That was a great rundown of the fundamentals of wine tasting and I'm wondering if our professor, John Boyer, is just as crazy about wine as you are. If you made your way to Virginia Tech we could get to the bottom of this via a "taste-off"

Come to Virginia Tech! Be great to see you speak in person!

Awesome show! You should come out to VT to our Geography of Wine class this semester and give us some tips in person!

Come cleanse your pallet at VA Tech and stop by our wine cellar- if anything the people here are where its at!!

My roommates and I are using your techniques, great advice! You should come to Virginia Tech to teach our wine class.

Gary!! Come to Virginia Tech before the semester is over and speak at our geography of wine class!!! Over 500 students at VT watch your show 2 times a week so you definitely have a huge following!!! Hope to see you soon!

Yes!! Please come to our class at Virginia Tech! It would help us out a lot.

It really would be cool to see you speak at Virginia Tech our our Geography of Wine class!

Gary! The only thing that would have made this better would have been if you were speaking in my wine class at Virginia Tech! Think about it... :)

Gary you are awesome! Come to Virginia Tech to show us how it's done!

Thanks for this great episode! It'd be great to have you speak at Virginia Tech!

This is comment #2
My last comment (on episode 674) was asking for this episode and now I feel dumb. Great show, thanks for explaining.

Man, I wish I could embed this. Is there anyway I could get the code to do that? For now, I just created a link in a pop up here. I am totally addicted and can't wait to get my wine for the wine club. Pretty soon, my site is going to look like a Vayniac fan club. I am a wino so I guess it's excusable. It just cracks me up. Ok, I am going to stop babbling now.

wine

woohoo!

Several episodes such as #42 and #125 (I think) will not work while others do. I would like to hear some of the basics and cannot seem to get them.

Any ideas?

great video . great video. thanks gary !

epic episode

word 42 "Wine"

Just rewatched this and it is obviously such an important episode for newbies to people who have watched "forever". Brings so many things which are important to the forefront and to make sure you focus...I am trying to analyze everything I eat now...to the annoyance of those non vayniacs around me
Dave

Hey Gary,
Do you even know about comments posted on old episodes?
I originally missed this one but I agree it's a classic and am glad you had MOTT, LINK IT UP.
I've had many extended discussions with experienced wine tasters I highly regard and it's interesting to hear their perspective on tasting. Some hold a philosophy and process very close to what you described on this episode but I've encountered almost an equal number who describe their tasting technique differently. It may seem subtle but it's one that is quite different in the mechanics (and something you've referenced many times in later episodes). They split the palate into front, mid, and aft according to locations of flavors on the tongue and in the mouth. So they are using location of flavors as a differentiator as opposed to "time" as you did in this episode. As mentioned earlier, you have often referenced location in the palate but you generally use the term "focus" when you do so. Can you comment on this?
By the way -- I'm a HUGE student of wine and exploring all aspects. Your show obviously exhorts the exploration of the wine world, so I was an immediate fan.

BTW - heard you were coming our way (Winery at La Grange, VA) on 23 Aug -- can't wait!!!!

Informative. But I don't swish the wine anywhere near what Gary does - but I always swallow the wine since I'm never tasting that many. Howvever at tastings I usually just swallow some and spit some. I also get nice and toasted - not on purpose but I hate to spit.

And yes that's what she said.

extremly toned down respectful GV. Weird.......Man I love this show

Wow. You have changed Gary! Only 22 comments for this episode. Your following has grown!

Ever blow on hot soup to cool it down before consuming it? This technique can be executed in the wine world.

I inhale and blow on wines with high alcohol content before taking the GV from New Jersey coined "Sniffy Sniff". The wine will ripple in the glass like a storm on Lake Washington between the floating bridges.

The benefits are this...subtle aromas currently masked are now in your face giving you Hi-Fives and a WUD UP as they celebrate their freedom from all the alcohol clinging to the inside of the glass acting like a toll booth.

**Important** Respect the first SNIFFY SNIFFS of the wine as POURED to get the full effect that most others are duplicating. After a taste or two switch gears then try the blow technique and discover yourself what was swept under the carpet.

