WBC17: Professional Wine Writing Tips: Enrich Your Wine Vocabulary

WBC16’s keynote speaker Andrea Robinson returns to talk about Enriching Your Wine Vocabulary. This is an issue all wine reviewers face – how do you describe another New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc without resorting to the same old adjectives?

Transcript

1. EXPANDING YOUR WINE VOCABULARY Presented by Andrea Robinson
2. Paint a picture, tell a story The reason you fell in love with wine was because it spoke to you. Translate that message for your readers! Structure (…”backbone”- acid and tannin; “flesh”- alcohol and glycerol) Texture (Body, yes, but so much more…) 1 2 3 4 Fragrance and Flavor (…Fruit/veggies, earth, wood…) Je ne sais quoi (…memories stirred)
3. How does it happen?
4. Sensory Perception
5. • Backbone – Acid: Level - Low, Medium -, Medium, Medium+, High – Imprint • Mouthwatering - tangerine • Juicy – orange • Tart – lemon/lime/blood orange • Lactic – yogurt, buttermilk – Tannin: Level - Low, Medium - , Medium, Medium+, High – Imprint • Sandpaper – Young Nebbiolo • Silk charmeuse – Pinot Noir • Suede – Merlot • Velvet – Napa Cabernet Structure Flesh Alcohol: Level - Low, Medium -, Medium, Medium+, High Imprint – integrated/body or “burn” Glycerol –”sweetness”, mouthfeel
6. • Body – – Alcohol & Tannin – Concentration of components • Lean to Lush • Thin to Plump to Plush • Acid & Minerality- Snap, Crackle, Pop – Acidity – Jolly Rancher or Sweetart vs Lifesaver vs jam – Minerality Texture
7. • Fruit Flavor Spectrum – White wines Fragrance & Flavor – Fruit, Earth, Wood
8. • Fruit Flavor Spectrum – Red wines Fragrance & Flavor – Fruit, Earth, Wood
9. • Ripeness – underripe, just-ripe, peak-ripe, overripe • Variety • Condition – fresh, cooked, dried • Sweetened or Not? Compote, confiture, pate, glazed, candied Fragrance & Flavor – Fruit, Earth, Wood
10. • Where – beach, barnyard, dude ranch, leaf pile, garden, cellar, attic, mountain, valley, swamp • What – – Dirt and stuff made from dirt – ash, dust, sand, pebbles, gravel, humus, brick, terra cotta, graphite – Vegetation – leaves, roots, tubers, mushrooms/fungus • Condition – – Wet or dry? – Cool or warm? Fragrance & Flavor – Fruit, Earth, Wood
11. Think: Patisserie • Dried Spices – cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, star anise • Nuts – Almond, hazelnut, peanut, pecan, walnut, chestnut – Toasted or raw, paste, fresh, candied? • Aromatics – Coconut, Vanilla, Coffee, Rum – Toasted, light, dark? • Dairy– Butter, crème Anglaise – Browned, caramelized? • Sugar – Brown, Burnt, Caramel Fragrance & Flavor – Fruit, Earth, Wood
12. People, Places, Things • Grandma’s hope chest (or just Grandma) - • Tuscan countryside • European cathedral • Cheese shop • Private club • Autumn leaf pile Je Ne Sais Quoi
13. • Andrea@andreawine.com • 707-254-5224 Thank you!