Good friend Doug Frost is the second among only five people in the world to have passed both the Master Sommelier and Master of Wine exams. Author of several books, including "Uncorking Wine," "On Wine," and "Far From Ordinary: The Spanish Wine Guide," he is also host of Check Please!, a weekly public TV show filmed in Kansas City and the wine and spirits consultant for United Airlines worldwide. He is a founding member of the spirits and cocktail educational organization, BAR, (Beverage Alcohol Resource).Cheers magazine selected BAR and its founders as Innovators of the Year for 2007, and Frost as Beverage Innovator of the Year 2009. He runs two wine competitions, the Mid-American Wine Competition and the Jefferson Cup Invitational, the latter which is now in its seventeenth year. He also judges in more than a dozen other competitions. In his spare time, Doug listens to his massive weird music collection and continues to try to raise two (adult) daughters.

Doug and I tasted together in June of 2012. We used the 2009 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Riedel Vinum Zinfandel/Chianti Classico glasses.

Overall Tasting Goals 

TG: When you are tasting what are you trying to accomplish?

DF: It depends on the client for whom I’m tasting. The context changes per client. In tasting this wine I’m trying to decide if it’s delicious, how well made it is, what sort of ageability it has, and for whom is this wine made.

TG: By that you mean …

DF: Who is the best customer for this wine?

TG: If the context changes, if you’re just going to pick up a glass of wine and enjoy it, what are your goals then? 

DF: It might be food, it might be mood as in what style am I in the mood for. There can be times where a wine is perfectly well made and even delicious, but I’m not in the mood and really don’t give a damn about it. 

TG: What’s necessary for you, in terms of environment and equipment, to have a good tasting experience? 

DF: Spit cup! (One is missing from the table) Smell free and smoke free and not much other than that. But I really do have to spit to concentrate. 

TG: Is it more important for you to spit in order to assess vs. having a sip?  

DF: The latter doesn’t work as well for me. It’s the way I’m going to assess texture and volume, the structure. 

TG: And you do that better by spitting?

DF: No, I need to get a big mouthful and am just not in the habit of swallowing the wine at any hour much less this hour (9:00 am). It’s certainly part of the concentration process. It helps to provide a more concentrated environment, but I really have to mix a lot of wine with saliva in my mouth and you really can’t do that with sips.  

TG: What else in terms of equipment do you need?

DF: Some kind of white background that I can look at the wine against; good lighting.  

TG: What about glassware? 

DF: I’ll use glasses like these on occasion (Riedel Vinum Chianti Classico/Sangiovese), but most of the time I use the INAO because it’s a pretty cruel glass.  

Sight

TG: When you look at a wine, what are you trying to assess? 

DF: I really just want to see its youthfulness, the volume, how much alcohol it has, how much extract it has, and what the condition of maturity is at this point. My mentality is that I’m always looking at the rim first and then my eyes will linger down into the bowl to see how much color differentiation there is. With this wine, there’s some pretty significant color differentiation, and there’s a watery meniscus and a pink rim to it. So this wine is showing a bit of age to the coloring and it looks like it has a lot of alcohol volume and extract volume to it.   

TG: If I were you, how would I know how to compare the color in this wine to other wines I’ve tasted before? Is there some way that you bring up colors of previous wines to compare? 

DF: I think it’s a matter of trying to decide what colors are in front of me. Is there some purple in the glass? In this wine yes, so there would appear to be some hint of a hot climate. I’m looking at a series of colors as wine shows a color gradation down into the bowl. I’m looking to see how well can I see through the bowl and with this wine there’s quite a bit of extract; but the quality of the colors and the value of the colors and what that means in terms of outcome.  

TG: If I had to be you, how would you compare that to previous wines in terms of memory? 

DF: Just intellectually, I’m not carrying images of other wines in my head when I do this. 

TG: How do you know?

DF: I’m just not aware of that and that’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just looking at a sheet of color and trying to decide what that sheet of color is. It’s like looking at a color chart.  

TG: So is there an actual chart you see? 

DF: No, I really don’t. I just look at what I would regard as a color chart like you would do when you select a font color. I look at art a lot, so I look at colors so I’m comfortable staring at colors and calling them by name.

TG: Practically everyone I’ve spoken to has some kind of visual device that they compare colors to. Do you use anything like that? 

DF: I cannot say that that is happening with me because there are multiple colors. It’s not really like that for me. But I’m also not real clue into color the way some people are. 

TG: How do you know when you’re done looking at a wine?

