Women Wine Critics Board

A Wine Amateur in France

Contributed by Jana Llewellyn

When my husband and I decided to book a trip to France last February, our main goal was to take in the country while sipping delectable and plentiful French wine, whether we were in Paris or the Burgundy region. I had come a long way in my wine journey—all the way from the fruitiest Arbor Mist in my wine-drinking infancy stage, to an interest in somewhat more complex flavors at a reasonable price. Having never been to France, I hoped my husband and I would fit right into the wine-sipping culture of the bistros and brasseries we’d heard so much about. We had heard that the French drink wine during lunch and dinner; that bottles cost only as much as soda or a jug of iced tea here in the States, and—perhaps the silliest of all—that wine gushes out of fountains in the center of Paris. Of course we didn’t believe this last rumor, but it was enough to convince us that we were in for a luxurious and relaxing trip. Among our more pessimistic expectations was the rumor of the snooty French, who we thought would sneer at our paltry attempts to speak their language, even though we had practiced "bonjour," and "Deux verres de vin rouge, s'il vous plaît," for a month or more. Through what I hoped to be a wine-induced haze, we wouldn’t be able to see their narrowed eyes, nor understand any whispered French insults.

Wine Tasting: From Both Sides Now

Contributed by Nancy Commerdinger

My husband and I were given the opportunity to represent our friends and their winery at a recent large pouring. The organizers and staff of the venue did a wonderful job accommodating those pouring and those tasting, which made for an enjoyable experience for those on both sides of the table – which is the subject here: tasting experiences from both sides of the table.

Anyone who has spent any time tasting or pouring wine has their own stories and many are legendary. But during the days leading up to the pouring I found myself wondering why I had never seen any of these experiences written down – granted, maybe some of them should never appear in print, but you get the idea.

The vast majority of folks attend these events to try new wines from a region or appellation, see old friends, meet new ones, or just share a great afternoon with people who enjoy wine. Wineries attend these events to market existing wines, launch new wines, check up on the competition, do some tasting themselves or a combination of all the above.

So, believing this would be a good time and place to start, I set off to enjoy and experience the festival as a winery representative and as a consumer. What I saw and experienced was indeed surprising.

People of course have different styles of tasting and pouring. Some tasters swirl, some spit, some ask a lot of questions, and some say nothing at all. Some pourers only respond to questions, some want to tell you how their malolactic fermentation process is unique (?), and some want to tell you their latest scores in the industry press (of COURSE they do). It’s how these two groups interact that makes for these great stories. So here are some of mine.

Taster Experience #1 – The "tone" of tasting

A gentleman approached my table, refused to make eye contact, did not respond to my greeting and tapped the top of his glass against the neck of one of the bottles we were pouring, sending forth an A-flat note. I then asked if he wanted to try said wine and he chuckled and tapped his glass against the bottle yet again. Still an A-flat. At this point I was unclear how to respond. Options from "Are you in your church’s bell choir?" to "Relax, you may go to the tasting room tomorrow and buy 100 cases," coursed through my mind as I poured into his still reverberating glass. I looked to my fellow pourers who just shrugged.

Taster Experience #2 – Tell me everything

A father and daughter team approached the table and couldn’t wait to learn about who we were, what we did, what processes we did or didn’t use, what type oak we used, whether we racked or not, what the benefits of a Bordeaux bottle were, and what were the best food pairings for our various wines. They shared that they were just getting into wine and wanted to know as much as they could, as quickly as they could. They continued on, engaging the pourers on either side of us with more questions, and left talking with each other in excited tones. I looked to my fellow pourers and we all smiled.

When the pouring was about half over, I decided to venture out and try some of the highly touted wines that I had heard about from tasters. This too was memorable.

Tasting Experience #1 – A Cabernet Baptism

I approached a table, greeted the staff and asked for a tasting of their Cabernet. The pourer answered his cell phone while reaching for a bottle and proceeded to pour the Cabernet on my wrist, in my glass, and on his table, without missing a beat on his phone call, which he continued. I looked at the other pourers and tasters as I was wiping off my arm and glass. They just shrugged.

Tasting Experience #2 – We decided we’d make something new, what do you think of it?

I was happy to see that a winery I’m a big fan of had returned to the tasting circuit. I asked their charming and engaging representative for a sample of my perennial favorite. She said that my favorite wine was also one of hers, but she asked if I’d first like to try something related to my favorite choice, and new for them. I agreed to try some and now have another favorite. I looked at the other tasters and we all smiled.

The long and the short of it is this: You can have all sorts of experiences and all kinds of fun at these events. Each makes a great memory to share at the next one, but it’s like college, very little of what you learn occurs in the classroom. I’m glad I did it and I’ll do it again. After all, I live to have new stories to share with my fellow pourers and tasters.

_____________________________________________

Nancy Commerdinger and her husband Ted live and work in southern California, but frequently sneak away to Paso Robles to help pour wine and entertain customers at Midnight Cellars. One day when I was swamped with cellar and tasting duties at Dover Canyon, Ted waited on customers while Nancy and I rolled a delivery of barrels out of the truck. So much for sex stereotypes!

Elegance and the Spittoon

Contributed by Daniel Rogov, wine writer

Ever since Susan Anthony took to the streets, Americans have been talking about equality between the sexes. Despite enormous progress in both awareness and action there is only one place in which women and men have found true equality and that is in the humiliating use of the spittoon.

The question of spitting at wine tastings is one that haunts both men and women, professionals and amateurs alike. Let's start off with one given - spitting can never be elegant. But at wine tastings, especially if you are going to be tasting more wine than you would normally drink, it is one of the few ways of maintaining one's sanity, sobriety, and dignity. For professionals who sometimes taste 40, 50 or even 100 wines at a sitting, it is also a way of assuring that their livers, kidneys and brains will continue to function in some sense of normalcy until they reach a ripe old age.

Georges Duboeuf can spit into a spittoon two meters away from where he is sitting without getting a drop of wine on his shirt, the floor or his neighbor. There are not many, however, who have mastered that odd task. Nevertheless, there are several ways in which you can maintain if not elegance, at least a sense of dignity while spitting:

Is Grappa Only for Men?

Contributed by Daniel Rogov, wine writer

Many years ago, during my first visit to Italy, and perhaps overly influenced by the memoirs of Italo Calvino, I was enormously impressed by those men who would start their days by standing at the polished brass bar of their neighborhood cafe, there to drink a glass of the brandy known as grappa even before they would have their first cup of coffee. It took several weeks to work up my courage, but one morning in Bologna I made the plunge and started my day with such a ritual.

I would never have admitted it then, but can now confess that my head was in a fog for the entire day that followed. I had no idea during those early days that the grappa adored by most Italians and served in the most popular cafes and bars in the country could be so absolutely vile. Fortunately, especially considering its increasing world-wide popularity, there are also some very good examples of grappa to be found.

"Grappa" is the Italian term for any brandy that is made from the residue of grape skins, stalks and seeds that have been left over after the grapes have been pressed to make wines. After this mass has been fermented it is matured in oak barrels to give it color and, with luck, a bit of flavor and finesse. Known in France as "marc" (don't pronounce the "c"), in Portugal as "bagaciera" and in Spain and most of South America as "aguardiente", most of this brandy is made by growers for their private consumption. Even though the poorer examples of these brandies are fiery, raw and highly alcoholic, Frenchmen, Italians and knowledgeable tourists have always enjoyed making pilgrimages, traveling from village to village in search of the best marc to be found.