Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Terroir and Semantics
The biggest misconception about the term 'terroir' is largely one of SEMANTICS and a gross misunderstanding of the etymology and use of associated concepts.
Even the French no longer seem to understand the original meaning and intention of uses and meaning of terroir! Things started getting jumbled about years ago from my experience:
1. Vin de terroir simply means a wine from a specific (or general) locality or origin.
2. Gout de terroir means the "taste" (or any corresponding attributes) that corresponds to a given locality or origin, more in the sense of a territory. This includes all of the influences of growing conditions, grape variety or varieties) PLUS laws, customs, traditions, culture and economy that ALL play a role in giving character to a wine that associates it with a place of origin. Huge fruit bombs, oak, varietal characteristics or delicate nuances of minerality (a metaphoical, not literal term), oak, acidity, etc. all can be considered part of a gout de terroir if it means one can relate the charcteristic to a locality.
3. Gout de terre (taste of dirt) is a NEGATIVE word used to imply the winemaking and storage of the wine created a 'dirty' taste, probably really high levels of brett and other sorms of spoilage.
These concepts have become misenterpreted and collapsed with the generic term 'terroir' so the arguments have become heated, cofusing and pointless! Then personal preferences, emotion and metaphores come into play and the conversation becomes impossible!
Keep in mind that the AOC system in France is less than 100 years old. The 'hundreds of years of tradition and culture' are very distorted and have little bearing today. Great vintages of Montrachet 100 years ago would be considered 'late harvest' dessert wines today - botrytis infected and VERY sweet. The 1855 classification of Bordeaux was based on market price at the time and the wines of more wealthy families won out - go figure. The differences in the wines 50 years ago were clear and easy to distinguish. Not so much these days! When the wealthy Mentzolopolous in 1976 they were able to completely restore the quality of the wine in 2 years with the right investments. They did not changing the soil, but the yield, barrels and triage of wines during assemblage.
AND Pinot Noir is not the only permissible grape in Burgundy's celebrated Cote d'Or - it is legal (and used to be commonly practised) to add Chardonnay, Pinot Beurot (Gris) and Pinot Blanc, in some cases up to 15% of the final blend. The white varieties in most vineyards, including Clos de la Roche, Musigny, Corton, Beaune and Nuits St. Georges are more often vinified separately today and sold as white wines. The intensity of fruit, color and lack of brett in today's red Burgundies make them very different from those I grew up with!
EXAMPLE OF RELATIONSHIP OF SOIL TO GRAPE COMPOSITION:Limestone soils have high levels of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate binds potassium and prevents uptake. This lowers the ph in the grape and creates more acidity. The vine is subject to lime-induced chlorosis which lowers vigor and reduces yield. Also renders the soils less suitable for red wines as color concentration is lowered. This is why the 'white wine on white soils' concepts holds some truth. The flinty 'minerality' associated with older Chablis, German and Loire wines was in truth over use of sulfites and a vivid marketing imagination! Today minerality is a vague, personal and metaphorical term having nothing to do with soil per se, but living in the minds of anyone who experiences it.
Which makes it as true and real, for said individuals, as anything!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Message to Wine People: STOP IT!
met-a-phor: (noun)
1. a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance.
2. something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.
‘You’ is a metaphor. Not that you are a metaphor, although ‘you are’ is a metaphor that represents the existence of you. ‘You’ is the metaphor that ‘I’ (who exists as ‘you’ metaphorically to yourself) use to represent 'me' (possessive metaphor for ‘I’ for me which is ‘you’ to you).
I (me, metaphorically speaking) know what you are thinking, “I (meaning you) is/are not a metaphor.” Truthfully I, (or me) can’t possibly have a clue what you (‘I’ or ‘’me’ to you) are thinking and ‘I’ only say this as a metaphor suggesting that ‘I’ could possibly know what ‘you’ are indeed thinking, with ‘I’ representing ‘me’ to ‘you’ and ‘your representing ‘you’ to ‘me’. In fact I (you may know me as ‘you’ but I am ‘I’ to ‘me’) have no clue if you exist. I only think you do in my head, where metaphors run free. If a tree fall in the woods does anyone read my blog? Wow, am I writing my blog for the metaphorical ‘you’ who may not even exist.
Wait a minute - are 'you' (‘I’ to ‘you’), or am I (‘you’ to ‘I’ or ‘me’) saying 'I' is a metaphor or that 'you' (I meaning you) is (or is it are) a metaphor? Do I (or you) mean you ARE a metaphor? I (me) is, or are, confused. Are you?
Which brings me (or ‘us’, which is a metaphor for the collective I and you) to the point (if someone stops reading a blog because the blogger is a moron does the blog, or for that matter the blogger, exist?). ALL words, points, descriptions, concepts, values, ideals and personal points of view are metaphorical. Indeed, it may be suggested that the only thing objective in existence is the existence of the object itself. Metaphors are required for ANY attempt to qualify the existence of the object or describe it in any way, shape or form.
Humans use metaphors to describe, understand, assess and evaluate the objects the sensations we encounter in life. Failing to understand the fundamental possibility that we may experience things differently people argue, go to war and act crazy in general. It may be a disagreement over ownership or entitlement of land, food or objects. It may be a disagreement over who is right or wrong about spirituality, morality or governance.
Wine people disagree whether or not descriptions, puffs, medals, stars or ‘points’ are the best metaphors to use to convey wine value. If you agree on ‘points’ as the metaphor people will then argue whether 100 points, 20 points or 10 points is better or worse, right or wrong. Then we will argue over “how in the world did you decide to give that number of points to that wine!”
If you use words as your basis of metaphors people may be a disagreement over whether a wine smells like ollolaberry, huckleberry or Chuck Berry. Barnyard, manure, bretanomyces, crap, perfume or BS? Is ‘cat’s pee’ a. correct at all and b. good or bad? A lot depends on your personal interpretation and reaction to the metaphor ‘cat’ and your life experience with cats, cat pee and litter boxed.
I have but a simple request: stop it.
This is to coin a Bob Newhart solution to ANYTHING you suffer over and you really should watch this clip from Mad TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1g3ENYxg9k
When someone ‘goes off’ (a metaphor for reacting strongly, like a bomb or gun) defending their position, point of view and become self-righteous make sure to gently inform them, “uh-uh, we don’t go there.” Just like Bob.
“Can’t we all just get along!” That is a metaphor representing of what my Mom used to say in complete exasperation at the dinner table. Fer chrissake, don’t even get me started on terroir!
BTW, what the hell did my wife put in my coffee? It occurs for me that this is a metaphor representing transference of blame for my inane rambling to some one, or some thing, else thereby metaphorically ‘letting me off the hook’. Hmmmm…’letting me off the hook’ is a metaphor for…, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.
TAKE OUR SURVEY, PLEASE!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L2HNDJX
We are collecting information that will enable us (wine geeks, dweebs, wonks and wusses) to learn new ways to make wine more fun, less stuffy and truly transform how we, as experts and professionals, can be of service to wine consumers.
We need to drive every day wine consumers to this and appreciate any help you can provide tweeting, blogging, emailing, talking (analogue means of communication for those unfamiliar with term), newslettering, YouTubing Facebooking, texting, LinkedIn-ing, and anything else anyone can think of. THANKS!
1. a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance.
2. something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.
‘You’ is a metaphor. Not that you are a metaphor, although ‘you are’ is a metaphor that represents the existence of you. ‘You’ is the metaphor that ‘I’ (who exists as ‘you’ metaphorically to yourself) use to represent 'me' (possessive metaphor for ‘I’ for me which is ‘you’ to you).
I (me, metaphorically speaking) know what you are thinking, “I (meaning you) is/are not a metaphor.” Truthfully I, (or me) can’t possibly have a clue what you (‘I’ or ‘’me’ to you) are thinking and ‘I’ only say this as a metaphor suggesting that ‘I’ could possibly know what ‘you’ are indeed thinking, with ‘I’ representing ‘me’ to ‘you’ and ‘your representing ‘you’ to ‘me’. In fact I (you may know me as ‘you’ but I am ‘I’ to ‘me’) have no clue if you exist. I only think you do in my head, where metaphors run free. If a tree fall in the woods does anyone read my blog? Wow, am I writing my blog for the metaphorical ‘you’ who may not even exist.
Wait a minute - are 'you' (‘I’ to ‘you’), or am I (‘you’ to ‘I’ or ‘me’) saying 'I' is a metaphor or that 'you' (I meaning you) is (or is it are) a metaphor? Do I (or you) mean you ARE a metaphor? I (me) is, or are, confused. Are you?
