As published in County Living

See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Spit

Doesn’t sound all that appealing but that is essentially what you are doing when judging a wine.

People sometimes think there is some kind of black magic involved in judging wine and that only very few have the gift. The reality is judging wine is really more about training and practice.

In my experience, most people have a better palate than they give themselves credit for. When presented with a good wine and an average wine most will prefer the better wine. The difference is they may not be able to articulate why.

When judging a wine, one of the most important things we look for is harmony and balance. If you think about putting a spoonful of sugar in your mouth it is not all that pleasant. You get a sickly sweet cloying taste and sensation. Then think about biting into a crisp sweet apple. It could be almost as sweet as the sugar but the taste is invigorating. The difference is that the apple also has fairly high acid levels, which offset the sweetness, creating harmony and balance.

Formally judging a wine is a little like judging a dog show. There big dogs, little dogs, furry dogs, sleek dogs. Which one is better? The answer is one dog is not better than the other they are just different. When judging a dog show you are accessing how a particular dog fits into the standards of their breed. When judging a wine you are looking into how that wine fits into the characteristics of the grape varietal and style of the class it is entered in. You could have a beautiful Chardonnay that is lovely and floral but sweet. You may actually really like the wine but as a judge you must score it down significantly on typicity. Typicity is how the wine fits into the standards of that particular grape variety. Chardonnay is not supposed to be sweet therefore if you are formally judging it your score would be low.

Different grape varieties have different definitions of what is acceptable. For instance, if you were judging a Riesling, the acceptable range is from completely dry to very sweet.

Alcohol is also something that needs to be in balance. When tasting a lighter style wine you are looking for lower alcohol levels. A Vidal, which is lighter in fruit character, needs to have less alcohol, perhaps only 10.5% to 11.5 %. Higher alcohol will create a burning sensation and the perception of sweetness, even in a completely dry wine. This higher alcohol can overpower the fruit in a lighter more delicate wine. On the other hand if you taste a big rich Shiraz or Zinfandel, higher alcohol is expected. The richness of the wine and density of the fruit can stand up to and be enhanced by the higher alcohol levels. In the case of Shiraz and Zinfandel, sometimes as high as 14.5% to 15.5%.

Wine is meant to be enjoyed. Judging a wine gives you a guideline to go by but at the end of the day, it is a question of what you like. Everyone has personal preferences, as do judges. Enjoy the wines you are familiar with but don’t be afraid to pick up something new, it might surprise you and take you in a whole new direction.

Cheers!

~ Richard Karlo

Wine Judge of Canada