Wine Tasting FAQs

Today's post is a guest post from Warren Howe, a wine lover and writer for Vintage Cellars, an online retailer of wine storage products and custom wine cellar design company. Vintage Cellars has designed wine cellars across the United States and has been recognized by Wine Spectator magazine. 


If you’ve ever attended a wine tasting, you know it is a truly unique and valuable experience for wine novices and experts alike. In many ways, wine tastings have their own culture and processes that are important to be aware of. The following are some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to attending wine tastings.

What is a wine tasting?
A wine tasting is simply a gathering of people who have come together to taste and share about wine. This might be at a winery tasting room or at a friend’s house but what important is that there is a multitude of wine to sample, compare, and discuss. 

What’s the point of going to a wine tasting?
Wine tastings are an outstanding opportunity to try a variety of wines and expand your palate. By sampling new wines and challenging yourself to discover new dimensions in wines, you’ll develop a greater understanding of the wines you enjoy most and maybe even find ones you never knew you liked.

But wine tastings aren’t just about getting to try wine. They’re about getting to connect with your fellow wine tasters. By comparing tasting notes and sharing your wine knowledge with your fellow oenophiles, you’ll gain new perspectives about the wine. If you’re at a winery, tastings are the perfect opportunity to hear from the winemaker about how the wine is made and the story behind the wine. 

What are the buckets for?
One of the most curious (but important!) aspects of wine tastings are the spit buckets. Instead of drinking many glasses of wine, wine tasters often choose to spit out the wine after tasting. This not only ensures that much more wine can be tasted safely, it also allows tasters to maintain their ability to detect the subtle taste of the various wines.

What’s the best way to taste wine?
Wine tasters all have different methods for tasting wine but there are a few rules that hold true for all levels of wine enthusiasts. Start by swirling your wine to aerate the wine and release deeper scents and flavors. Sniff the wine to see what aromas you can carefully detect. Take a few sips and identify how the wine changes from your first impression to further samplings. What are some of the more subtle tastes you can find? What is the wine’s texture?

What shouldn’t I do at wine tastings?
The most important thing to be aware of is how you might be affecting another taster’s ability to form their own opinions. That means don’t wear heavy perfume or cologne and certainly don’t smoke. Also, try not to discuss your tasting notes with others until all have tasted the wine.

Interesting wine facts

http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/08/21_wine.html

New Hampshire Wineries

 Candia Vineyards - Candia, NH
 Castello di Amorosa - Calistoga, NH
 Coffin Cellars - Webster, NH
 Crooked Tree Winery - Whitefield, NH
 Farnum Hill Ciders - Lebanon, NH
 Flag Hill Winery - Lee, NH
 Fulchino Vineyard - Hollis, NH
 Haunting Whisper Vineyards - Danbury, NH
 Hermit Woods - Sanbornton, NH
 Incredibrew / Grape Time Winery - Nashua, NH
 Jewell Towne - South Hampton, NH
 LaBelle Winery - Amherst, NH
 Moonlight Meadery - Londonderry, NH
 Olde Nuttfield Vineyards - Chester, NH
 Piscassic Pond Winery - Newfields, NH
 Silver Mountain Ciders - Lempster, NH
 Stone Gate Vineyard - Gilford, NH
 Sweet Baby Vineyard - Kensington, NH
 Vintner's Cellar of Bedford - Bedford, NH
 Walpole Mountain View Winery - Walpole, NH
 Walpole Mountain View Winery - Walpole, NH
 Zorvino Vineyards - Sandown, NH

 Vineyards in every state even Alaska. Check out this link to one of the three vineyards in Alaska.

http://www.catchwine.com/wineries/alaska/kodiak_island_winery/

Our article in the union leader last week, June 2012

Serve yourself

We received some great news from Dan and Nadine Villafranca at Vino Aromas on Elm Street. Their try-before-you-buy wine store has just been licensed as New Hampshire's first self-service wine bar by the state Liquor Commission. Vino Aromas has had the technology to operate as a self-service wine bar since it opened in September, but until they received this special license the Villafrancas weren't allowed to let their customers do the pouring. Those bureaucrats at the state are always making it so easy for businesses to try something innovative.

Vino Aromas' customers insert a pre-paid card into machines that let them choose a 1.5-, 3- or 6-ounce glass. They can't be over-served. Dan Villafranca said this technology is also being used in some hotels and on cruise ships, where visitors can use their room keys to pour themselves a drink and have it charged to their room account.