DF: When I’ve been able to draw conclusions; in this wine there’s a pretty significant amount of extract and alcohol and it looks like warmish climate; when I can draw conclusions of what I think about the wine, how young it is and what climate it is, of what grape and what extract. 

TG: Great. Could you actually demonstrate how you look at wine? 

DF: White background, tip the glass all the way over and get the wine almost to a 45 degree angle, get some light somewhere so I can see it.

Nose

TG: What are your goals when you smell wine? 

DF: I have a set of Master Sommelier familiar goals that I take a look at. Other than that, I’m just seeing if anything else feels familiar. I’m very much of the training. 

TG: So you’re trying to assess the wine for quality …

DF: Quality, character, various categories of fruit, herbs and all those things. I’m looking at all those categories.

TG: How do you know you’ve accomplished that? How do you do that? 

DF: As long as I’ve filled all those boxes I’m content. Like everybody else I’m looking for some kind of conclusion. I’m also trying to figure out which of those boxes is important to me. Then I’ll spend a lot of time talking about that because it’s something I’m hanging my hat on.  

TG: Is that something like an initial impression or is it something you get as you progress through the wine? 

DF: It could be either one. I would love it to be an initial impression but half the times it’s not. 

TG: When you smell the wine, in terms of the grid, is it something you see and periodically check in with?  

DF: Sometimes I’ll imagine it as it is on the slide. Other times it’s just dialogue. I know in my mind what I’m supposed to do because the slides don’t exactly sync up with where I want to go.  

TG: So how do you do that? 

DF: It’s just like saying the rosary: do flowers and then do spices. That’s how you do it? 

TG: OK but I’m trying to figure out how you do that. So if you smell this wine what is the first thing you check for?

DF: Whatever it smells like, in other words that first impression. The first thing I’m looking for is fruit and then probably flowers. But that’s completely contextual as I was drinking Riesling last night. Had I been drinking Bordeaux I wouldn’t have been looking for flowers.  

TG: I’m just trying to get back to your seeing slides. How do you do that? 

DF: Sometimes I remember the slides as they set up on the screen. But most of the time I’m just doing it again, like saying the rosary, almost automatically.

TG: If I was you, where would I see the slides? 

DF: Not anywhere particularly, I just go into a memory; I just remember what that slide looks like. The only thing that would perhaps be interesting to you is that the slide I’m looking at is just as likely to be an overhead as it is anything else (laughs). It’s old school.  

TG: OK, so I’m watching your eyes when you’re talking about the slides and they go pretty consistently in three places, here , here and here (the positions are literally slightly left, center and slightly right in front of his face). Where are you looking? 

DF: I think I told you that one of my daughters has said since she was six years old, “watch me, I’m Dad drinking wine.” And her eyes go back and forth like mine.  

TG: True because you’re processing a lot of different things. Back to the overheads. Are they out in front? To the sides? Where are they? 

DF: Again, it’s a particular memory and it might well be just the screen in front of me. I’m so used to looking at the screen. But it’s not consistent. Most of the time I wouldn’t need to draw on it because I would just go in a particular order.  

TG: It almost sounds like it’s auditory as well. Are you saying things to yourself? 

DF: No, it’s not auditory.  

TG: As you smell the wine what do you do? Your eyes consistently go several places in rapid succession. But for today it would be great just to pick out a specific fruit or other element in the wine and try figure out how you do it.  

DF: My eyes do go back and forth but they settle in once I get something. The first thing is savory.  

TG: Savory such as …

DF: Right now the wine is minty, basil and wet and dried leaves—some sort of herbal origin.  

TG: If I had to be you, how would I do that? How do you know you’re smelling those things? What do you see? 

DF: I’ll try but I really don’t get any particular images. I did read your article and thought about it, but images is not what I’m working from.   

TG: I think you probably do it but at micro-speed. Your eye movements are the fastest of anyone I’ve ever seen. So if we can just slow one of them down I would be curious to see what’s there.

DF: The whole thing for me, even now as I think about the fruit in the wine I didn’t envision a black cherry. I’m more likely to see the label on a can or jar when I try to picture black cherries. I don’t necessarily see a black cherry.

TG: So there’s a label? 

DF: As I call it up I can do that, but I’m not sure that’s how I’m associating aroma. But to your point, I don’t know that.  

TG: But if I ask you, for instance, what does a tangerine smell like? What do you do? Do you see the color orange? 

DG: Yes, definitely. 

TG: Do you see a picture of the tangerine?  

