First, I saw no familiar faces.
"This is strange," I told Darleng. Most, if not all, invitations for food and wine reviews we attend, are with media members, restaurateurs, or simply wine enthusiasts, with some eventually becoming our friends.
Second, it was a most casual wine tasting. Unlike the usual structured wine dinner pairings, a host would go through the wine with the guests, one by one as he pairs each with a complementing dish. So, the host is expected to be very convivial, familiar with the wine, and when food is not his forte, he gets the chef to assist him. Wine tasting is almost always accompanied with a proper dinner and as such can stretch for hours. Another reason is that after a few glasses, everyone will have an opinion and the wine loosens up one’s tongue and so the host gets into a discussion. Maybe that is why the host always stays sober during the dinner.
Though it was surprising, it pleased us both because we wanted to rush back to Pampanga, having had a full day in Manila. Even our son, who was our designated driver that evening, could not wait to return home.
We introduced ourselves to the lady in charge and were led to a small table for four. No waiter came to attend to us, and that was when we realized it was a stand-up-and-get-your-drink-at-the-bar-and-wait-for-the-canapés-to-come-by kind of thing.
So, we then proceeded to the open bar set up for the event; it was facing the mall aisle. The bottles were lined up on the long table: The white and pink wines half-submerged in ice buckets, while the reds were left open to breathe. Some platters of Brie and grapes were lying in between the bottles.
Two bartenders stood behind the long table and were very pleasant and eager to serve.
"Now, that is a good start," I thought.
And since it would be they who would be pouring wine into our glasses, it would be to our advantage that we develop an instant rapport with them.
Mary Ann started by introducing herself to them and getting their names. But we both decided not to engage them in small talk on the characteristics of each wine: the bouquet, the color, the body, the quality of grapes, and all the wine lingo that one would need a dictionary to understand because it might make them uncomfortable.
I do not know if they were wine savvy, but at least they briefed us on the wines served that night.
Darleng first had a slice of Brie, and, "Umm, yummy," she said. Then she took a piece of grape. "I am ready," she declared as she rubbed her two hands in excitement.
She chose the Blanc Moelleux of J. P. Chenet, a sweet white wine, and she instantly liked it. That was unusual because she never likes white wine, much less a sweet one (though she is developing a taste for zinfandel).
"Yeah, but this one I like," she said.
Was it perhaps the chilled wine that was such a nice refreshing respite from the oppressively hot summer heat?
Another one we both liked was the Cinsault by Louis Eschenauer, another chilled one, but this time a rosé.
"Which did you like: the taste or the bottle?" I teased her, because the bottle has an unusual leaning neck design.
"Both," she said.
"May I see the bottle?" I asked the waiter, and he showed it to me and gave me a brochure, too, of all the wines. Each wine was generously described in the material, and that was when our thoughts were confirmed: We were left on our own to experiment and discover, and read if we bothered, to know more of the different wines.
The Blanc Moelleux was described as a sweet wine with a pale golden yellow straw with a bouquet of full fruit with slightly honey nose and the taste as full fruit, round and well balanced. In short, it was a fruity sweet wine, suggested served with desserts and perhaps a strong cheese like Roquefort.
"So this is how it will go the entire evening," Mary Ann said. We shall taste all and note which ones we like and refer to the brochure for more details. This is good in a way because there was no pressure. We were going at our own pace.
The Blanc Moelleux costs P580 a bottle. "Not a bad price for the taste," she declared.
There were about 10 or more bottles of French wines presented for tasting, and we tried them all as we stood by the bar.
Among the reds, we were both very pleased with the Louis Eschenauer Merlot, which had a long taste on the palate, and the Baron d’ Arignac Syraz. All the wines served that evening ranged in price from P400 to P600 a bottle.
Choosing and tasting wine can be intimidating especially for Filipinos who did not grow up with wine on the dining table. And as if the host that night was aware of this, and that many would be intimidated to ask, a big framed poster stood by the bar. It said, "Wine tasting, the opposite of drinking wine." I am printing it en toto because we both found it very interesting. It said:
"To a certain extent, tasting wine is the opposite of drinking it. When casually consuming wine, you are primarily concerned with its overall aromatic impact; the point of tasting, however, is to try and identify all those components of the wine that affect the senses. When we drink wine, we are aware of its flavors and aroma; only when we taste wine, do we consciously experience it."
The three steps in wine tasting:
1) Look. You can tell much about a wine simply by studying its appearance. The wine should be poured into a clear glass so that you can examine the color. The color of the wine varies tremendously, even within the same type of wine. For example, white wines are not actually white. They range from green to yellow to brown. More color in a white wine usually indicates more flavor and age, although a brown wine may have gone bad. Whereas time improves many red wines, it ruins most white wines. Red wines are not just red. They range from a pale red to a deep brown red, usually becoming lighter in color as they age.
Rim color:
You can guess the age of a red wine by observing its rim. Tilt the glass slightly and look at the edge of the wine. A purple tint may indicate youth while orange to brown indicates maturity.
Swirling:
Swirling the wine serves many purposes, but visually it allows you to observe the body of the wine. "Good legs" may indicate a thicker body and a higher alcohol content and/or sweetness level.
2. Smell.
Swirl your wine. This releases molecules in the wine, allowing you to smell the aroma (simpler vegetal or fruity scents) or bouquet (more complex scents that are neither fruity nor vegetal).
The two main techniques that wines tasters use are:
1) Take a quick whiff and formulate an initial impression, then take a second deeper whiff, or
2) Take only one deep whiff. Either way, after you smell the wine, sit back and contemplate the aroma. Don’t try to "taste" the wine yet, concentrate only on what you smell. It may be difficult to describe in words when you’re a novice, but after trying many wines, you will notice similarities and differences. Sometimes a certain smell will be very strong – with underlying aroma, you will probably remember it better.
3. Taste.
The most important quality of a wine is its balance between sweetness and acidity.
To get the full taste of a wine, follow the following three steps:
1) Initial taste (or the impression). This is where the wine awakens your senses (your taste buds respond to sensations).
2) Taste. Slosh the wine around and draw in some air. Examine the body and texture of the wine. Is it light or rich? Smooth or harsh?
3) Aftertaste. The taste that remains in your mouth after you have swallowed the wine. How long did the taste last? Was it pleasant?
There you go. Learn more and appreciate more the art of wine drinking.