Which brings me (or ‘us’, which is a metaphor for the collective I and you) to the point (if someone stops reading a blog because the blogger is a moron does the blog, or for that matter the blogger, exist?). ALL words, points, descriptions, concepts, values, ideals and personal points of view are metaphorical. Indeed, it may be suggested that the only thing objective in existence is the existence of the object itself. Metaphors are required for ANY attempt to qualify the existence of the object or describe it in any way, shape or form.
Humans use metaphors to describe, understand, assess and evaluate the objects the sensations we encounter in life. Failing to understand the fundamental possibility that we may experience things differently people argue, go to war and act crazy in general. It may be a disagreement over ownership or entitlement of land, food or objects. It may be a disagreement over who is right or wrong about spirituality, morality or governance.
Wine people disagree whether or not descriptions, puffs, medals, stars or ‘points’ are the best metaphors to use to convey wine value. If you agree on ‘points’ as the metaphor people will then argue whether 100 points, 20 points or 10 points is better or worse, right or wrong. Then we will argue over “how in the world did you decide to give that number of points to that wine!”
If you use words as your basis of metaphors people may be a disagreement over whether a wine smells like ollolaberry, huckleberry or Chuck Berry. Barnyard, manure, bretanomyces, crap, perfume or BS? Is ‘cat’s pee’ a. correct at all and b. good or bad? A lot depends on your personal interpretation and reaction to the metaphor ‘cat’ and your life experience with cats, cat pee and litter boxed.
I have but a simple request: stop it.
This is to coin a Bob Newhart solution to ANYTHING you suffer over and you really should watch this clip from Mad TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1g3ENYxg9k
When someone ‘goes off’ (a metaphor for reacting strongly, like a bomb or gun) defending their position, point of view and become self-righteous make sure to gently inform them, “uh-uh, we don’t go there.” Just like Bob.
“Can’t we all just get along!” That is a metaphor representing of what my Mom used to say in complete exasperation at the dinner table. Fer chrissake, don’t even get me started on terroir!
BTW, what the hell did my wife put in my coffee? It occurs for me that this is a metaphor representing transference of blame for my inane rambling to some one, or some thing, else thereby metaphorically ‘letting me off the hook’. Hmmmm…’letting me off the hook’ is a metaphor for…, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.
TAKE OUR SURVEY, PLEASE!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L2HNDJX
We are collecting information that will enable us (wine geeks, dweebs, wonks and wusses) to learn new ways to make wine more fun, less stuffy and truly transform how we, as experts and professionals, can be of service to wine consumers.
We need to drive every day wine consumers to this and appreciate any help you can provide tweeting, blogging, emailing, talking (analogue means of communication for those unfamiliar with term), newslettering, YouTubing Facebooking, texting, LinkedIn-ing, and anything else anyone can think of. THANKS!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wine Preference Survey: experts NOT invited (sort of)
We have launched a new consumer wine preference survey to collect information as a precursor to our revolutionary Consumer Wine Awards at Lodi (www.consumerwineawards.com) project and would very much appreciate having anyone and everyone help us get this out into the world. I will be sharing results and insights as we go he at my blog. This year our wine evaluations for the CWAL will be conducted using the process been developing for the past three years and will be using up to a couple of hundred consumers!
As for this survey, we are focused on collecting information and want to get this into the hands of every day wine drinkers that are tired of the ‘stuffy’ or snobbish attitudes of wine experts. I would be beholdin’ to ya if you might be able to forward this on to anyone you think might be interested and help us get it out there? We are anticipating well over 1,000 consumer responses between now and March 2010 and will share the data with those who help us get this out. Here is what we are sending to family and friends – we also want to hear from the industry to compare how we align, or not, with the every day consumers out there.
TAKE OUR SURVEY, PLEASE!
Our consumer wine preference survey is now live and we need your help. This is a formal research project produced in conjunction with the Consumer Wine Awards at Lodi (www.consumerwineawards.com) and our sensory research teams at UC Davis and around the world. Our intention is to collect information that will enable us (wine geeks, dweebs, wonks and wusses) to learn new ways to make wine more fun, less stuffy and truly transform how we, as experts and professionals, can be of service to wine consumers.
Please help us broadcast this! We need to drive every day wine consumers to this and appreciate any help you can provide tweeting, blogging, emailing, talking (analogue means of communication for those unfamiliar with term), newslettering, YouTubing Facebooking, texting, LinkedIn-ing, and anything else anyone can think of. THANKS!
***Survey link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L2HNDJX ***
As for this survey, we are focused on collecting information and want to get this into the hands of every day wine drinkers that are tired of the ‘stuffy’ or snobbish attitudes of wine experts. I would be beholdin’ to ya if you might be able to forward this on to anyone you think might be interested and help us get it out there? We are anticipating well over 1,000 consumer responses between now and March 2010 and will share the data with those who help us get this out. Here is what we are sending to family and friends – we also want to hear from the industry to compare how we align, or not, with the every day consumers out there.
TAKE OUR SURVEY, PLEASE!
Our consumer wine preference survey is now live and we need your help. This is a formal research project produced in conjunction with the Consumer Wine Awards at Lodi (www.consumerwineawards.com) and our sensory research teams at UC Davis and around the world. Our intention is to collect information that will enable us (wine geeks, dweebs, wonks and wusses) to learn new ways to make wine more fun, less stuffy and truly transform how we, as experts and professionals, can be of service to wine consumers.
Please help us broadcast this! We need to drive every day wine consumers to this and appreciate any help you can provide tweeting, blogging, emailing, talking (analogue means of communication for those unfamiliar with term), newslettering, YouTubing Facebooking, texting, LinkedIn-ing, and anything else anyone can think of. THANKS!
***Survey link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L2HNDJX ***
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Survivor - Turducken Island
Sometimes things just don’t go the way that I plan. I decided to prepare a Turducken as a post-Thanksgiving project. We invited friends over to participate in the grand event. I set up to video the preparation of the dish (I will post coordinates when editing complete).
I had the turkey, duck and chicken ready and the stuffing pre-prepared. People came over about 3:00 PM and we were underway! In 1966 I deboned my first turkey with my father’s supervision. It was a project to make a ‘gallantine’ – boneless stuffed fowl or game filled with finely ground meat and strips of ham and meat. You carful arranged everything, rolled it in cheesecloth and poached it gently in a stock made with the bones. The galantine is a beautiful dish and served cold. It provides beautiful oval slices with cool patterns and is garnished with jewel-like aspic made from the clarified poaching liquid. I was 14 and getting hooked on this culinary stuff. An additional benefit is that my Dad drank wine during the production of the meal and turned a blind eye when I helped myself to some too. For a dish like this – red Burgundy like Volnay, his favorite. For less adventurous meals Gallo Hearty Burgundy. The Great Turducken Adventure brought me back to these memories.
My Turducken did not turn out as a tribute to culinary aesthetics. But I digress.
I deftly deboned the birds and decided to put my own spin on things to ‘improve and simplify’ the preparations. This usually translates to ‘complicate and screw up.’ Ask my frines or wife. That is kinda what you will get a sense of when you view the videos.
One ‘improvement’ was to lay out cheesecloth and build the Turducken on top. All I would need to do is bundle it all up and put it into a roasting pan. So far so good. Everyone was engaged, impressed with my culinary dexterity and knowledge of poultry anatomy. We got the Turducken assembled, seasoning with Vignon Flavor Balancing seasoning all the way, and in the oven by 4:00 with relative ease.
Timing became a little issue. I went on line to check cooking times and figured the 20 minute per pound at 325 degrees rule would put us at about 6 and a half hours for our roughly 20 pound mass of fowl flesh. That would put our Turducken-to-table time at roughly 10:30 PM. Online estimates ranged up to 8 hours.
What the hell – we had plenty of wine, great company, the kids were playing video games. We were basking in the friendship of our gathering. For a couple of hours. Then people started voting thmselves off the island.
Our son, Landen, had arranged to go to Game Crazy to get a new game and then go over to a friend’s house for a sleep over. He left with my wife Kate. Then my bis partner John’s kids were getting a little uncomfortable, bored and wanted to leave. They headed out. Rick, Rob and Samantha decided to ‘cut a chogie’ (leave). We coerced them to stay a bit longer to watch a video of our band performing a few years ago at Copia. Hunger won out and they headed off to Taco Bell for sustenance. Kate came home and headed upstairs to work on her computer and watch TV in bed.
I had won! I was the ultimate Turducken Survivor!
When you see me pulling the mass out of the oven in the video I am in my pajamas. The cheesecloth stuck to the skin of the turkey and, despite my vast culinary training and skills, the whole thing was a mess. It was like pulling old gauze off of a massive 3rd degree burn, taking skin and flesh with it. I felt like Julia Child when she flipped a frittata and half of it ended up on the stove. I, like her, pushed everything back together and served it up as best as I could. IT WAS REALLY DELICIOUS! Alas, no one to share in my glory. I had won indeed, but was alone (sniff).