DF: Eventually. Let’s switch it out. For a blueberry it’s not very strong recall, I’m more likely to … It’s certainly the fruit I’m trying to imagine but it’s more like the color or a slice of that fruit. I’m trying to go through the process now in my mind to get an idea of what the process looks like. As I think about pineapple I’m more likely to think about sliced pineapple then a whole fresh pineapple—so I’m not looking at a whole pineapple.  

TG: To a great extent though the content is not really that important. You do seem to bring something up.

DF: Yes, sure.  

TG: So with the canned or sliced pineapple, if you get that can you show me where it is? 

DF: It’s pretty much right in front of me.

TG: 2D or 3D picture? 

DF: It’s three dimensional.  

TG: So is this framed or just sitting there in space? 

DF: I’m switching out fruit now and thinking about blueberries. It’s right in front of me and I’m looking at a close up of a blueberry.  

TG: So what happens if you take the close up of the blueberry and move it right up in front of your face? Does the intensity increase? 

DF: No, same.

TG: What happens if make the image tiny? 

DF: The whole process doesn’t make any sense to me. Make what tiny? I know what you’re saying but …

TG: OK so make it black and white. Take the color out of it. 

DF: It doesn’t have aroma then. 

TG: OK, at least we know that. What happens if you make the blueberry enormous? Like a billboard.

DF: Again, that doesn’t make any sense to me. In other words, the image I’m working on doesn’t change shape, it’s the same size.  

TG: Can you change the shape? 

DF: That would be something different.  

TG: Doug, make it a giant blueberry. What happens? Do the aromas get stronger or weaker? 

DF: I understand, I’m just trying to give you legitimate answers. It doesn’t change. I suppose if we’re making it really big it becomes more two dimensional and not real.

TG: I want to go back to the idea of picking out something in the glass and how you know it’s not something else. Is there a system where you compare it to other things? I’m still trying to figure out your eye movements. I have to tell you that your eyes just go nuts when you’re smelling. Your eyes are constantly going back and forth seeing and comparing different things.  

DF: (laughs) I don’t know. But certainly I was never aware of the eye movements until my daughter starting mocking it about eighteen years ago.  

TG: But how could you possibly be aware of it? 

DF: Because one is self-conscious at time when you taste with other people. So maybe I had been aware of it but not really until my daughter pointed it out.  

TG: Right and that’s also part of how you think in terms of eye accessing cues. Your eyes move to help access parts of your brain and your memory. Go ahead and smell the wine and let me know what you pick up.  

DF: It’s definitely funky. What is that? There’s also something that like olive paste mixed with black cherry goop and then there’s that savory element too.  

TG: What’s that right there? That’s the first time you’ve held your eyes in one place for longer than a few seconds.

DF: Right. I’m trying to sort it out, focus on the wine and now how I’m actually doing it.  

TG: Most people have a starting eye position and it seems like you have a starting sequence of about three different positions in rapid succession. Right here, here, and here. I’m just trying to figure out what you do. How do you figure out what things are? If you put your nose in the glass, how do you know it’s blackberry and not a garage door? If I had to be you, how would I do it?

DF: Well, I’m not sure and this wine is a bit funky. I’ll have to work harder to dig more out of it. So, how many people do you taste with that taste with their eyes closed?

TG: Not many, but you can still watch their eyes move with their eyes closed.

DF: Just wondered. 

TG: I will tell you that almost everyone looks down when they smell wine because that’s where most of us look when we talk to ourselves. But getting back on track, let’s see if we can’t figure out more. It sounds like since we’ve been trained, you go off the grid. 

DF: Right.

TG: So how do you see the grid? How do you know you haven’t forgotten anything? 

DF: It’s a little bit oral. 

TG: Are you talking to yourself?

DF: It’s an audible cue because I’ve said it to myself.

TG: So you’re internally saying, what about fruit, what about earth, etc.

DF: Right. With red wines I typically have to force myself to floral so at some point when I’ve stopped receiving information, or believing that I’ve stopped receiving new information that is important, I’ll say, “come one, let’s get on the grid.” Somewhere in my brain I’ve made that mental command.  

TG: Once you’ve received the information, does it go somewhere so you don’t worry about it but still know it’s there? 

DF: No, I try to capture it in some way. I’ll be taking notes and writing but instead I’m trying to mentally recall this. It’s almost as if it’s a Scrabble board and I put black cherry over here. 

TG: Not to be a pain in the ass, but when you say “put black cherry over here,” what do you mean by that? 

DF: I put the word black cherry over here (motions chest high to the left). But not an image.

TG: Interesting, so you deal with images of words and maybe not the actual thing you’re smelling.  

