By, Angela Avila

So you know what kind of wine you like to drink. But do you know why? I can drink a good bottle of Pinot Noir or Zinfandel with just about anything…steak, crab legs, salad, cheese, fruit, and of course… dark chocolate. I never knew my love of smooth dry reds was due to the fact that I may have 10 times as many taste buds as the wine drinker next to me. 

Strange, but true! According to the founders of “The Bud Test” at YumYuk.com, not only do our personal experiences shape our palate, but our physiological make-up plays a big role as well. 

Tim Hanni, a California wine consultant, developed the “Budometer” to help simplify the wine drinking experience. According to Jane Black of the Washington Post, Hanni and two other scientists “took into account a decade of research on taste and sensory perception.”  They have analyzed taste buds under magnifying glasses and broken wine drinkers into 4 major categories: Sweet, Hyper-Sensitive, Sensitive and Tolerant. 

 

To test their theory, I had my “buds done” (twice… just to make sure) and after being asked a series of questions on my preferences for coffee, salt, and alcohol it turns out I am a Hyper-Sensitive taster.  After the quiz, I received a break-down of my preferences…which were surprisingly true. I prefer balanced dry wines with moderate intensity, fruit, oak and tannins. Not bad for a five question web quiz. 

But wait, have I been pigeon-holed?  What about the bold, full-bodied cabernet I enjoyed last week?  Or the sweet and fruity Raspberry Honeywine that I have come to like so much… the one that is just as lovely to sip with chocolate as any one of my beloved Pinot’s? While it is all good and fun to have a quiz tell me what kind-of wine drinker I am, I shy away from the idea of having my tongue stuck under a magnifying glass and my taste buds counted.  The enjoyment and allure of wine is something science will never fully explain. One thing is for sure, the next time I open a bottle of wine to share with friends, I will not ask them to stick out their tongues before I serve them…

 

Want to get your “buds done”? Follow the link from Prairie Berry Winery’s webpage:

www.prairieberry.com/news/index.php?newsid=19

by Michele Slott

We get a lot of questions about wine storage and serving here at Prairie Berry Winery. Here are some very important basics we like to share with our customers.

1) Drink soon. Only about 5% of the wines sold in this country are purchased to cellar long-term. The style of wine we make is best consumed within two years.

2) Share with a friend. Once open, the wine starts to deteriorate, and is best consumed within 1-3 days. Sweeter wines may be kept a day or two longer.

3) Keep it cool. Preferably a stable, cool (50-60°F) place, such as the bottom of a basement closet. Storing wine too cold or too warm, or wild temperature fluctuations can all have negative effects on the taste.

4) Avoid light. UV rays can cause oxidation.

5) Hold still. Keep wine away from vibrations, as this can (believe it or not) disrupt it on a molecular level, causing it to lose flavor intensity.

6) Serving temp is important. Dry red wines are best served at a cool room temperature, 55-60°F. Dry whites, a bit cooler, at 50-55°F (put in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving - no more). A sweeter wine should be served well-chilled at around 40°F . If it’s been in the fridge all day, let it sit out for 20 minutes or so before pouring.

7) Stelvin tips. When preparing to open, simply twist and remove the Stelvin screwcap. No cork means no corkscrew, no “cork taint”, AND you can store the bottle upright. DO handle the top of the bottle gently. The seal on the  inside edge can get damaged if you drop the bottle or bang it too hard — air then leaks in, and weeks or months later, the wine is ruined.

Fear not the floaties. Although most commercial wines do not have sediment, you may occasionally come across a bottle with some present in older wines. One reason wine bottles were originally designed with the indentation, or “punt” in the bottom, was to allow these natural elements to settle out, instead of being poured into the glass. Light colored tartaric acid crystals form if the wine gets too cold, or you may find sediment from the grape or fruit. Besides allowing it to settle in the bottle, you can use a wine filter or pour into a decanter at a gentle angle. Don’t fear “floaties”, but you don’t want them in your glass, either.

9) Burp the bottle (well, sort-of). If storing for a day or so after opening, you CAN replace the Stelvin lid, but are best off using some type of wine preservation system such as a Vacu-Vin that removes the air from the bottle to slow down the deterioration of the wine. This is especially true for delicate dry white wines which can turn quickly. Store resealed bottles in the refrigerator.