1. Blow into glass(wine ripples are hardcore).
2. Immediately after blowing take a HUGE sniffy sniff.
3. Your nose will detect what was trapped beneath the vapors.
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4. Careful..with all the rinsing, spitting, sloshing and wristbands a flying..somepeople might find the blowing sniffing sound a bit of an overdose and deem you insane.

Thanks so much for this video! It was so informative and for me, working in a wine shop, I can pass on this information to people who want to know!!!

Ah, it's so weird not having a QOTD!

Gary- you've got all the moves.

Dear Gary, I have been in the Hospitaliy industry for 20 years. Mainly bartending. I have been turned down three jobs so far for not knowing ( What grapes are grown in oregon?) or pair the food to wine, or what wine would you reccomend with Thai food? I was taking back because I did't know. Thanks to your wine video library show I have been watching and learning. I think you'r fun, energenic, educatioal, down to earth with answers, knowledgable, and a Jet fan. Than You so much for educating me. I love your videos. Patricia Yonkman

Great episode, GV. This should definitely be a standard for anyone new to tasting wine (in fact, I see that it is one of the episodes in your new "New To Wine?" link. Good summary and intro!

Good one Gary, but please stop talking about smelling sugar or tannins. The only thing that you are smelling is ripeness when you talk about smelling sugar! Sugar is not volatile, that means you can not smell it!! Same with tannins. Keep up the good work!
Sincerely, Konst

Excellent idea, Gary. This was a great episode. Everybody should have to watch this one so that they can have a better idea of how to taste wine.

Dude, you are the biggest f@ggot I have ever seen... Especially with that Jets shirt on... GFY...

Yeah, recent research has showed the map to be ...less than scientific. All types of taste can be perceived from any area of the tongue that have taste buds.

Gary, I love the "New to Wine" page—keep rockin'.

This was a top three ever episode! as good if not better that the How to train your palate and the outdoor tasting. I love getting you knowledge!

Excellent episode! I have a question though, when I try to bring oxygen into my mouth as a swish, the burn and taste of the alcohol completely take over my mouth. I don't taste it or get a burn at all if I just swish it but I know i'm missing out on some flavors. I do decant everything for four hours or so. Am I doint something wrong? Is there a way for me to get more out of my wine? Any help would be appreciated.

Perfectly put Tony...Gary...I just keep learning and learning.
I feel like I'm ripping you off, but I'm starting to use "mid-palette" and "finish" a lot more. Now I'm believe I'm using it more wisely.

B

Gary

While trying to understand what mid-palate means I discovered the following blog:
http://drvino.blogspot.com/2006/04/malbec-backu...
Dr Vino's blog says,
"The other various arcs show the profile of other grapes. Tempranillo (blue, above) has a good attack, weaker midpalate, and a strong finish. Cabernet (red) has a similar arc he suggested but not quite as much on the attack. Syrah (yellow) has a broad midpalate but is kind of weak on the attack and the finish. Pinot Noir (green) has a finish that goes on and on—when done right."

How about a lesson on how to taste wine when you get it in those "thimbles" that the Wine Library offers to satisfy New jersey law.

Would like to see you also tape the wine seminars for us webbed-winos that are out of state. Just discovered WL is again shipping to VA & ordered a "free" case. VA wine is costly & lousy, but I do like that Horton Viognier and even their Norton's not bad. You were right on with the AMON RA. I decanted, tasted it, but just OK. Set it aside in the 'ol ships decanter. It totally transformed into a butterfly several hours later. Would also like to see you put a recommended drinking (year range) on all your wines although I can usually get it from Parker or Tanzer elsewhere. Would like to see more Bio Bio Valley Pinots. The local Wegman's had a terrific one from Porta but ran out. Will you be getting Radio Coteau pinots again?

Gary,

When it comes to tasting notes, the often used term "racy" has stumped me for some time...care to comment on this?

When i think "racy" I think of Danica Patrick (now that's yummy!!), not wine

Hugh