounded and edged, it was tricky. The sweetness added a certain roundness that a wine like Kim Crawford doesn't have. But there was an acidic crispness that kept it from being candy. So I hedged my bet and gave it a five. Again, this wine was unoaked, so no issue here. What you noticed in this selection was the obvious sweetness. The fruitiness and earthiness were there, but not as fruity as the viognier, and not as earthy as the dry riesling. But there was a hint of flowers and a hint of kerosene. Odd combo, but delicious wine. You love your sweet wines if this was your favorite!