DF: Right. I chalk it up again to being a city boy and seeing a package of black cherries and not a black cherry.  

TG: But there sounds like a system where if you smell something you generate a word that represents whatever it is. 

DF: Yes and I can shift the words off to the left and right as I get new information. 

TG: That’s a really interesting system—it sounds as if the words hang around to the left and right of your internal field. So you can look at them again when you go to make a conclusion or to just think about the wine. True?

DF: Right, but it’s very much like speaking, as it were; like when you’re trying to give a talk and you’re trying to remember to talk about this, this, and this.

TG: So it’s like a check list.

DF: Right. To me it’s a very similar experience where I have to put the black cherry over here so I remember to say it. 

TG: But it also sounds like the images of whatever you smell then become words. Is that how it works? 

DF: They’re very much words.

TG: Which is why when I talk about images it sounds like Martian to you? 

DF: (Laughs) Yes, it’s fairly Martian to me although color even though it is a real concept just doesn’t work that well for me. I honestly think it’s because I have a very pedantic notion of what smells are. They’re still kind of new to me.  

TG: Pedantic meaning …

DF: That I’ll smell it, try to figure out what it is, give it a name and put it over here (motions to the left with his left hand about chest high). I have to dig deeper before I’ll find some kind of image. But the words are first (pauses). But you know they couldn’t all possibly be words. Some are words and some are images.

TG: I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all images initially and then they turned into words--and that’s your system for finding things.  

DF: Possibly.  

TG: Because maybe seeing the word triggers something else.  

DF: Seeing the word is definitely part of the process. I was thinking about the olive note in the wine and probably briefly saw some olive tapenade. I wasn’t going to say tapenade but then it made me think of ground up olives. Then that turns into the words black olives.

TG: If I wanted to be really picky about it, when you see the image of black olives, is it close up or far away? Where is it? Does the location have to do with how strong the intensity is? 

DF: I can’t generate any truthful answer to that. For me I’m too busy trying to figure out what these other funky smells in the glass are. There’s some kind of swamp gas going on here. 

TG: I’m not sure why I picked a Rhône wine as both of these have been funky (note the first bottle opened was corked). How do you know when you’re done smelling the wine? 

DF: When I find myself repeating the same things over and over. Then I’m done smelling the wine. Most of the time with a wine like this I don’t think I’m ever done. Last night with a Dönhhoff Riesling I just had one descriptor, grapefruit pie. That’s all it was with diced pineapple candies. But every time you back to a wine like that you do get more information or at least you hope you do. And if you don’t, then you get bored. 

TG: Well let’s taste it. 

DF: I don’t want to taste it yet because I haven’t identified everything (smells the wine again). So it’s like a black cherry, red plum; there’s a little bit a blueberry to it. Then in terms of flowers there’s nothing to worry about. There’s also nothing to worry about in the American oaky kind of a thing. I definitely do try to draw up an image surrounding a barrel; the outside of the staves and the inside of the staves. I literally try to picture that.  

TG: Where’s that? 

DF: Over here somewhere (points out front and slightly to the right). 

TG: Does the size of the image depend on the intensity of the aroma? 

DF: No, just my point of reference.  

TG: Just to get some detail, is this image on some kind of screen? Is it in 3D? What’s it like? 

DF: It’s just a partial image of a barrel.

TG: Flat? Three dimensional? 

DF: Three dimensional.

TG: We could play with this and ask what happens if you brighten up the image or make the colors really intense. Does it change the intensity of the aroma? 

DF: It just seems artificial; I can’t make any sense out of it. I’m changing something that’s supposed to be a representation of something real and it becomes not real. I don’t know what to do with that.  

TG: In other words, it doesn’t make any sense and kind of screws it up. OK, what about everything else, the earthiness, and the funkiness? 

DF: Just picturing herbs, grasses, and leaves; both edible and inedible. They’re kind of all over the place here (motions in front just above waist level).  

TG: OK.  And they’re all out in a field …

DF: No, I’m just referencing images out in front of me, like single leaves or a handful of leaves.  

TG: Do they become words? Do they need to become words or are they just there? 

DF: I have to name them so I guess it’s the same process with the fruit. I have to smell it, try to figure out what it is and then it becomes a word.  

TG: OK and just to be picky again, when you recognize something do you internally say to yourself, “oh that’s tarragon,” and then the word happens?

DF: Yes, the word happens after the recognition.  

TG: So there’s almost an auditory command like, “this is X.”

DF: Yes (after a long pause), it’s definitely auditory. 

TG: And it’s your voice saying, it’s X. 

