Page 11 - Grapevine July-August 2015

In The Winery
wine on paper. Allow as much time as necessary
to thoroughly go through each wine and do it with
complete silence and no discussion.
After ample tasting time, have each member that
feels comfortable doing so, talk briefly about each
wine. Perhaps have them rank the wines or select
their favorites and mention why. Keep a rough tally
of the table’s favorites. Is there a consensus? Do
most people have a favorite or dislike? Zero in on
the positive attributes of those favorite wines and
mentally lock in those flavors and aromas.
Unveil the wines and reveal their labels or con-
tents. Keep them in the order that the glasses are
on the table so each one can record what wine goes
with his or her notes. Speak a little about each wine
as it is unveiled and then allow some time after
all the wines are exposed for light discussion and
possible surprises that people have commented on.
Collectively agree with the rest of the table what
three or four wines may be needed to evaluate the
next blend, refresh the pours into the glasses and
ask them to put them aside. Mark their glasses with
a pen or simply have some white paper in front of
them and label the place setting for that particular
wine. Clear the table of the left over glasses of
wine by dumping the contents into the dump buck-
ets. Cork the remaining bottles for potential future
evaluation and remove them from the table. Rinse
all the glasses lightly and take a small break.
During or shortly after the break, start to pour the
next blind flight. This flight will be all the bulk
wines and blends from the cellar that will be possi-
ble candidates to help make the next vintage of the
previous wines just evaluated. Be sure to include
any older lots of wine that have been left behind, for Pull the previously
one reason or another, in the cellar. If an older wine tagged glasses from the prior flight forward and
is being blended perhaps taste and reach out for a
newer vintage that may increase the fruitiness and
freshness of the wine. Taste and evaluate silently
all of the potential components for the next blend.
Take notes and express the positive and negative
attributes of each wine. Rank them and discuss
them after everyone has had time to evaluate them.
Reveal the bottles’ contents to the panel of tasters
and perhaps have some light discussion about the
wines, what vineyard blocks they came from and
877-892-5332 The Grapevine • July - August 2015
other possible factors that may add to the table.
After discussion, take a look at the quantities and
chemistries you have of each wine in the cellar that
is represented at the table. Express those quantities
to the rest of the table so they can help with the
formulation of potential blends. Have a pre-made
spreadsheet with all the information needed and
simply pass that out to the members to save time.
Now we have all of the information on the table to
make our first blend! [Whew – yes this is a task
that takes time, energy and focus!]
First, formulate a blend on paper that may guide
your new wine in the direction that you would like
to see it go. Take a look at the wines that will add
the most to the new blend. Start with several “paper
blends” and make them at the table. [This may be
done blind with the other tasting members excused.]
Use the graduated cylinders, beaker, pipettes and
other measuring devices to make the blends in the
quantities that will fit
the volume needed. If
the quality will allow
more and the sales of
the winery will allow
it – make more. If
the quality will not
allow a reserve blend,
review the potential
of not making one.
After the table blends
are made, make sure
to mix them well and
then pour a portion of
those blends for each
person at the table.
taste the new blend up against the older vintages.
Take time, with silence, for each member to eval-
uate the wines and select one or two that reflects an
improvement on the previous vintages. Discuss the
wines and potentially make more sample blends,
for the same wine, while refining and focusing the
desired qualities. Keep doing this process until an
agreement can be reached as to which blend is the
best. Once that is done, subtract the volumes used
Page 9