11/09/06 Determining Quality for Yourself

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and this week we are answering questions from the email. A listener writes to say he is having trouble figuring out what a good wine is. He wants to know about how long it takes to "figure all of this out for yourself". On today's program we are going to take a look at determining and understanding quality wines for yourself. In the process of becoming a wine lover you learn to taste wines for yourself without relying on a critic to tell you what you should like. The only way to figure that out is to understand what you're doing. Becoming familiar with wine and the kinds and styles that you enjoy can become a hobby and a pleasurable pastime. In fact, I recommend starting a tasting group. Focusing on the wine and being aware of what you smell, taste, and feel will help you to fine tune your awareness of the wine. Concentrate, and see if all of the wine's characteristics seem to be in balance, that is a great sign of quality. Does it have a clear brilliant color? Does it smell good to you, inviting you to want to taste it? If it's a sweet wine does it have a reciprocal amount of acid in the wine to keep it from being cloyingly sweet? If it's dry, it shouldn't be rough or harsh. Take the wine's body into consideration, that's the texture and mouth feel. Wine lacking in body will taste thin and boring. Focus on that next glass of wine for just a few minutes and know that you are on the way to developing your own sense of quality. And thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.