Wine Tasting at Glengarry

Never been to a tasting? Not sure what to expect? Well the first thing is to be assured, that all Glengarry tastings and events are run in a non-intimidating way, our aim to ensure that everyone enjoys themselves, learns about wine and feels comfortable no matter what their previous tasting experiences are. There’s no time like the present to get out to a tasting, either by yourself of with family and friends. Add to that the selection of tastings coming up at Glengarry Takapuna and Devonport over the next few months and there’s never been a better time.

How to taste?

Tasting wine is using the senses of sight, smell and taste to consciously assess a wine’s quality. Mostly what we regard as our sense of taste is actually what we smell, with most of us capable of recognising around 10,000 different aromas.

When tasting wine the first sense to use is sight – hold the glass up to a white background and look at the clarity – is the wine bright or dull? Look at the colour – is it the same all over or different around the edges? Swirl the wine around your glass and look at the legs or tears (this is the wine running down the glass)– this shows you how viscous the wine is and gives you an idea of the alcohol level – the slower the legs come down, the more viscous.

Next smell the wine, to do this swirl the wine around the glass, have a good sniff (you’ll need to get your nose right into the glass) your first impression will be the most important – don’t think too hard or over analysis it. What do you smell? What does it remind you of?

Now it’s time to taste the wine, when you taste you will sense different things in the various parts of your mouth. Sweetness on the top of the tongue, acidity around the sides, bitterness on the very back of the palate, Astringency and tannins around the edge of the mouth and gums. When you taste the wine, make sure you roll the wine around your mouth to ensure it touches every surface, try to suck some air through the wine as you draw it into your mouth.

The hardest bit is then translating your thoughts of the wine and what you’ve tasted into words, this takes time and practice. The important thing to remember is that you can never be wrong, the whole process is a very personal thing and what you think of the wine, what you like and appreciate is all that matters.

Where can I view the full schedule of June events - www.glengarry.co.nz/events

DEVONPORT WINE CLUB: WAIPARA HILLS
Established in North Canterbury in 2001, Waipara Hills has pursued a simple winemaking philosophy of creating perfect balance, encouraging the characteristics of each season's fruit to shine, and celebrating the terroir of the South Island. The resulting wines are rich, textural and bursting with complex flavour. Join us as Winemaker Andrew Brown guides us through an assortment of wines from Waipara Hills' premium range, as well as a selection from the limited-edition Equinox series.
Event Date: Thursday 7 September, 7pm. Event Cost $20.00.

TAKAPUNA WINE CLUB: TUPARI WITH GLEN THOMAS
Tupari Wines is a small and specialist wine company owned and managed by David and Heather Turnbull in partnership with Glenn Thomas and his partner Sharon Inwood. Glenn has made wine from many vineyards in the Awatere Valley, and saw the potential of the small north-facing river flats nestled in the upper Awatere Valley on the Turnbull property at "The Cliffs". Finally in 2002, Dave and Heather planted Tupari Vineyard, which is located 30km up the Awatere River on small river flats of the south bank at an elevation of 150m. The thin silty loam over river-run gravels is a harsh environment for any grape vine. A slight northerly incline allows maximum interception of the sun's rays during the day. Large boulders under the vines radiate heat onto the grapes long into the cool nights. The gorge heats up on windless days, but as evening approaches a sea breeze flows up the valley and cools the air. This combination of warm days and cool nights produces wines with great flavour intensity and balance. Join us on the 27th of September to taste through this beautiful range of wines.
Event Date: Wednesday 27 September, 7pm. Event Cost $20.00.


By: , Wine with Liz Wheadon, Glengarry

Issue 80 September 2017