DF: Yes, it’s an internal voice but it’s not necessarily mine.  It’s like sometimes you’ll talk to yourself in your own voice and sometimes in a different voice.

TG: Anything else in terms of the nose of this wine you want to mention? 

DF: Not really much else. There’s a little bit of a vegetal thing going on as well as the olive paste. I keep looking at various versions of the fruit now so the red cherry might be the pit. But I think I’m making a conscious effort to sort through these visual cherries in terms of what they actually look like. 

TG: Is it like trying to calibrate the quality of it or the age? 

DF: Yes, but the motivation and the mindset are just that I’m trying to smell and identify things and then I can understand what the conclusion can be from that. But right now I’m just trying to give myself to the wine and see what’s in it. 

Palate 

TG: Let’s do the palate. What are you goals when you taste the wine? For me, I’ve done 80% of the work when I smell the wine so the only thing I’m trying to do with the palate is confirm everything and then calibrate the structure.  

DF: I’m anxious to get into it and see what the weight of the wine is; so it’s very much like I want to have physical contact with the wine.  

TG: But you also go through everything you’ve smelled. 

DF: Yes, I’m trying to decide what’s going on. I have got all the cherries in a row with the plums and the currants. There’s a little bit of cranberry juice going on but those are all real physical sensations. I don’t even drink cranberry juice.  

TG: Do you need to check in with the list of words or the pictures to confirm all these things? Is that necessary or what do you do? 

DF: I’m not aware of a list of words so it’s more like it’s a list of 100 questions where I’m asking, is that currant?  OK, there’s currant, so is there cranberry? 

TG: So it’s auditory and you’re asking yourself those things? That’s got to happen really fast.  

DF: I guess so. 

TG: If you’re asking yourself if there’s any cranberry, are there any images? 

DF: If it’s cranberry, yes other things come up because I’m in the habit of bringing other things up. I’ll ask, why isn’t there strawberries? Or dried strawberries? It’s pretty much associative which is a sequence built on habit and not logic. Or maybe it’s built on logic but it’s not on what’s coming out of the glass. That’s because I’m one of those people who has to stay disciplined or else go off on a tangent.  

TG: As in stream of consciousness?  

DF: Or unconsciousness. And right now I’m getting a note of raisin maybe because I looked for it but I’m not seeing an image of it. I can call it out by saying it but the first thing that happened was a word and not an image.  

TG: Does the list of words change at all when you taste the wine? Or do the words just hang out there? 

DF: Hopefully but some of them are fading away. I’m trying to pull them back up again but with limited success.

TG: So you build the list of words as construct with the nose and then when you taste it and something’s not strong it just goes away or you forget about it.  

DF: Yes.

TG: So when you taste it, it might confirm it and reinforce it? Or is it not that important? 

DF: Well it is important but it might be an addition image of the word black cherry as opposed to the original word getting bold and big. 

TG: So when you say an additional image of the word, would it be positioned somewhere else?

DF: (Motions in front and left of center) No, it would be positioned right next to the other image. Visually it’s as if there are two images of the word black cherry literally right next to each other. So I’ll go, “Wow, there’s a lot of black cherry.” 

TG: Got it. 

DF: I’ve had that physical sensation before that there’s five words “black cherry” in front of me. This is of course what we do when we try to grid a wine.  

TG: True, if you think about it that’s exactly what we try to do. If four or five of us say one thing then we think it’s important in the wine. What about structure?  What do you do when you taste for structure?  

DF: I’m going to start the process over again. So I’m just tasting for sensation. I’m not even thinking about structure at this point. And then I can start physically feeling the tannins or there are literally seed tannins which I’m interpreting as more painful than fruit tannins and skin tannins. The fruit keeps coming in and there’s a little bit of an image there, some kind of juice. For me the whole structural thing is an intellectual decision. I’m just taking the information I have and saying that must be medium plus tannins.  

TG: How do you know it’s not just medium tannins? 

DF: Well I don’t know that it’s not medium. I have to make an intellectual assessment. I get too much physical sensation on my tongue and in the back of my tongue—in this case I think it’s more seed tannins—for it to be medium. So I’m still getting more of the physical pin prick of tannins. Certainly a very dry flavor in my mouth. And I look back at those fruits and go, well it’s moving more towards cranberry along with black cherry and raisin. It’s medium acid and it’s as if somebody has a couple of different wines in here because some of the fruit is desiccated, dehydrated, and raisinated and some of the fruit wasn’t—it’s very red cherry. It’s like somebody put a couple of different wines together.  