So here are my learnings:
· Have fun and don’t sweat the way the finished product looks.
· Consider sewing and tying your Turducken to avoid cheesecloth cling.
· Start at daybreak and make sure not to have friends and family show up at that time unless they are in it for the duration.
· Provide meals and beverages at appropriate times if anyone is sticking out the entire ordeal with you.
· Leftover Turducken makes a great hostess gifts, stocking stuffer, breakfast meat (sautéed with some stuffing and served with scrambled eggs).
· If you end up as the sole Turducken Survivor no one will be there to admonish you when you eat the pie and whipped cream leftovers.
So celebrate! You too can be the ultimate Turducken Survivor!
I had the turkey, duck and chicken ready and the stuffing pre-prepared. People came over about 3:00 PM and we were underway! In 1966 I deboned my first turkey with my father’s supervision. It was a project to make a ‘gallantine’ – boneless stuffed fowl or game filled with finely ground meat and strips of ham and meat. You carful arranged everything, rolled it in cheesecloth and poached it gently in a stock made with the bones. The galantine is a beautiful dish and served cold. It provides beautiful oval slices with cool patterns and is garnished with jewel-like aspic made from the clarified poaching liquid. I was 14 and getting hooked on this culinary stuff. An additional benefit is that my Dad drank wine during the production of the meal and turned a blind eye when I helped myself to some too. For a dish like this – red Burgundy like Volnay, his favorite. For less adventurous meals Gallo Hearty Burgundy. The Great Turducken Adventure brought me back to these memories.
My Turducken did not turn out as a tribute to culinary aesthetics. But I digress.
I deftly deboned the birds and decided to put my own spin on things to ‘improve and simplify’ the preparations. This usually translates to ‘complicate and screw up.’ Ask my frines or wife. That is kinda what you will get a sense of when you view the videos.
One ‘improvement’ was to lay out cheesecloth and build the Turducken on top. All I would need to do is bundle it all up and put it into a roasting pan. So far so good. Everyone was engaged, impressed with my culinary dexterity and knowledge of poultry anatomy. We got the Turducken assembled, seasoning with Vignon Flavor Balancing seasoning all the way, and in the oven by 4:00 with relative ease.
Timing became a little issue. I went on line to check cooking times and figured the 20 minute per pound at 325 degrees rule would put us at about 6 and a half hours for our roughly 20 pound mass of fowl flesh. That would put our Turducken-to-table time at roughly 10:30 PM. Online estimates ranged up to 8 hours.
What the hell – we had plenty of wine, great company, the kids were playing video games. We were basking in the friendship of our gathering. For a couple of hours. Then people started voting thmselves off the island.
Our son, Landen, had arranged to go to Game Crazy to get a new game and then go over to a friend’s house for a sleep over. He left with my wife Kate. Then my bis partner John’s kids were getting a little uncomfortable, bored and wanted to leave. They headed out. Rick, Rob and Samantha decided to ‘cut a chogie’ (leave). We coerced them to stay a bit longer to watch a video of our band performing a few years ago at Copia. Hunger won out and they headed off to Taco Bell for sustenance. Kate came home and headed upstairs to work on her computer and watch TV in bed.
I had won! I was the ultimate Turducken Survivor!
When you see me pulling the mass out of the oven in the video I am in my pajamas. The cheesecloth stuck to the skin of the turkey and, despite my vast culinary training and skills, the whole thing was a mess. It was like pulling old gauze off of a massive 3rd degree burn, taking skin and flesh with it. I felt like Julia Child when she flipped a frittata and half of it ended up on the stove. I, like her, pushed everything back together and served it up as best as I could. IT WAS REALLY DELICIOUS! Alas, no one to share in my glory. I had won indeed, but was alone (sniff).
So here are my learnings:
· Have fun and don’t sweat the way the finished product looks.
· Consider sewing and tying your Turducken to avoid cheesecloth cling.
· Start at daybreak and make sure not to have friends and family show up at that time unless they are in it for the duration.
· Provide meals and beverages at appropriate times if anyone is sticking out the entire ordeal with you.
· Leftover Turducken makes a great hostess gifts, stocking stuffer, breakfast meat (sautéed with some stuffing and served with scrambled eggs).
· If you end up as the sole Turducken Survivor no one will be there to admonish you when you eat the pie and whipped cream leftovers.
So celebrate! You too can be the ultimate Turducken Survivor!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Of Stepmoms and My White Drinker Zin Epiphany
My wife, Kate, just got off the phone with her Mother, Joanne. It brought back memories of 17 years ago when I met Joanne for the first time. This meeting was also the source of my 'epiphany' (or nervous breakdown) about the stereotypes we have created in the wine community and how completely off base we are about who they are and why they like what they like. WAY off in many cases.
I was the 'new' boyfriend and we were visiting 'Mom' for the Christmas holidays. Kate was very nervous. Mom liked her ex-husband very much and Kate was worried how well I would go over on the potential-new-son-in-law-o-mometer.
Kate told me Joanne liked White Zinfandel. I worked for Breringer and got it for free. Score! Kate told me Joanne loved to eat so I brought a leg of lamb and accoutrements to prepare a killer meal. We drove from Napa to Eureka, where Kate had grown up, and arrived in the early evening. Kate was expressing her trepidation at this meeting. Mom liked the last guy a lot. I was very much on the goofy side both in look and actions.
We pulled up to Mom's house after a long drive, grabbed a load of stuff, went to the door and rang the doorbell. I had the case of White Zin under one arm and the leg of lamb in my other hand. Kate was pulling luggage. The door swung open and Joanne took one look and said, "Son - welcome and let me show you the kitchen!"
Kate was struggling behind hauling the suitcases and aid, "hi Mom..."
Joanne yelled back, "just put those things downstairs honey" as she took my arm and led me to the kitchen.
Joanne has a Ph.D. in economics and taught for years at Humboldt State University. She is a remarkable golfer, golfed in Scotland and she and her husband Jack, former superintendant of schools in Sacramento, travel around participating in amateur gold tournaments around the country. They are retired, living comfortably in the west Phoenix area and always up to exciting things.
And she loves White Zinfandel. On our first meeting it occured to me that maybe I had something wrong. Joanne did not meet my vision of a White Zinfancel drinker. If you are reading this you probably have some interest in wine and can appreciate when I say, "you know - THOSE people."
Meeting Joanne shifted things for me. I had to revise my view of things and was really curious about what was going on. This began my journey into understanding sensory sensitivity and how we all end up with our individual wine preferences. Now, my research now shows that White Zinfandel drinkers typically have the MOST taste buds. They are not immature, stupid, of any of the other embarassing things the wine community seems hell-bent on saying. They simply find many of the wines wine 'experts" rate the highest are for the White Zinfandel drinkers are the most horribly bitter, burning and unpleaseant.
Last night Kate and I watchd an Oscar-winning movie with French subtitles. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (film by Buñuel [1972]) They were drinking vintage Port as an aperitif. Most people overlook, or don't know, that the French drink more Port wine than any other country. And usuually before dinner.
We overlook, or don't know, that Champagne was always VERY sweet by todays standards. Or the great Montrachet used to be a sweet, botrytis infected wine.Or that if wine was to strong the French and Italians would not hesistate to add water or a cube of sugar to make it better. Or fruit juice, especially in Spain. Or that the world ALWAYS valued sweet wines more than dry until very recently.
Glad to know I was wrong about White Zinfandel drinkers and for that I give my thanks. And especially thanks to you, Joanne.
I was the 'new' boyfriend and we were visiting 'Mom' for the Christmas holidays. Kate was very nervous. Mom liked her ex-husband very much and Kate was worried how well I would go over on the potential-new-son-in-law-o-mometer.
Kate told me Joanne liked White Zinfandel. I worked for Breringer and got it for free. Score! Kate told me Joanne loved to eat so I brought a leg of lamb and accoutrements to prepare a killer meal. We drove from Napa to Eureka, where Kate had grown up, and arrived in the early evening. Kate was expressing her trepidation at this meeting. Mom liked the last guy a lot. I was very much on the goofy side both in look and actions.
We pulled up to Mom's house after a long drive, grabbed a load of stuff, went to the door and rang the doorbell. I had the case of White Zin under one arm and the leg of lamb in my other hand. Kate was pulling luggage. The door swung open and Joanne took one look and said, "Son - welcome and let me show you the kitchen!"
Kate was struggling behind hauling the suitcases and aid, "hi Mom..."
Joanne yelled back, "just put those things downstairs honey" as she took my arm and led me to the kitchen.
Joanne has a Ph.D. in economics and taught for years at Humboldt State University. She is a remarkable golfer, golfed in Scotland and she and her husband Jack, former superintendant of schools in Sacramento, travel around participating in amateur gold tournaments around the country. They are retired, living comfortably in the west Phoenix area and always up to exciting things.
