Instinctive Wine Tasting
Instinctive wine tasting – what is it? What does it mean to “taste with instinct?”
Imagine yourself suddenly in a position to teach someone about wine?
This would likely be an informal occasion. Perhaps your date asked a question during dinner. Or maybe a child asked what kind of “juice” you’re enjoying.
Instinctive Wine Tasting vs. The Systematic Approach
The concentration of wine lovers with formal credentials from WSET, the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust , Court of Master Sommeliers, or Masters of Wine has never been higher.
Yet this has led to a wine-focused society where wine-lovers now use “wine speak” instead of sensation-oriented words to describe a wine.
Rather than appreciating wine for its basic pleasures, many “wine geeks” (including myself here) approach the glass analytically.
We have become accustomed to reaching for our treasured wine notebook and jotting down our assessment of acidity, fruit, alcohol, and balance of a wine.
In many wine accreditation programs, tasting classes involve a moderator tasting with the students and “correcting” their assessment of what’s in the glass.
Instinctive Wine Tasting
During my most recent trip to the Languedoc I was curious to find the seminar portion of the program focused on “instinctive tasting” of Languedoc wine.
Led by wine educator My Nilsson, we were informed that we would taste wine blind. The aim would be to focus on pleasure, and not the wine’s structural components.
Participants were told to put away our notebooks. A bright neon orange or yellow sticky notecard replaced it.
Once the wine was poured blind, we were told to reflect on four key questions and write the answer on our neon cards.
Questions for Intuitive Tasting
1. Does the wine jolt any memories that are not related to the wine?
2. Who would you like to drink this wine with?
3. What setting, or landscape can you imagine yourself in with this wine?
4. On what occasion would you like to drink this wine?
Blind Tasting with Passion
“Describe this white wine with words that convey emotions,” Ms. Nilsson instructed.
I took a sip. But I couldn’t resist my first thoughts. Racy high acidity, my brain said.
But as I wrote the structural components, I remembered the purpose of the exercise: taste instinctively.
I took another sip.
The wine made me feel happy. I wrote that down on the tangerine-colored card. Then I tried to think who I’d share the wine with. My cat.
My cat???
Where did that come from?
Why would I share this wine with my cat instead of a group of friends at a party? Or at a fancy restaurant?
Then I was asked what the wine reminded me of.
I searched for interesting, emotion-based memories.
One of them included walking through a fragrant lemon grove in Bardolino. Another was the scent associated with a childhood lemonade stand.
What Are the Occasions to Taste Instinctively?
Intuitive wine tasting is a dynamic and unconventional way to approach a wine.
It is a great way to introduce tasters to an unfamiliar wine, especially because the wine is served blind.
For example, a salesperson representing a wine from a little-known region could use this approach with a sommelier or wine buyer.
Another way to use intuitive wine tasting is as an exercise at a corporate retreat for three key reasons.
- This is a fun exercise that helps the taster relax and more quickly get into the team-building aspect of the corporate retreat.
- If the taster has any inhibitions about wine (they feel insecure about discussing it), the exercise gives them confidence.
- The exercise allows insight into the personalities of the other team members.
As a wine professional and wine educator, I knew the value of Languedoc wines.
Yet many people have never tasted a Languedoc wine. Or have a misguided impression.
Intuitive wine tasting is a fun way to explore a wine for its inherent pleasure.
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