We love the idea of being able to try a wine before buying a bottle of it — especially if it's a fancy bottle. But don't worry, human bartenders. Until these machines can learn to listen to our problems and mix a dirty martini with the right number of olives, we don't see them putting you out of work anytime soon. 

New Hampshire's only self self serve wine bar.

A unique experience at New Hampshire's only self serve wine bar.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) - Jun 23, 2012 -
Introducing New Hampshire's only self serve wine bar. Vino Aromas is not only a full wine retail store but a self serve wine bar.  Come in and enjoy 28 Wines on tap in our innovative wine preservation systems.  The wines are sold in 3 pour sizes, 1.5 ounce tasting, 3 ounce half glass and 6 ounce full glass, prices vary depending on wine selection.

Our wine bar offers a relaxed lounge setting, we also have pub tables.  Enjoy a variety of tapas including our #1seller Cheese and Fruit Platter.

Come in and meet Dan and Nadine Villafranca and share your wine stories with us.  We opened this establishment in September of 2011 to share our wine experiences.  Along the way we have met some wonderful people and look forward to meeting more.

Our mission statement is to be a premier wine store providing our customers a unique experience of try before you buy concept. Vino aromas welcome wine novice and enthusiasts to enjoy samplings of wine and cheese in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere.

Looking for more information about wine, please take a look here. http://wineintro.com/basics/

Come celebrate Red, White & Blue with us, in honor of Independence Day during the week of July 2nd, buy a bottle of Red and White and receive a free Blue corkscrew. Must purchase both Red & White bottles of wine, limit one per customer and while supplies last.

Lemberger

History

Officially classified under the name “Blauer Limberger,” this red grape variety also goes by the synonyms “Lemberger” and “Blaufränkisch.” The late-ripening Lemberger probably originated in vineyards on the lower stretches of the Danube River. The grape was documented in Austria in the second half of the 18th century and is cultivated there to this day (as Blaufränkisch) in Burgenland and near Vienna. In Hungary it is known as Kékfrankos. In the 19th century a “wine improvement society” advocated replacing high-yielding varieties with high-quality grapes (such as Lemberger) in the Kingdom of Württemberg. Indeed, Lemberger wines from Württemberg were the favorite of the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, Theodor Heuss, and it is said that the variety was equally as popular with Bismarck and Napoleon.

Significance

During the past decades there has been a steady increase in the vineyard area planted with Lemberger. In the '80s it comprised some 400 to 500 ha (988 to 1,235 acres); in 1998, it surpassed 1,000 ha (ca. 2,500 acres); and today there are nearly 1,700 ha (ca. 4,200 acres). It is almost exclusively cultivated in Württemberg, where it accounts for about 13.9% of the total vineyard area.

Viticulture

Lemberger thrives in a warm climate and wind-protected sites, not least because bud-burst is early and it ripens late. In very good sites, this Württemberg specialty brings forth excellent quality. It does well in various soil types, especially fertile, deep, loess-loam soils. Yields are average in size.

Viniculture/Taste

For wine connoisseurs, Lemberger is a "coat of many colors"... ranging from light and fruity wines to those that are rich in extract and tannin (of Spätlese and Auslese ripeness). Usually, the wines are extremely dark in color. The bouquet can range from rather quiet to powerful, reminiscent of blackberries, sweet or sour cherries, plums, currants, gooseberries, elderberries, bananas and chocolate, as well as vegetal aromas, such as green beans or green bell peppers. Depending on vinification techniques, the wines have a fruity or a tannic accent and a long finish. Thanks to their acid, extract and tannin profile, even drier versions of Lemberger have good aging potential. Barrique-aging adds another dimension...reminiscent of Mediterranean warmth and charm. Ambitious vintners and cooperatives often blend Lemberger with Trollinger (depending on the percentage of the cuvée's components, the wine will be labeled with the predominant variety named first). Sparkling wine, or Sekt, made from the Lemberger grape is a real speciality.

Taste/Food Affinities

Light, fruity Lemberger wines (i.e. the proverbial Viertele = quarter liter, or Württemberg's typical wine-by-the-glass serving size) are ideal with platters of cheese and/or cold cuts as well as summer BBQ foods. More tannic Lemberger wines are great with pâtés, grilled foods, Swabian “steak with sautéed onions,” and the whole range of roasted game (feathered or furry); also: pot roast, lamb, roast beef, and cheese, such as low-fat blue, brined (e.g. feta), or ripe Alpine (fairly pungent in aroma and/or flavor) types