I’m not going to dispute that they are many nuances in a glass of wine (if you have the opportunity check out Le Nez du Vin, which contains small bottles of chemicals that represent the smells you will often find in a glass of red or white wine). With a lot of practice one can start to identify many of these elements.

But … that’s not the subject of this blog: what I wanted to talk about is that no matter how hard people try to explain various tastes in wine and no matter what the pundits (reviewers) say or experience, you may or may not experience the same smells or tastes.

In a recent blog – Tasting Tuesday – Wine Lingo, Heather Fleming did a good job in sizing the issue , by using a car industry metaphor, and then providing some good advice regarding how to taste wine.

This is one of many attempts to try to help those new to wine to increase their appreciation and enjoyment. I have seen countless attempts by many bloggers as well as  wine organizations such as the Wine & Spirits Education Trust or  UC Davis. All of these are valid.

However, one of the issues that no one can avoid is that all of this is subjective: humans don’t all have the same sensitivities to taste and smell. Tartness and sweetness are not perceived at the same level by everyone.

So, while I agree that practice makes perfect –  and the more you taste the better you get at it – if you are simply trying to find new wines to try based on tasting notes, then I would suggest the following:

• Read tasting notes from a multitude of reviewers such as the Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast,  Wine Spectator, or Gary Vaynurchuk….to name a few.
• Try these wines and determine which you like and don’t like ( too dry, too sweet, too earthy, too jammy, whatever)
• Make note of the reviewer that most often describes a wine that is to your taste as well as reviewers that do not.
• Then, when you see a wine praised by someone that often appreciates wine in line with your tastes, it is likely you will like that wine as well. On the other hand, if you see a review by one of the tasters that usually dislikes wines you like, and he/she has nothing but praise for that wine, it may be one to avoid (at least for you).

So, nothing scientific -but it works most of the time!

It is with that background that I found a comment to an article entitled Cider versus Wine to the New York Times (January 17, 1864) equally fascinating as it mirrored the debate that unfortunately culminated in Prohibition about 50 years later. That debate centered around the expansion of wine and cider as healthy alternatives to distilled liquors and fortified concoctions that were the mainstay of the nation at the time (during that period the wine industry was centered in Cincinnati and the varietal was Catawba). During the middle of the 19th century it was much safer drinking alcohol than water

Today wine is produced in all 50 States, albeit not all wine is from grapes. There is a good deal of wine from other fruits including blueberries, strawberries, peaches and so on.

It also brought up the question on why we call fermented apple juice “cider” and yet we call just about any other fermented juice wine? Now, I have great memories of growing up in New England and looking forward to  Fall as it was the time for picking apples and buying cider at local apple orchards. The apples in New England are delicious and I looked  forward to them each year.

I found this definition at WineIntro.com:

The word “cider” is simply the traditional word for apple alcoholic beverage, and can be used interchangeably with the word “wine”. It is simply the result of apples interacting with yeast to create an alcoholic beverage. In fact in Germany, they do call this drink an “apple wine”.

The fermented juice from apples I always identified as “cider” (normally non-alcoholic but you could keep it a while and it fermented . It was delicious, but didn’t really resemble what I normally recognize as wine. It was  brown in color (for wine this usually suggests over the hill or oxidized), lots of sediment, and it came in plastic gallon containers.  So again it tasted great as a “juice”, but does that sound like wine?  Not really.

It is with these memories that I looked forward to receiving a couple of bottles of “cider” or apple wine to try from Poverty Lane Orchards, New Hampshire. I frankly was not sure exactly what to expect.

The first bottle was a Farnum Hill Semi-dry Sparkling Cider. As I do with all the “wines”  I taste,  I make note of the label:

“Farnum Hill Semi-Dry is golden, clear, gently sparkling, replete with tropical fruit and intriguing aromatic, sharp and tannic notes, followed  by a clean, fresh finish. A happy companion to most foods, even certain desserts.” (7.4 % avb)

I have to say … pretty accurate description: The appearance was quite clean and golden, very much like  a sauterne in the glass (of course without the bubbles!). The bubbles were small and refined (and remained very active in glass and bottle), similar to what you would expect from a fine champagne. The nose (yes …. I could smell apples on the nose!) but also tropical fruit.. mainly pineapple struck me. The “cider” was much more akin to wine than anything I had tasted previously. This would be a great aperitif before a meal, or as stated it could pair nicely with many foods and desserts.  And, at the 7.4% alcohol it is perfect for those white wine drinkers looking for something less alcoholic but still full of flavor.