TG: In terms of calibrating, if you have to give someone an answer about structure, just like we make our students do, how do you go about giving someone an answer? 

DG: I’m medium acidity and medium plus tannins with this wine.

TG: Yes, but how do you know? How do you get precise about it? 

DF: It’s just an intellectual decision that I would expect more pain with high tannins. I would expect not to be able to notice raisins with more than medium acidity. On the other hand, I would understand if somebody said that it’s medium plus acidity. I might argue with them but it’s completely intellectual for me. 

TG: Not to be a pain in the ass, but what do you mean by completely intellectual? 

DF: It must mean that if anything, I’m looking at the grid, really more at the slide that has the low, medium minus etc.

TG: Do you actually see these things and then point to something and say, “it’s medium.”

DF: Yes. 

TG: That’s exactly the way I do it. I see almost a kind of slide rule with a red button that moves and finally stops at the right level of acid or whatever.  

DF: My moves but you hope it starts in the right place and often it doesn’t.  

TG: Got it.  

DF: With tannin I might say that it’s not painful enough. But that’s a very intellectual decision in comparing all the other wines with high tannin I’ve had and then saying, “this one doesn’t hurt.” 

TG: The scale is really interesting to me because I think most people need some kind of visual construct to be able to calibrate well; especially if a wine is acidic and tannic at the same time.  

DF: Absolutely, we always struggle with that and I don’t know that we have the answer either because we are tasting pH and not acid.  

TG: Home stretch. If you were going to describe to someone what you do when you taste the wine, what would it be like? You take a sip … what do you do?

DF: Very much trying to pull flavor out of it the whole time. I pull it in to try to get the physical sensation of tannin but now I’m sitting here comparing it to things. And probably comparing it to visual images than words. I definitely feel more of a black cherry paste and that was probably prompted by the vision of black cherry paste, whatever that is. Maybe in a pie. But maybe it’s not in a pie, somebody’s screwed up that fruit and I’m envisioning a mortar and pestle like fruit and sort of an olive paste image comes up as well.  

TG: In going back to these images, or they jars or cans or what? Or just smears of things? 

DF: More smears. Getting some black pepper and I see some peppercorns and not a pepper grinder.  

TG: If you had to take any of these images and we start changing the structure of any of them, what happens? Does it make it artificial? 

DF: Yes it does. It doesn’t make any sense. I tried to do it with the black peppercorns, make them bigger and my reaction is, “what the hell is that all about?”It takes me off task I guess is the more important thing there.   

TG: So it changes the experience so completely that it doesn’t mean anything? 

DF: I think that if there’s a value, as you’re describing it, in changing the size of the word “black pepper,” then that doesn’t alter anything at all because it’s a different process. I’ve this sort of array of words in front of me, and if you want me to make the words black pepper bigger then it’s no problem. It doesn’t seem weird or destructive at all. But if I try to make the image or the black peppercorns bigger, then I feel like I’ve been taken off task.  

TG: OK, so that’s the system. Let’s finish up. How do you know when you’re finished tasting a wine? 

DF: I don’t think I’m ever finished tasting a wine although there are some boring wines. There’s always information that I’ve screwed up and missed.  

TG: One thing I skipped over at the very beginning that I’d still like to ask: when you make a conclusion, what are you trying to do? 

DF: Describe it appropriately; describe it in a way that others would recognize the wine. That’s my conclusion and hopefully I’ve described it correctly. But as we talked about previously, I’m also trying to decide, is this wine going anywhere? Do I give a shit about this wine? It’s the first thing I do and I’m convinced that it’s because I was a salesman. I wasn’t into wine until I was selling wine. So the first thing I think about is, who would I sell this to? Who would like it? Who would get this wine? But I always think in those terms of who would get it versus who would like it. Or I guess I do. I tend to think that certain people tend to understand certain things and others don’t. We all understand different things. I get this wine we’re tasting but I don’t really care about it. Does that make sense? 

TG: Sure it does. The last thing before I let you get out of here and head to the airport is, what are your beliefs about yourself as a taster? 

DF: That I’ve got some skills that are very useful; that I have to be very disciplined intellectually to be consistent because consistency is my biggest fault.  

TG: Does being at the level you are and being considered a great taster, does that matter when you sit down to work?  

DF: Does it matter to me? 

TG: Yes, does it matter?

DF: Yes, it does. It’s like I feel like I have to be more disciplined because I know the truth is that I’m not a great taster.  

TG: What? 

DF: No, seriously, that’s how I feel about it. I can do things because I’ve figured out some stuff.  