And she loves White Zinfandel. On our first meeting it occured to me that maybe I had something wrong. Joanne did not meet my vision of a White Zinfancel drinker. If you are reading this you probably have some interest in wine and can appreciate when I say, "you know - THOSE people."
Meeting Joanne shifted things for me. I had to revise my view of things and was really curious about what was going on. This began my journey into understanding sensory sensitivity and how we all end up with our individual wine preferences. Now, my research now shows that White Zinfandel drinkers typically have the MOST taste buds. They are not immature, stupid, of any of the other embarassing things the wine community seems hell-bent on saying. They simply find many of the wines wine 'experts" rate the highest are for the White Zinfandel drinkers are the most horribly bitter, burning and unpleaseant.
Last night Kate and I watchd an Oscar-winning movie with French subtitles. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (film by Buñuel [1972]) They were drinking vintage Port as an aperitif. Most people overlook, or don't know, that the French drink more Port wine than any other country. And usuually before dinner.
We overlook, or don't know, that Champagne was always VERY sweet by todays standards. Or the great Montrachet used to be a sweet, botrytis infected wine.Or that if wine was to strong the French and Italians would not hesistate to add water or a cube of sugar to make it better. Or fruit juice, especially in Spain. Or that the world ALWAYS valued sweet wines more than dry until very recently.
Glad to know I was wrong about White Zinfandel drinkers and for that I give my thanks. And especially thanks to you, Joanne.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
3 Blind Men and a Wine
Do you remember the old Sufi parable about the 3 blind men and the elephant? The first blind man reached out and grasped the elephant's trunk and described a serpent, the second felt its tree-like leg, the third its leathery ear and the fourth man encountered its rope-like tail. When the blind men began to talk with each other, an argument ensued as each tried to describe the elephant in his terms. Each interpreted and described the animal from their direct, personal experience yet they could not reach a consensus or fuller understanding about the elephant.
Each man possessed a “truth” from their own personal experience but that “truth” was limited to their own experience and interpretation. In many ways experiencing, interpreting and describing wine and wine with food is analogous to this parable making the topic of wine unnecessarily complicated, contradictory and difficult.
Advice, attitudes and opinions on the subject of how wine is enjoyed and what to do when wine and food are served together cover an almost limitless gamut of options. Positions range from a simple, laissez-faire attitude of “drink and eat what you like” to intense and emotionally charged, wine based micro-cultures replete with their own language, rituals, protocol and propriety. For every expert judgment proclaiming a wine is great there is another expert voice claiming to the contrary. For virtually every expert recommendation to “serve this wine with this food” there is the counter opinion to “never serve that same wine with that same food.”
Surprisingly this allows us to acknowledge and honor everyone’s point of view. It provides us with a better understanding that there are many ways of describing, judging, or scoring wine. What is missing is the knowledge of the fundamentals of our differences and if something appears a different way than WE experience it there must be something wrong with THEM. Whatever value system you find works for you is, indeed, valid. What does not work is the inference that what works for you will work for everyone, or even anyone, else. The research and findings I have been playing around with create a powerful context for radically changing many of the commonly held wisdoms and principles of wine enjoyment also provide insights into why we should embrace and respect the many differing points of view that have become standards for appreciating wine. The net result is a higher level of understanding that puts an end to the constant bickering about who is right or who is wrong.
There is a lot to be learned about ourselves and others. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it, and love and good wishes to everyone.
Each man possessed a “truth” from their own personal experience but that “truth” was limited to their own experience and interpretation. In many ways experiencing, interpreting and describing wine and wine with food is analogous to this parable making the topic of wine unnecessarily complicated, contradictory and difficult.
Advice, attitudes and opinions on the subject of how wine is enjoyed and what to do when wine and food are served together cover an almost limitless gamut of options. Positions range from a simple, laissez-faire attitude of “drink and eat what you like” to intense and emotionally charged, wine based micro-cultures replete with their own language, rituals, protocol and propriety. For every expert judgment proclaiming a wine is great there is another expert voice claiming to the contrary. For virtually every expert recommendation to “serve this wine with this food” there is the counter opinion to “never serve that same wine with that same food.”
Surprisingly this allows us to acknowledge and honor everyone’s point of view. It provides us with a better understanding that there are many ways of describing, judging, or scoring wine. What is missing is the knowledge of the fundamentals of our differences and if something appears a different way than WE experience it there must be something wrong with THEM. Whatever value system you find works for you is, indeed, valid. What does not work is the inference that what works for you will work for everyone, or even anyone, else. The research and findings I have been playing around with create a powerful context for radically changing many of the commonly held wisdoms and principles of wine enjoyment also provide insights into why we should embrace and respect the many differing points of view that have become standards for appreciating wine. The net result is a higher level of understanding that puts an end to the constant bickering about who is right or who is wrong.
There is a lot to be learned about ourselves and others. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it, and love and good wishes to everyone.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Local Wine with Local Food - A Downright Lie
The supposed symbiotic relationship between wine and food from a given local is a myth. The eloquent ramblings supporting the proposition are at best half-truths but mostly downright lies. Not necessarily by anyone’s overt intention to deceive but as a result of the inevitable distortions and embellishment of wine and food fairy tales over time.
It is important to start this by pointing out I come from a very traditional and classical position on wine and food. I was a complete Francophile, my culinary apprenticeship was in pasties because Escoffier wrote that was the requisite foundation for all great chefs, and Larousse Gastronomique (the 1961 Crown edition, not the newer version) was my bible and even had a Vizsla (dog) named Prosper in honor of the author. I had the patter, the rationale and all of the bad sciences down pat. I became recognized as a ‘wine and food guru’ internationally. And I was feeling more and more like something was very wrong. As my wine world began to expand I began to note the many inconsistencies and uncertainties in my own stories, and lectures. I was more aware of the vast differences in how people experienced the same combinations. In 1990 it all came to a head at a communications seminar I attended in preparing for the MW examination and I started down a different path.
Over the past 20 years I have conducted a ‘critical rethinking’ of what I had held as sacred premises for the correct matching of wine and food. Critical thinking is a discipline applied when there are two or more conflicting opinions or points of view and allows the deconstruction and reconstruction of concepts to try to find a resolution. I started enrolling other chefs, wine experts and sensory specialists in this new quest for the Truth About Wine and Food. Here is a sampling of the things we found.
Macro-level Mythbuster
The wines that were consumed not very long ago in France, Spain, Germany and Italy were wines we could not even imagine as drinkable today. Alcohols were rarely above 10-11 percent. ‘Red’ wines were more what we would consider dark rose today. Acetic acid and brettanomyces were the rule, not the exception. Prior to WWII wines were rarely put in bottles and mostly sold ‘en vrac’ – picture a huge tank with a gas pump. Any wine approaching what we drink today as most often EXPORTED AND NOT CONSUMED IN THE AREA!! In 1970 (correct me if someone has better figures) only 5% of the wines of France were AOC wines. Wine was part of the culture and not vice-versa, not event the OWNERS of great chateaux new what varieties were planted on their own estate let alone the consumers of the wine. The wines that we associate with the regions of production in France today not only were not consumed there, cheaper Italian, North African and Spanish wines we brought in huge quantities to supply the daily need of the locals. People drank the same wines day in and day out. With whatever was on their table.
And don’t even get me started on the concept of why TERROIR has become such a volatile subject . Suffice to say here it is a gross misinterpretation of different words that has led to innumerable arguments. I will do a piece on that down the road.
Red Wine and Red Meat – Truth or Fertilizer?
The insights I learned on critically rethinking this myth smacked me in the head like a 2X4. 1992, 30 sensory scientists from 11 countries assembled to listen to my wine and food lecture at Beringer’s then-new Hudson House Culinary Center. They were invited there to listen to my wine and food stuff and rip it apart. Seriously.
Me, “try the steak with the Cabernet and note how the tannins are softened. Astringency is a result of the negatively charged polyphenols in the wine denaturing the positively charged proteins in our mouth tissues and saliva resulting the corresponding lack of lubricity we experience. Having rare meat provides new bonding points for the colloids reducing the denaturing effect and fat provides lubrication and the effect of smoothing out and reducing the astringency.”
Fertilizer was the unanimous agreement. “Have you tried this with rare meat that has no salt?” was the question from a gentleman who did his Ph.D. dissertation on lubricity (seriously). “Salt is a bitterness blocker and would account for this illusion.”
Crap. We cooked more USDA Choice NY Strip and tried it again. The wine becomes MORE astringent with red wine and red meat. I have demonstrated this hundreds of times to thousands of people.
What about the fat and the softening of red wine? Nope. Try it. Olive oil, lard, butter WITH NO SALT, cooked beef fat, lamb fat – you name it. THEY MAKE WINE MORE BITTER AND ASTRINGENT! We tend to put more salt on fatty foods. Duh.