The second bottle was a Farnum Hill Extra-dry Still Cider (wine:-):

“Farnum Hill Extra Dry Still is golden, clear, still, utterly driy, aromatic, fruity earthy, with a clean, fresh finish.  Its complex, palate-freshening balance of tannins and citrus is intriguing with exotic foods, remarkable with seafood.”

My tasting notes suggested ” clean, small water rim with pale golden color, fresh crushed apples on the nose.  The palate quite dry, with a good deal of acidity and medium finish”. I did find it a bit tart on the finish and somewhat “one dimensional” on the mid palate. With that said,  I do agree it would fare better if paired with seafood, especially shell fish.

Would I now recommend buying apple cider instead of white wine? No, of course not. I would no more do that than suggest any one wine, fruit, or varietal. I will however recommend that if you have never tasted apple (cider) wine made from cider apples , you should.

You may find it to be something your guests will enjoy for the upcoming Holidays!

(PLEASE NOTE: I did receive these two bottles courtesy of  Poverty Hill Orchards. The tasting notes reflect a group tasting of both bottles received. )

Four Vines / J Dusi Tasting

First to the wines. A total of 10 wines were tasted during the event including 9 from Four Vines and 1 from Dusi Wines (see list below). Much of the grapes were sourced from the vineyard itself and the surrounding area in Paso Robles, and the rest from other prime grape growing AVAs in California such as Dry Creek Valley and Russian River.

I can’t say this for every tasting I have been to, but for this one all of the wines tasted (with the exception of the Naked Chardonnay) were full bodied, complex, a virtual (no pun intended) pleasure. This is not to suggest the chardonnay was not well made. Rather, the chardonnay is one of Four Vine’s entry level offerings. It is a very good every day quaffer, but simply did not have the same kind of complexity as the other offerings.

My personal favorites included the Sophisticate, Anarchy, and a very different style but nonetheless very well made, abeit more femine style Zinfandel from J. Dusi Wines. The 2005 FV Zin Port was also really nice with a great balance of sweetness and alcohol, and a mouthfeel and finish that went on and on. Wiht that said, I can say that all of the wines are highly recommended!

Bill Grant & Janelle Dusi

Besides the tasting itself, both Bill and Janelle got the crowd going with anecdotes about making wines, winery costs, quality, wine storage,  and tidbits about the different varietals including of course Zinfandel, but also Syrah, Mourvedre, Petit Syrah, Tempranillo,
Malbec, and Petit Verdot (really enjoyed the Monachy as well, which is a blend of the last three and normally only available at the winery).

However, being a long time marketer I also wanted to take note of the great teamwork that went on to make this event a success. Keeping in mind the current recession, competition continues to be very keen for wineries around the world. There are neary 6,000 bonded wineries alone in the US all competing for shrinking dollars.

Bill Grant (left) & John Hannum

In order to standout in the crowd, wineries need to provide access to their wines so that avid wine consumers have a chance to try their wines and become loyal fans. That said, having worked in marketing for many years, I was very pleased to see such great cooperation between the wineries (Four Vines and J. Dusi Wines), the distributor (M.S. Walker), and the retailer (Yankee Spirits).

The adage of the evening was  “if you can’t get the people to the tasting room, get the tasting room to the people”. In this case, Yankee Spirits advertised the event to their mailing list, which consists of customers of their Sturbridge, Swansea and Attleboro locations. These locations are spread apart, about 2 hours between Swansea and Sturbridge and 1.5 hours from Attleboro to Sturbridge.

This distance would most likely have discouraged some of the participants from attending. However, Yankee Spirits tried something new last night: they offered to bus their customers free of charge from the other locations to Sturbridge. This was a win win for everyone – for the wineries, retailer and distributor it no doubt translated into incremental sales, and for the customers an evening to try some new wines and learn more about the industry.

Bravo to all those involved.

Now  .. for the Pièce de résistance !

There is a great deal of buzz today about social media and how wineries can take advantage of it to increase their visability, grow brand recognition, and increase sales. Here is an example of marrying smart traditional marketing and social media: the wineries, distributor and retailer setup and sponsored the event, and now I am taking that event and splashing it through my blog, Twitter, etc.

Social media and net working are not to be feared  .. it is simply another set of tools to help connect with your current and prospective customers.

All in all …. Great wine, Great grapes … and a Great tasting!

For more information, visit Four Vines and J. Dusi Wines.

List of wines tasted at event:

2008 Four Vines Naded Chardonnay
2007 Four Vines “Biker”
2007 Four vines “Sophisticate”
2006 Four Vines “Maverick”
2007 Four Vines “Anarchy”
2006 Four Vines “Loco
2007 Four Vines “Peasant”
2006 Four Vines “Monarchy”
2007 J. Dusi Zinfandel
2005 Four Vines Zin Port