TG: You’ve figured out, what, how to pass exams?  

DF: Yes, and I figured out how to intellectually take these things apart. But I don’t consider myself a great taster at all. I just know that I’ve managed to figure it out so that I can act as if I’m a great taster.  

TG: True. It’s amazing what you can do if you just pretend.

DF: Of course it’s not all pretense, but it’s definitely a little bit of a role play because I have some things that I’m good and some things I’m not. Most of the times you don’t know which is which. 

Master Sommelier Gillian Balance has spent over 20 years in the hospitality industry with stints at several well-known restaurants including Picholine, Cello Restaurant, Windows on the World in New York, and the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara. Gillian has also worked in the Bay Area as the Plumpjack Group’s wine director, the sommelier at the Pacific Union Club in San Francisco, and at the Bottega restaurant in Napa Valley.  

In 2012 Gillian passed the final portion of the Master’s Examination becoming only the 19th woman to ever do so. Aside from her CMSA training, Ballance received the Higher Certificate of Distinction as well as her Diploma in Wines & Spirits from the British Wine and Spirits Education Trust. She also received a BFA from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.  

I met up with Gillian in May of 2013 when she was still the wine director at the historic lodge at Cavallo Point near the Golden Gate Bridge. We tasted the 2009 Double Bond Syrah from the Larner Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley and used Riedel Vinum Zinfandel/Chianti glasses. I started the interview by asking her about the strategies she used to pass the three parts of the Master’s Exam.

Exam Strategies 

TG: You passed the exam in 2012 in Dallas. What parts of the exam did you have to take then? 

GB: I had tasting and service.

TG: So you got theory out of the way before then. Was theory the easiest for you? 

GB: Yes.

TG: How was it the easiest? Did you have an academic background? 

GB: I studied philosophy at NYU, but I think that it was more of completing the diploma for the WSET. I finished the diploma shortly before I sat for the MS Advanced Exam. I think it gave me the study regimen, the tools, and the approach that made theory not as impossible as most people make it out to be.

TG: If you had to give someone studying theory for the Advanced or Master’s exams, what would it be? What was your best practice? What worked for you?

GB: I would say to take a course like the WSET. The thing I see people studying for the MS theory exams doing is a lot of flashcards and Q & A. They study these questions for years without ever understanding why the questions exist. That’s what the WSET diploma program does for you. There’s no short cuts. You have to be able to write full length papers on carbonic maceration or any other topic. That forces you to study the subject in depth and find out the “whys” behind everything. I’m a very visual person as well so visual tools also helped me a lot. My study place would be filled with maps and colored pencil drawings. I also used a smart pen that allows you to record yourself asking questions. I would study a subject for a few hours and then use the smart pen to go over everything I’d just studied. Then when I was driving to work or where ever I’d listen to the recordings over and over again until it became part of me. 

TG: What about service? What was challenging for you with service? 

GB: I’m working on the floor now, but I think that the places I’ve worked at over the last few years haven’t really been super fine dining in terms of the detail of service, say like the French Laundry. I would get nervous because my approach to service day to day was more casual. I had to become really polished and really comfortable with more formal service. We have a gueridon here at the restaurant and Jesse Becker, MS, would come and work with me until it became second nature. Then I could focus on my demeanor and ask myself, “What is my demeanor going to be like when I approach a table of several Master Sommeliers and have to answer questions?” You really have to get the mechanics down before you can do that. I think for a couple of years beforehand I was just trying to get it all down at the same time. 

TG: That’s great. What about tasting? How was it for you? Tasting was by far the hardest part of the exam for me.  

GB: I worked really hard for two years on blind tasting with the group at the French Laundry once or twice a week.  

TG: When you think about tasting and those two years, was there something that changed or snapped at some point where suddenly tasting became easier? Where you could get in the zone before the exam and taste really well? 

GB: I think it became easier but only because of the work I did. When you’re working on tasting you don’t really step outside and see what’s changed in terms of your process. I also think that getting the opportunity to work with and listen to other tasters, especially Masters, was big. Just listening to different people’s approach was very educational. You can’t just rely on yourself, you have to collect things from everybody. But having had a support/tasting group for two years was so important. I feel for friends of mine who have tried to pass the exams but live in places where there’s no network or group like the one I had. 

TG: So the group was that important?

GB: Yes it was, for support and building each other up. I can’t imagine not having that group during the process. 

Tasting: Overall Goals 

TG: When you’re tasting as a buyer, what are your goals? What are you trying to accomplish? 