Coming up we will look at the Foie Gras and sweet wine myth, red wine and fish (with a special sojourn to oysters) and all sorts of stuff. If anyone is out there let me know what YOU would like next!
It is important to start this by pointing out I come from a very traditional and classical position on wine and food. I was a complete Francophile, my culinary apprenticeship was in pasties because Escoffier wrote that was the requisite foundation for all great chefs, and Larousse Gastronomique (the 1961 Crown edition, not the newer version) was my bible and even had a Vizsla (dog) named Prosper in honor of the author. I had the patter, the rationale and all of the bad sciences down pat. I became recognized as a ‘wine and food guru’ internationally. And I was feeling more and more like something was very wrong. As my wine world began to expand I began to note the many inconsistencies and uncertainties in my own stories, and lectures. I was more aware of the vast differences in how people experienced the same combinations. In 1990 it all came to a head at a communications seminar I attended in preparing for the MW examination and I started down a different path.
Over the past 20 years I have conducted a ‘critical rethinking’ of what I had held as sacred premises for the correct matching of wine and food. Critical thinking is a discipline applied when there are two or more conflicting opinions or points of view and allows the deconstruction and reconstruction of concepts to try to find a resolution. I started enrolling other chefs, wine experts and sensory specialists in this new quest for the Truth About Wine and Food. Here is a sampling of the things we found.
Macro-level Mythbuster
The wines that were consumed not very long ago in France, Spain, Germany and Italy were wines we could not even imagine as drinkable today. Alcohols were rarely above 10-11 percent. ‘Red’ wines were more what we would consider dark rose today. Acetic acid and brettanomyces were the rule, not the exception. Prior to WWII wines were rarely put in bottles and mostly sold ‘en vrac’ – picture a huge tank with a gas pump. Any wine approaching what we drink today as most often EXPORTED AND NOT CONSUMED IN THE AREA!! In 1970 (correct me if someone has better figures) only 5% of the wines of France were AOC wines. Wine was part of the culture and not vice-versa, not event the OWNERS of great chateaux new what varieties were planted on their own estate let alone the consumers of the wine. The wines that we associate with the regions of production in France today not only were not consumed there, cheaper Italian, North African and Spanish wines we brought in huge quantities to supply the daily need of the locals. People drank the same wines day in and day out. With whatever was on their table.
And don’t even get me started on the concept of why TERROIR has become such a volatile subject . Suffice to say here it is a gross misinterpretation of different words that has led to innumerable arguments. I will do a piece on that down the road.
Red Wine and Red Meat – Truth or Fertilizer?
The insights I learned on critically rethinking this myth smacked me in the head like a 2X4. 1992, 30 sensory scientists from 11 countries assembled to listen to my wine and food lecture at Beringer’s then-new Hudson House Culinary Center. They were invited there to listen to my wine and food stuff and rip it apart. Seriously.
Me, “try the steak with the Cabernet and note how the tannins are softened. Astringency is a result of the negatively charged polyphenols in the wine denaturing the positively charged proteins in our mouth tissues and saliva resulting the corresponding lack of lubricity we experience. Having rare meat provides new bonding points for the colloids reducing the denaturing effect and fat provides lubrication and the effect of smoothing out and reducing the astringency.”
Fertilizer was the unanimous agreement. “Have you tried this with rare meat that has no salt?” was the question from a gentleman who did his Ph.D. dissertation on lubricity (seriously). “Salt is a bitterness blocker and would account for this illusion.”
Crap. We cooked more USDA Choice NY Strip and tried it again. The wine becomes MORE astringent with red wine and red meat. I have demonstrated this hundreds of times to thousands of people.
What about the fat and the softening of red wine? Nope. Try it. Olive oil, lard, butter WITH NO SALT, cooked beef fat, lamb fat – you name it. THEY MAKE WINE MORE BITTER AND ASTRINGENT! We tend to put more salt on fatty foods. Duh.
Coming up we will look at the Foie Gras and sweet wine myth, red wine and fish (with a special sojourn to oysters) and all sorts of stuff. If anyone is out there let me know what YOU would like next!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Understanding Why We Disagree
OK, I am done for now with long posts. Back to ‘peace, love and understanding’ for the wine community. What’s so funny about that?
Here’s what’s so funny. The internet now provides an enormous global stage for wine related pissing matches. Wine rating systems, wine and food matches, terminology, yada yada yada. At the Wine Future 2009 conference I just attended in Spain it was pointed out more than once that the blogging community spends more time rating the raters and critiquing the critics than blogging about wine. What happened to wine as the beverage of civility, bringing family and community together at the table.
The wine blogging community is starting to resemble the family dinner table of my childhood. As a matter of fact one of the metaphors we create for wine and food is this idyllic scene of people at the table, sharing and laughing. Family, friends and good times. I don’t know how it was for you but maybe your family was more like mine. If not you indubitably had a friend with a family like mine and this scene was even more excruciating is one of us had a friend over:
Mom, “We never eat together as a family anymore.”
Dad, “Alright, goddammit – kids, get in here! We are sitting down for dinner together!”
Kids (aloud), “jeez, do we hafta?” (to ourselves), “sheitz, here we go again.”
Mom, “What are you kids up to in school?”
Kids, “Not much.”
Dad, “Sit up straight! Quit mumbling. Answer your Mother.”
Mom, “This is so nice. Honey (Dad), put down your newspaper so we can talk.”
Dad, “Who wants to get me another beer? Get your elbows off the table!”
Mom, “Don’t be so harsh. Can’t we have a nice dinner for a change?”
Kids, “This sucks, I hate sauerkraut. I’m gonna puke if I try to eat this. It smells like crap”
Dad, “You will eat what is on you plate and can’t leave the table until you do!”
Mom, “For chrissake can’t we just get along. Just for once?”
Dad, “Quit whining. Don’t you kids know how to act at the dinner table? Pick up your napkin off the floor and put it on your lap. Quit trying to feed the dog your sauerkraut she is just spitting it out on the rug.” Side note - Dogs don’t eat sauerkraut. Isn’t this just further proof for a kid that humans shouldn’t either – dogs lick their butts, and the butts of any other animal that comes along, and won’t even eat sauerkraut! End side note and on with the family dinner; “And what the hell was with you report card? How on earth do you get a D in phys ed for chrissake? If you want to go to junior college and get your auto mechanics certificate you need to do better than that.”
Mom, “Can’t we just get along for once? (now crying) I can’t take this any more!”
Mom then stands up, ferociously slams down her napkin (sort of) and runs from the dining room with her face in her hands, sobbing.
Dad sighs heavily, pushes his chair back from the table, puts his hands on his knees, leans forward and pushes his way to standing. “I hope you kids are proud of yourselves,” is his parting shot. “Somebody get me another beer,” he call back.
“Thank god the annual ritual of 'family dinner' is over for this year,” is our silent thought. We pour ourselves some cereal and milk and head back to watch TV. Our 15 minutes of sheer boredom and pain is over and life back to normal (or our version of normal). The one thing we do know is we won’t have to face this again for a long time.
Wine experts disagree with other wine experts. Wine experts disagree with consumers. Consumers disagree with other consumers and with wine experts. Moms with Dads and vice versa, teenagers with everyone in the world. People disagree.
Humans create their personal point of view from the combination of sensory stimulus we experience and how that information is processed in our brain. This is how we shapes our individual sense of values, preferences, likes, dislikes, fears, passions, love, hate and so on. I can be thought of as the ‘Psycho-Sensory System’. This is how what we call reality is created.
Two BIG things to know:
1. Our sensory anatomy varies HUGELY from one person to next. This means one person gets an acute sensation and other is oblivious to it. PROP sensitivity (bitter to some, others cannot sense a thing), color blindness, touch sensitivity, hearing, smelling. We ALL experience things differently.
2. Sensations are transmitted to our brains to be processed: compared to past sensations, connected to things we have learned, judged and assessed, quantified and rationalized. Other sensations occurring around us are influencing where in our brain this is happening and what conclusions, descriptions and meaning we are conjuring up. This will create the NEW memories, meaning, assessments and values we will use in the next round of experiences.
This IS subjectivity. And EVERYTHING is subjective, even most everything which we are convinced is objective. And this is why we disagree.
Sugary sweet, simple wine to one person is delicious and wonderful for another.
Over-oaked, over-buttery, high alcohol abominations are nectar for many.
Numbers, words, medals, puffs, stars and any other way we try to describe and share our experiences are ALL metaphorical. Every one of them is valid or invalid. It depends on YOUR sensory sensitivity and neural wiring.
So let’s cut it out, please? Can’t we just have a nice wine community day of blogging and tastings and sharing without making everyone wrong and arguing (sniff, sniff).
