With lockdowns soon to be a thing of the past, what better way might there be to celebrate our new freedom is to ‘Host a Wine Tasting at Home’.
Tasting wine is one of life’s greatest joys. Sure, beer is great and a neat whiskey on a cold day sparks some real joy but sitting down for a proper wine tasting… well, it really does give that *chef’s kiss* feeling.
Sometimes it’s just not possible to be singing la dolce vita in the Italian countryside, or even make it over to the Hunter Valley for a weekend, so the tasting needs to happen at home. We quizzed Peter Logan, founder of Mudgee’s Logan Wines, on exactly how to make it happen at home. And if anyone’s going to know, it’s this guy.
What do you need for a wine tasting at home?
Well, there are the obvious requirements…wine, wine glasses, friends, a reliable internet connection and a hosting platform that doesn’t kick you off after 45 minutes. Timing is also essential, choose a time and date that doesn’t clash with Grand Finals, finales of assorted reality TV franchises or any other vital lockdown distractions.
How should one set up a wine tasting with friends, either over Zoom or in person?
Firstly, decide on a theme. It really doesn’t matter what it is… Italy versus France, Mudgee versus Orange, Riesling. Choose a list of wines that everyone can easily access and consider the budget of your fellow tasters.
Make it clear that the aim is to have fun, catch up with friends, enjoy some wine and hopefully learn a little bit along the way. The best two ways to compare and contrast wines are by close comparison, for example, five different Cabernet Sauvignons from five different regions, which will make clear the similarities and differences between the wines.
Alternatively, pick greatly contrasting wine varietals like oaked white wines, such as Chardonnay, with, say unoaked aromatic varietals such as Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino.
Either way will create interesting comparisons and conversation should flow. If I were conducting a Logan virtual tasting I would taste my Ridge of Tears Shiraz from Mudgee and Orange which we make in order to highlight the distinctive characteristics of both regions.
What wines are best to taste and what are the key notes to look out for in each?
As a winemaker I would say that all wines are worth tasting if they are well made and not ridiculously overpriced. I definitely have my preferences but the great thing about wine is there are styles and flavours to suit every taste and palate.
Here’s what to look out for:
– One of the key things to look out for when tasting a wine is balance. Whether the wine is delicate and aromatic or a brooding monster the resulting taste sensation should feel resolved and harmonious.
– As a general rule tastings should proceed from lighter unoaked styles to more full bodied oaked wines but don’t get too bogged down with do’s and don’ts.
– When the professional sniffers and swirlers are judging wines they have a set procedure, marking on Appearance , Aroma, Taste/Texture and Aftertaste. Although I would never recommend serious over-analysis in a virtual tasting, it is a pretty good way of breaking down what you like or don’t like when looking at a wine for the first time.
– If you are the one leading the discussion, it’s very important to let your fellow tasters know that all opinions are valid and what people enjoy is very subjective.
– One of the things I always look for when tasting a wine is how long does the flavour and memory of the wine persist after tasting. If the flavour is delicious and lingers it’s pretty much always a winner.
How can you tell a great wine from a not-so-great wine?
It’s pretty easy to identify an average or not so great wine because drinking it will give you no pleasure! The reasons it’s not much chop could be many and varied, under ripe, over ripe, too sweet, too dry, too oaky, too bland, out of balance or just plain boring. Defining a great wine is far more challenging, firstly because it’s largely subjective…like all art beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
For me it’s when a wine travels far beyond the sum of its parts, with flavour and textures that take you in multiple directions but combine in perfect harmony and leaves you feeling of wellbeing long after the last drop is drunk.
What are your favourite wines in the world?
There would be many wines from across the world I could name here (including both the Mudgee and Orange versions of our Logan Ridge of Tears Shiraz) but I’ll suggest a couple that I have recently enjoyed from opposite sides of the globe.
I am always enticed by the seductive mix of red and black fruits, spices and silky texture in Bests Bin 0 Shiraz from Great Western in Victoria, one of Australia’s greatest wines year in year out for me. Just a few weeks back I was blown away by the Tissot Les Bruyeres Chardonnay 2018 from France’s Jura region. A wonderfully complex chardy of lemon, nuts, a salty minerality and plush texture. A deliciously left-field example of this great variety.
What foods go best with white and red wine?
There are so many rules and generalisations about matching wine and food. Most are based on sound principles, like don’t match a delicate fish dish with a massive oaky red wine or serve a light aromatic white with a hearty beef dish.
Matching lighter wines with subtle delicately flavoured food is pretty good advice but nothing is set in stone. There are some undeniably great food and wine pairings, it’s impossible to argue against duck and a good Pinot Noir.
Aromatic wines such as Riesling or Gewurztraminer generally work beautifully to compliment spicy aromatic cuisines but can provide an exciting contrast to blue cheeses. I think our Logan Cabernet Merlot from Orange drinks brilliantly with most classic lamb dishes, the bright red berry flavours sing with the lamb and the long fine tannins make sure the wine keeps pace with those bigger flavours.
