Ep 201: How to Develop Your Wine Palate
We received two very\xa0similar listener questions so it was time to make a podcast of it! They were....
Caryn R: I am trying to learn more about aroma and taste. How does one discern that a wine has notes of pineapple and honeysuckle, for example? Is all of that really true or just marketing? Can i learn to smell and taste with more nuance?
Ted A: I'd like you to discuss palate. Can it be enhanced? How do you improve your palate? Do some people like me just not have a great palate, and it can't be improved?
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We address all the questions above:
- First we discuss the biology and building blocks of aroma
- We talk about a number of categories of aromas from a chemical perspective (which, actually, as I look at them, remind me of names from Game of Thrones!): Esters, Pyrazines, Terpenes, and Thiols. Lots of great info on\xa0http://winefolly.com/review/where-wine-flavors-come-from/\xa0
- We discuss some other broader smell categories and what they manifest as in wine: oak, botrytis, and the yeast brettanomyces too!
- Then we give you some action items:\xa0
- How to separate broad categories: fruit v herb v earth v other stuff\xa0
- How to become a student of smell and flavor by paying attention
- The importance of slowing down to experience wine and food more fully
- How to learn what certain structure terms mean by tasting certain things
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And finally, non-conventional advice like: don't buy aroma kits and stop with the blind tasting, already!
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Enjoy!\xa0
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Special thanks to our sponsors:
www.hellofresh.com\xa0- use the code Wine30 to get $30 your first week of meals!\xa0
www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/wine -- don't forget to check out:\xa0The Everyday Gourmet: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking for the tasting class we discuss! \xa0