The bottom line? CUT IT OUT! I will send you to your room with no Reidel glassware if you don’t and you won’t get any sweet wine that is ok now because it is really expensive, comes for a remote place and is hard to find and smells like honeysuckle and ripe apricots and only got that way because it got a frigging fungus all over it and shriveled up the grapes and you thought that sweet wine was for wimps until you discovered it was ok again if it met all this criteria and scored 93 points!!
AND you have to share it with your brother. Or sister. Or another blogger.
Crap, this blog is long again! More to come on our psycho-sensory systems.
Here’s what’s so funny. The internet now provides an enormous global stage for wine related pissing matches. Wine rating systems, wine and food matches, terminology, yada yada yada. At the Wine Future 2009 conference I just attended in Spain it was pointed out more than once that the blogging community spends more time rating the raters and critiquing the critics than blogging about wine. What happened to wine as the beverage of civility, bringing family and community together at the table.
The wine blogging community is starting to resemble the family dinner table of my childhood. As a matter of fact one of the metaphors we create for wine and food is this idyllic scene of people at the table, sharing and laughing. Family, friends and good times. I don’t know how it was for you but maybe your family was more like mine. If not you indubitably had a friend with a family like mine and this scene was even more excruciating is one of us had a friend over:
Mom, “We never eat together as a family anymore.”
Dad, “Alright, goddammit – kids, get in here! We are sitting down for dinner together!”
Kids (aloud), “jeez, do we hafta?” (to ourselves), “sheitz, here we go again.”
Mom, “What are you kids up to in school?”
Kids, “Not much.”
Dad, “Sit up straight! Quit mumbling. Answer your Mother.”
Mom, “This is so nice. Honey (Dad), put down your newspaper so we can talk.”
Dad, “Who wants to get me another beer? Get your elbows off the table!”
Mom, “Don’t be so harsh. Can’t we have a nice dinner for a change?”
Kids, “This sucks, I hate sauerkraut. I’m gonna puke if I try to eat this. It smells like crap”
Dad, “You will eat what is on you plate and can’t leave the table until you do!”
Mom, “For chrissake can’t we just get along. Just for once?”
Dad, “Quit whining. Don’t you kids know how to act at the dinner table? Pick up your napkin off the floor and put it on your lap. Quit trying to feed the dog your sauerkraut she is just spitting it out on the rug.” Side note - Dogs don’t eat sauerkraut. Isn’t this just further proof for a kid that humans shouldn’t either – dogs lick their butts, and the butts of any other animal that comes along, and won’t even eat sauerkraut! End side note and on with the family dinner; “And what the hell was with you report card? How on earth do you get a D in phys ed for chrissake? If you want to go to junior college and get your auto mechanics certificate you need to do better than that.”
Mom, “Can’t we just get along for once? (now crying) I can’t take this any more!”
Mom then stands up, ferociously slams down her napkin (sort of) and runs from the dining room with her face in her hands, sobbing.
Dad sighs heavily, pushes his chair back from the table, puts his hands on his knees, leans forward and pushes his way to standing. “I hope you kids are proud of yourselves,” is his parting shot. “Somebody get me another beer,” he call back.
“Thank god the annual ritual of 'family dinner' is over for this year,” is our silent thought. We pour ourselves some cereal and milk and head back to watch TV. Our 15 minutes of sheer boredom and pain is over and life back to normal (or our version of normal). The one thing we do know is we won’t have to face this again for a long time.
Wine experts disagree with other wine experts. Wine experts disagree with consumers. Consumers disagree with other consumers and with wine experts. Moms with Dads and vice versa, teenagers with everyone in the world. People disagree.
Humans create their personal point of view from the combination of sensory stimulus we experience and how that information is processed in our brain. This is how we shapes our individual sense of values, preferences, likes, dislikes, fears, passions, love, hate and so on. I can be thought of as the ‘Psycho-Sensory System’. This is how what we call reality is created.
Two BIG things to know:
1. Our sensory anatomy varies HUGELY from one person to next. This means one person gets an acute sensation and other is oblivious to it. PROP sensitivity (bitter to some, others cannot sense a thing), color blindness, touch sensitivity, hearing, smelling. We ALL experience things differently.
2. Sensations are transmitted to our brains to be processed: compared to past sensations, connected to things we have learned, judged and assessed, quantified and rationalized. Other sensations occurring around us are influencing where in our brain this is happening and what conclusions, descriptions and meaning we are conjuring up. This will create the NEW memories, meaning, assessments and values we will use in the next round of experiences.
This IS subjectivity. And EVERYTHING is subjective, even most everything which we are convinced is objective. And this is why we disagree.
Sugary sweet, simple wine to one person is delicious and wonderful for another.
Over-oaked, over-buttery, high alcohol abominations are nectar for many.
Numbers, words, medals, puffs, stars and any other way we try to describe and share our experiences are ALL metaphorical. Every one of them is valid or invalid. It depends on YOUR sensory sensitivity and neural wiring.
So let’s cut it out, please? Can’t we just have a nice wine community day of blogging and tastings and sharing without making everyone wrong and arguing (sniff, sniff).
The bottom line? CUT IT OUT! I will send you to your room with no Reidel glassware if you don’t and you won’t get any sweet wine that is ok now because it is really expensive, comes for a remote place and is hard to find and smells like honeysuckle and ripe apricots and only got that way because it got a frigging fungus all over it and shriveled up the grapes and you thought that sweet wine was for wimps until you discovered it was ok again if it met all this criteria and scored 93 points!!
AND you have to share it with your brother. Or sister. Or another blogger.
Crap, this blog is long again! More to come on our psycho-sensory systems.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Umami Taste in Wine: The role of amino acids and 5’-ribonucleotides as primary taste components in wine.
Alrighty then - here is a life's WORK IN PROGRESS that I first proposed with sensory specialists at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Bob Noyes, Joe Montecalvo, and others) a long, long time ago. This is still speculation and I looking for anyone interested in pursing a formalized study!! Back when I first wrote this (over 10 years ago) many people were still throwing bread and food at me during my presentations. Tomatoes, especially cherry tomatoes, made for particularly excellent projectiles and it is interesting to note how those same fruit/vegetables contribute to satisfying our need for umami taste. When eaten, however, not used as weapons.
The long and short of this is the descriptors consistent with lees stirring Chardonnay and other white wines fit descriptors for umami taste; rich, full, creamy, etc. There is a corresponding mouthfeel component and these combine to fit umami taste descriptions to a tee. Extending the maceration of red wines would also be consistent with this hypothesis and additional contact with the yeast during this process may contribute significant levels nucleotides, the umami taste potenitometer, to the equation. And finally ahe primary taste charcteristics assoicated with aging sparkling wine en tireage and the development of rich, almost savory, Sherry flavors from contact with the flor yeast are lumped in here as well. This would account for the 'softening' of bitterness and astringency and increase in richness of flavor that is noted with longer maceration of red wines, etc.
Modern production techniques, ripeness levels, specialized yeast strains and post fermentation handling and treatments can all contibute to the increase in umami taste compounds in wine. I will be posting a video explanation of umami (in the context of truths, myths, half-truths and downright lies) shortly and set up a link for anyone interested.
Taste a plain, uncooked mushroom and then compare to a mushroom you have nuked in the microwave in a plastic baggie for 30 seconds. Apart from the 'mushroomy' aromatics you will experience the genesis of umami taste firsthand.
For anyone interested here is the info!! Tata for now and proceed with caution. Or use this as a sleep aid tonight. I wonder if anyone is working on a technology for bathrooms to replace magazines and newspaper with on demand internet and email access? Crap (figuratively speaking), another project.
Umami taste has gained much attention and formal recognition from the sensory science community as a 5th primary taste category in addition to sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Glutamic acid and 5’–ribonucleotides, which is known to synergize the intensity of umami taste of glutatmate, are found in sufficient concentration levels in wine to play an essential role in forming the taste and flavor profile and intensity of quality wines. The correlation of these compounds to desirable taste and flavor characteristics of wine has been referred to (Peynaud[1]) but never fully analyzed. The umami taste sensation, derived from glutamates and 5’-ribonucleotides, is well documented as an attractive, primary taste component of myriad food products. Additionally there are several amino acids that have been identified that add a sweet taste to foods, notably praline, arganine and alanine that are found in sufficient concentrations to be considered as taste contributors.
A preliminary review of existing studies shows sufficient levels of naturally occurring umami taste substances in both wine grapes and finished wine to warrant further study of this hypothesis. Glutamic acid, a natural compound found in wine grapes and a precursor to glutamate taste substances, and 5’ -ribonucleotides, which are associated with yeast fermentation and the enzymatic decomposition of ribonucleic acid from yeast cells. The contribution of glutamic acid (more correctly glutamate) to the taste of wine is acknowledged by Emile Peynaud in his books Knowing and Making Wine and The Taste of Wine: “Among the amino acids, however, glutamic acid should perhaps be accorded a special mention. Its appetizing flavor is well known, salty, and mellow at once. If some 200 mg/l were present in a wine, its effect on the taste would not be negligible.” Synergized by 5’ –ribonucleotides, lesser amounts of glutamic acid would contribute significantly to the taste and flavor of wine.
