Taste Like a Pro: Red Wine Edition

This is one of the most enjoyable wine classes that we have held. It gives us all a chance to smell classic fruits, spices, and flowers of the “classic” red varieties in a neutral base wine. We then see if we can “find” these same characteristics in an actual bottle of that particular grape variety.

Discovering Flavors Like a Wine Pro

It is common knowledge that all the best Oenology Institutions educate their new winemaker undergraduates by slicing up pieces of fruit and crushing spices and flowers. These items are left in a covered wine glass to air and intensify the aromas.

We say if it is good enough for a bunch of winemakers then our students at the Texas Wine School can only benefit from such an exercise. We follow up our samplings with wines that highlight the flavors we have just recognized to reinforce the lesson. Aromas are only part of the equation when it comes to wine; there are textures that come from sugar, acidity, tannin, and alcohol. We taste wines with differing levels of the above to round out our sensory analysis during this Houston red wine tasting class.