DO YOU KNOW THE MEANING OF "ENVERO"??

In our vineyards in La Rioja-Spain, some time ago we could watch the "envero". It is a term used in viticulture referred to one of the most important stages in the grapes ripening. Basically it´s a change in the color; the red varieties change into a bluish color, and white ones turn yellow.

This change represents a transition to the end of the ripening, it takes place in the summer and can be considered the beginning of a countdown when we can start thinking about the harvest. That countdown  depends on grape varieties, climates and weather conditions. Grapes, as they grow on the vine, are undergoing morphological and physiological changes that allow them to accumulate substances such as sugars and acids, primary aromas and some phenolic compounds that are the responsible of the color, taste and structure of wines.

Not much time ago, winegrowers tasted grapes from the vines after "envero". Valuing the sweetness and the  acidity decreasing in grapes, they decided the best moment for harvest. Today, even without despising this technique, we can check acidity and sugar content in grape and we are able to decide more accurately, parcel by parcel, the begining for the harvest every year.

TASTING COURSE IV - BODEGAS SANTALBA

 

We continue with our tasting course and we will try to be a professional sommelier.

In this point we will go step by step, sense by sense analyzing the wine

Depends on the experience each one can choose the best order and follow its own routines:

Sight eye, Smell, Taste, Touch and Hearing Senses

Sight eye

It is the first sense, and we look 3 important characteristics: Colour, Intensity and cleanliness.

The wine should be looked in the glass, first settle and through the light trying to appreciate the cleanliness, colour and brightness…

Later round the glass and look the wine, a fluid wine is like water and a dense one like syrup.

After shake it, we will see “tears” on the glass’s wall and this will be more or less alcoholic % and glycerine content, very relevant in this part of the tasting.

The Colour should be analyzed tilting the glass 45º and above a white background to see better the colours. The colour is very close to the age of the wine. If lighter and brown it is older than blues and violet.

Have a look to the different colours depends on the age:

The cleanliness depends on the transparency of a wine and the decants, clarified and filtered.

We will continue soon with another sense and different points to be a professional sommelier and to do a taste with friends!

Cheers!

TASTING COURSE III - BODEGAS SANTALBA

Hello friends, then, we continue with the tasting process and the technique to be a professional somelier /taster.

1. First we open the bottle and fill the glass about 1/3.

2. We look at the wine and use the light or a white background to check the aspect , smell, lightness, …etc.

3. We should shake the glass very slowly and hold the glass by the bottom.

Smell the wine to get the volatile smells.

After that you should shake strong to get the heaviest. You should repeat this a few times to see as much as possible

4. Now you have to introduce a small sip and keep it in your mouth for a few seconds (5-6) to warm the wine and give it a temperature around 35ºC.

Alter this, you have to move the wine around all your mouth to impregnate the taste buds.

5. With the wine in your mouth you have to suck up some air and pass it through it. The air will be expel it through the nose.

This process is called retro-nasal and the wine smell it is similar to the smell that you get in the glass but usually you get some news because of the warming in mouth.

6.After you should drink or expel the wine. The aromatic and mouth sensations do not disappear after it. Some of them keep in because of the persistence. As much time as it keep it, the qualities of the wine be better. In some wines of high quality this is around 10 seconds.

This is also linked with a well-balance wine, when you have a long persistence and this is group and balanced is used by the professional sommeliers and tasters this expression.

During the tasting process we use the 5 senses and each one have to use them as better as possible but my advine is to shake very fase and smell it quickly to get all the aromas and do not lose but we will continue in our next post.

Keep an eye and we will inform you soon about the next step in the wine tasting. We are close to be a professional.

Cheers!