Alanine, proline, glycine and arginine have been found to contribute a sweet taste in various foods and are associated with the “sweet” taste of crab and other seafoods (Umami, the Fifth Basic Taste[2]) These amino acids are found in significant levels in wine grapes and wine as well. Understanding the importance of the umami taste in wine, now recognized as the fundamental taste of seafood, tomato, asparagus, mushrooms and cheese, will lead to a better understanding of standard of viticultural and winemaking processes. Implementing practices in the vineyard and winery that create higher concentrations of the appropriate precursors and optimize umami taste intensity in wine can maximize desirable taste characteristics.
Introduction
Recognition of amino acids and ribonucleotides as taste/flavor contributors.
Sugar-free extract
Wine makers and viticulturalists have recognized a flavor in wine which has come to be known as sugar-free extract. This flavor is associated with a “sweet” taste found in wines devoid of appreciable levels of sugar compounds.
Correlation of umami taste to bitterness suppression
Increased amounts of free amino acids and ribonucleotides in food products have been correlated with reduced bitterness and acidic “bite.” This effect is similar to the flavor enhancement achieved when wine is aged for extended period on the lees deposited during and after fermentation.
Compounds associated with umami taste found in wine grapes and wine
Compund
Description
mg/l in grapes
mg/l in wine
Glutamic Acid
Precursor to glutamates and glutamine.
0-1330
3-86
Glutamate
Salts of glutamic acid: compounds responsible for primary umami taste.
5’-ribonucleotides
Potentiometer for umami taste intensity provided by yeast excretion and autolysis. Ribonucleotides have been shown to magnify umami taste from glutamates nine-fold[3]. “from 0.6-1.4 mg/l fo the nucleotides ADP, AMP, CMP, UDP, UMP and UTP were found…The nucleotides may act as reinforcers of flavors and in flavor formation in sparkling wines[4]
0.6-1.4 mg/l
Glutamine
Produced instead of glutamate in presence of ammonia in grapes (present in grape juice at concentrations of 24-309 mg/l with and average of 123 mg/l, nad in in wints from a few milligrams to about 50 mg/l with and average of about 12 mg/l[5]), depriving wine of umami taste. Studies show warm growing conditions increase levels of ammonia, creating glutamine in lieu of glutamate, requiring higher degree of fruit ripeness to achieve desirable umami taste. This correlation may help explain the phenomenon of how wine grapes in Bordeaux and Germany can achieve physiological maturity at lower sugar levels than the same grape varieties grown under warmer conditions, such as Napa Valley.
Amino acids with sweet taste characteristics found in grapes and wine
“The tastes of amino acids have traditionally been represented by one dominant taste, such as sweet (Ala, Gly, Pro, Ser, etc.)…[6]”
Proline
Proline is usually the highest concentration of amino acid:
· 0-4600 mg/l, 742 mg/l average for 78 determinations in grapes4.
· 30-3558 mg/l, 869 mg/l average for 42 determinations of wine[8].
· Represents as much as 90% of the total nitrogen in Cabernet Sauvignon.
· Proline is partially used during fermentation, restored by yeast autolysis.
Alanine
Pg. 2478, Umami, a fifth basic taste
Glycine
Pg. 248, Umami Taste of Seafoods, Komata
Arginine
· Must – 4-2360 mg/l, wine 0-2311[9]
· “Arganine levels increased approximately 20-fold during the fruit ripening period of several grape cultivar and at maturity arganine contributed the largest fraction (up to 50%) of N to total berry N.” R. Kruegar and W.M. Kliever, Arganine Metabolism, International Symposium on Nitrogen in Grapes and Wine, 1991, pg. 291
Wine descriptors consistent with umami taste descriptors
Sweet, savory, brothy, creamy, mouthfeel, mellow, rich, etc.
Wine flavor descriptors –
Red Wine: body, extract, ripe, beefy, sweet, mushroomy
White Wine: creamy, mellow, sweet, smooth, rich, ripe
Viticultural implications
Amino acid concentration and distribution in relation to:
1. Vine variety and clone.
2. Rootstock selection
3. Vine vigor and vegetative growth, total vine management in relationship to soil and climate.
4. Fertilization “amino acid concentrations in juice were highly correlated to total N” pg. 197, Must and Wine quality, International Symposium on Nitrogen in Grapes and Wine, 1991, S.E. Spade. “wines from non-fertilized vines scored lowers in aroma, intensity, flavor and overall wine quality.”
5. Crop yield
6. Vintage conditions (higher levels in “quality” vintages)
7. Ammonia/glutamine and reduced umami taste potential in relationship to growing conditions:
Bordeaux vs. Napa Valley
Riesling in Germany and development of “protein” taste
Fermentation and umami taste enhancement
1. Yeast contribution
2. Maceration
3. Red wine fermentation is conducted with the inclusion of grape solids. The pumping over or submersion of the cap keeps yeast cells constantly moving during the maceration period. Extended maceration of red wines creates a flavor profile consistent with umami taste characteristics, and may explain the softening and reduced bitterness and astringency of red wines made with extended maceration.
4. White wine fermentation is generally shorter in duration and conducted in the absence of grape solids. The umami flavor enhancement occurs during the aging period of the wine in contact with the lees resulting from fermentation.
5. Malo-lactic fermentation
6. Proteins
Cellar techniques and umami taste enhancement
Lees contact and lees stirring (including extended maceration for red wines):
Many white wines benefit from contact with spent yeast cells during post-fermentation aging. These flavor distinctions are consistent with enhanced umami taste characteristics: reduced impression of bitterness, rich, mellow, creamy, etc. The spent yeast cells would provide a source for 5’-ribonucleotides that would act as the potentiometer to synergize existing glutamates in the wine.
Champagne aging en-tirage
The aging of Champagne and sparkling wines on the lees after secondary bottle fermentation creates flavor distinctions consistent with enhanced umami taste characteristics: reduced impression of bitterness, rich, mellow, creamy, etc. The spent yeast cells would provide a source for 5’-ribonucleotides that would act as the potentiometer to synergize existing glutamates in the wine.
Flor yeast formation and ribonucleotides
Ammonia additions improve quality, page 228, Amerine, Wine Production and Technology in the United States
[1] E. Peynaud, Knowing and Making Wine, 48, (1981) The Taste of Wine
[2] Umami, the Fifth Basic Taste
[3] Helen Conn, “Umami” the Fifth Basic taste, Nutrition and Science, No. 2, pp. 21-23, March/April 1992
[4] M.A Amerine and C.S. Ough, Methods for Analysis of Musts and Wines, pg. 155 (1980)
[5] C.S. Ough, American Journal of Viticulture. 20, 213-220 (1969)
[6] Shinya Fuke and Tetsuji Shimizu, Sensory and preference aspects of umami, Trends in Food Science and Technology:4 (8) 246-251 41 ref. (1969)
[7] C.S. Ough, Vitis, 7, 321-331 (1968)
[8] C.S. Ough, Vitis, 7, 321-331 (1968)
[9] C.S. Ough and O. Bustos, Wines Vines (50)4, 50-58 (1969), C.S. Ough, unpublished data
The long and short of this is the descriptors consistent with lees stirring Chardonnay and other white wines fit descriptors for umami taste; rich, full, creamy, etc. There is a corresponding mouthfeel component and these combine to fit umami taste descriptions to a tee. Extending the maceration of red wines would also be consistent with this hypothesis and additional contact with the yeast during this process may contribute significant levels nucleotides, the umami taste potenitometer, to the equation. And finally ahe primary taste charcteristics assoicated with aging sparkling wine en tireage and the development of rich, almost savory, Sherry flavors from contact with the flor yeast are lumped in here as well. This would account for the 'softening' of bitterness and astringency and increase in richness of flavor that is noted with longer maceration of red wines, etc.
Modern production techniques, ripeness levels, specialized yeast strains and post fermentation handling and treatments can all contibute to the increase in umami taste compounds in wine. I will be posting a video explanation of umami (in the context of truths, myths, half-truths and downright lies) shortly and set up a link for anyone interested.
Taste a plain, uncooked mushroom and then compare to a mushroom you have nuked in the microwave in a plastic baggie for 30 seconds. Apart from the 'mushroomy' aromatics you will experience the genesis of umami taste firsthand.
For anyone interested here is the info!! Tata for now and proceed with caution. Or use this as a sleep aid tonight. I wonder if anyone is working on a technology for bathrooms to replace magazines and newspaper with on demand internet and email access? Crap (figuratively speaking), another project.
Umami taste has gained much attention and formal recognition from the sensory science community as a 5th primary taste category in addition to sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Glutamic acid and 5’–ribonucleotides, which is known to synergize the intensity of umami taste of glutatmate, are found in sufficient concentration levels in wine to play an essential role in forming the taste and flavor profile and intensity of quality wines. The correlation of these compounds to desirable taste and flavor characteristics of wine has been referred to (Peynaud[1]) but never fully analyzed. The umami taste sensation, derived from glutamates and 5’-ribonucleotides, is well documented as an attractive, primary taste component of myriad food products. Additionally there are several amino acids that have been identified that add a sweet taste to foods, notably praline, arganine and alanine that are found in sufficient concentrations to be considered as taste contributors.
A preliminary review of existing studies shows sufficient levels of naturally occurring umami taste substances in both wine grapes and finished wine to warrant further study of this hypothesis. Glutamic acid, a natural compound found in wine grapes and a precursor to glutamate taste substances, and 5’ -ribonucleotides, which are associated with yeast fermentation and the enzymatic decomposition of ribonucleic acid from yeast cells. The contribution of glutamic acid (more correctly glutamate) to the taste of wine is acknowledged by Emile Peynaud in his books Knowing and Making Wine and The Taste of Wine: “Among the amino acids, however, glutamic acid should perhaps be accorded a special mention. Its appetizing flavor is well known, salty, and mellow at once. If some 200 mg/l were present in a wine, its effect on the taste would not be negligible.” Synergized by 5’ –ribonucleotides, lesser amounts of glutamic acid would contribute significantly to the taste and flavor of wine.
Alanine, proline, glycine and arginine have been found to contribute a sweet taste in various foods and are associated with the “sweet” taste of crab and other seafoods (Umami, the Fifth Basic Taste[2]) These amino acids are found in significant levels in wine grapes and wine as well. Understanding the importance of the umami taste in wine, now recognized as the fundamental taste of seafood, tomato, asparagus, mushrooms and cheese, will lead to a better understanding of standard of viticultural and winemaking processes. Implementing practices in the vineyard and winery that create higher concentrations of the appropriate precursors and optimize umami taste intensity in wine can maximize desirable taste characteristics.
Introduction
Recognition of amino acids and ribonucleotides as taste/flavor contributors.
Sugar-free extract
Wine makers and viticulturalists have recognized a flavor in wine which has come to be known as sugar-free extract. This flavor is associated with a “sweet” taste found in wines devoid of appreciable levels of sugar compounds.
Correlation of umami taste to bitterness suppression
Increased amounts of free amino acids and ribonucleotides in food products have been correlated with reduced bitterness and acidic “bite.” This effect is similar to the flavor enhancement achieved when wine is aged for extended period on the lees deposited during and after fermentation.
Compounds associated with umami taste found in wine grapes and wine
Compund
Description
mg/l in grapes
mg/l in wine
Glutamic Acid
Precursor to glutamates and glutamine.
0-1330
3-86
Glutamate
Salts of glutamic acid: compounds responsible for primary umami taste.
5’-ribonucleotides
Potentiometer for umami taste intensity provided by yeast excretion and autolysis. Ribonucleotides have been shown to magnify umami taste from glutamates nine-fold[3]. “from 0.6-1.4 mg/l fo the nucleotides ADP, AMP, CMP, UDP, UMP and UTP were found…The nucleotides may act as reinforcers of flavors and in flavor formation in sparkling wines[4]
0.6-1.4 mg/l
Glutamine
Produced instead of glutamate in presence of ammonia in grapes (present in grape juice at concentrations of 24-309 mg/l with and average of 123 mg/l, nad in in wints from a few milligrams to about 50 mg/l with and average of about 12 mg/l[5]), depriving wine of umami taste. Studies show warm growing conditions increase levels of ammonia, creating glutamine in lieu of glutamate, requiring higher degree of fruit ripeness to achieve desirable umami taste. This correlation may help explain the phenomenon of how wine grapes in Bordeaux and Germany can achieve physiological maturity at lower sugar levels than the same grape varieties grown under warmer conditions, such as Napa Valley.
Amino acids with sweet taste characteristics found in grapes and wine
“The tastes of amino acids have traditionally been represented by one dominant taste, such as sweet (Ala, Gly, Pro, Ser, etc.)…[6]”
Proline
Proline is usually the highest concentration of amino acid:
· 0-4600 mg/l, 742 mg/l average for 78 determinations in grapes4.
· 30-3558 mg/l, 869 mg/l average for 42 determinations of wine[8].
· Represents as much as 90% of the total nitrogen in Cabernet Sauvignon.
· Proline is partially used during fermentation, restored by yeast autolysis.
Alanine
Pg. 2478, Umami, a fifth basic taste
Glycine
Pg. 248, Umami Taste of Seafoods, Komata
Arginine
· Must – 4-2360 mg/l, wine 0-2311[9]
· “Arganine levels increased approximately 20-fold during the fruit ripening period of several grape cultivar and at maturity arganine contributed the largest fraction (up to 50%) of N to total berry N.” R. Kruegar and W.M. Kliever, Arganine Metabolism, International Symposium on Nitrogen in Grapes and Wine, 1991, pg. 291
Wine descriptors consistent with umami taste descriptors
Sweet, savory, brothy, creamy, mouthfeel, mellow, rich, etc.
Wine flavor descriptors –
Red Wine: body, extract, ripe, beefy, sweet, mushroomy
White Wine: creamy, mellow, sweet, smooth, rich, ripe
Viticultural implications
Amino acid concentration and distribution in relation to:
1. Vine variety and clone.
2. Rootstock selection
3. Vine vigor and vegetative growth, total vine management in relationship to soil and climate.
4. Fertilization “amino acid concentrations in juice were highly correlated to total N” pg. 197, Must and Wine quality, International Symposium on Nitrogen in Grapes and Wine, 1991, S.E. Spade. “wines from non-fertilized vines scored lowers in aroma, intensity, flavor and overall wine quality.”
5. Crop yield
6. Vintage conditions (higher levels in “quality” vintages)
7. Ammonia/glutamine and reduced umami taste potential in relationship to growing conditions:
Bordeaux vs. Napa Valley
Riesling in Germany and development of “protein” taste
Fermentation and umami taste enhancement
1. Yeast contribution
2. Maceration
3. Red wine fermentation is conducted with the inclusion of grape solids. The pumping over or submersion of the cap keeps yeast cells constantly moving during the maceration period. Extended maceration of red wines creates a flavor profile consistent with umami taste characteristics, and may explain the softening and reduced bitterness and astringency of red wines made with extended maceration.
4. White wine fermentation is generally shorter in duration and conducted in the absence of grape solids. The umami flavor enhancement occurs during the aging period of the wine in contact with the lees resulting from fermentation.
5. Malo-lactic fermentation
6. Proteins
Cellar techniques and umami taste enhancement
Lees contact and lees stirring (including extended maceration for red wines):
Many white wines benefit from contact with spent yeast cells during post-fermentation aging. These flavor distinctions are consistent with enhanced umami taste characteristics: reduced impression of bitterness, rich, mellow, creamy, etc. The spent yeast cells would provide a source for 5’-ribonucleotides that would act as the potentiometer to synergize existing glutamates in the wine.
Champagne aging en-tirage
The aging of Champagne and sparkling wines on the lees after secondary bottle fermentation creates flavor distinctions consistent with enhanced umami taste characteristics: reduced impression of bitterness, rich, mellow, creamy, etc. The spent yeast cells would provide a source for 5’-ribonucleotides that would act as the potentiometer to synergize existing glutamates in the wine.
Flor yeast formation and ribonucleotides
Ammonia additions improve quality, page 228, Amerine, Wine Production and Technology in the United States
[1] E. Peynaud, Knowing and Making Wine, 48, (1981) The Taste of Wine
[2] Umami, the Fifth Basic Taste
[3] Helen Conn, “Umami” the Fifth Basic taste, Nutrition and Science, No. 2, pp. 21-23, March/April 1992
[4] M.A Amerine and C.S. Ough, Methods for Analysis of Musts and Wines, pg. 155 (1980)
[5] C.S. Ough, American Journal of Viticulture. 20, 213-220 (1969)
[6] Shinya Fuke and Tetsuji Shimizu, Sensory and preference aspects of umami, Trends in Food Science and Technology:4 (8) 246-251 41 ref. (1969)
[7] C.S. Ough, Vitis, 7, 321-331 (1968)
[8] C.S. Ough, Vitis, 7, 321-331 (1968)
[9] C.S. Ough and O. Bustos, Wines Vines (50)4, 50-58 (1969), C.S. Ough, unpublished data
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