GB: First and foremost, I think of pricing and necessity; where the wine could fit in the program right now. Say if we were in need of Pinot Noirs to put on the list for $60, I’d be looking at wines in that price range and taking it from there.

TG: Makes sense but in terms of actually tasting it, what are you trying to assess?

GB: Overall quality is probably the most important thing. Any wine drinker knows quality. They may not know how to define it but they still know it. Our clientele here at the restaurant loves oaky, buttery Chardonnay, for instance. It’s our number one selling wine by the glass. Even though it may not be my personal favorite style of wine, I still need to find something that is really high quality in that category-which I believe I can do. But it takes time to learn that process.

TG: All true. What are overall important criteria for a good tasting? What do you need to have for a good tasting environment? 

GB: Just wine (laughs).

TG: That’s a given. But what else do you need in terms of glassware etc.? 

GB: We do a lot of tasting in the cellar because that’s where my desk is and where salespeople can lay out 20 wines if they need to. So we can’t unfortunately be that picky about the environment. But we have good quality glassware.

TG: What are your beliefs about tasting in terms of you as a taster? Is it easy for you? Difficult? 

GB: I think it’s important to do every day to some degree. Maybe it’s just tasting ten wines or tasting through everything that you’re pouring by the glass or whatever. There’s no shortage around here because we have an onslaught of distributors and brokers. A lot of people in the business live in this area so we end up tasting every day. I think that’s important. It’s like singing or dancing where you have to keep your body trained. You have to keep your palate trained in the same way. I also try to take the same approach every time even though I may not be writing notes or tasting according to a grid. I still try to have the same rhythm every time.

TG: Do you think you’re a good taster?

GB: I used to think I was an awesome taster (laughs). I had a fired up period when I was working at Windows on the World with Andrea (Andrea Immer Robinson MS); we had a 150,000 bottle cellar and we could taste anything we wanted as long as we recorded what we were opening. I was younger then and at that time you couldn’t stop me with blind tasting. When I got into the Master of Wine program my tasting was even more elevated. But then I got a big job with Plump Jack that consumed all of my time so I dropped out of the MW program. Three years into that job I decided to take the Advanced Course. I was out of practice and wasn’t feeling as confident. But over the last year before the Master’s exam I started to feel that way again. So it’s like anything else; you practice and build the skills. But I also think you can be an amazing blind taster, pick up a glass, and say exactly what it is but not know why the wine is the way it is. I think that could be the most important thing. 

TG: What’s interesting is that I’ve asked the question,“Do you think you’re a great taster?” to practically everyone I’ve interviewed and no one has said yes. Everyone—without exception—says that they are good tasters but have to work at it constantly—self included. 

GB: That’s because we’re wrong a lot! (Laughs) 

TG: True. Last question before we talk about the sight/appearance of the wine. How do you know if a wine is a great wine? What makes a wine great to you? 

GB: Having all the elements in balance. Having the structure, the aromatic qualities, and everything on the palate all coming together and really resonating. I really like wines where I can see layers of flavors before I even taste the wine.

TG: It’s interesting that you use the word “see” in describing your experience of a wine. 

GB: I do. I see layers of flavors in wine.  

TG: We’re going to get to that.

Tasting: Sight 

TG: Now let’s talk about tasting, specifically the sight. We can use the context of tasting for an MS-type exam setting. When you look at wine, what are you trying to do? What are your goals? 

GB: I think it depends on what I’m trying to do. This wine (Double Bond Syrah) has a beautiful sheen to it. I’m also looking at the depth of color and concentration of color; things I can get from the wine just by looking at it. So in looking at this wine I know that it’s bright, youthful, fresh young red wine from a full-bodied grape variety. 

TG: Knowing the grape variety is Syrah, do you check the color to make sure it’s appropriate for that grape?

GB: Yes, like I said there’s a sheen to it and it has a dark ruby core that fades gently to a really beautiful pinkish-purple rim.  

TG: But as you look at that glass and know it’s Syrah, how do you know it’s the right color for the grape? Is there a way that you check it internally against other colors? How do you know? 

GB: I don’t really know.

TG: Stop and think for a second, “this color is right for Syrah because …” How do you know it’s not Pinot Noir? 

GB: (Laughs) that’s a good question. Because it’s opaque.

TG: I’m just curious, because if you stop and go inside for just a second, is there a way you compare what you’re seeing in the glass right now to other wines you’ve tasted before.

GB: I’m sure that there is but I don’t know what it is.  

TG: Pause for a second and see if you can figure it out. I know what I do but we’re after your strategies. 

GB: I probably flash through color memories of every Syrah I’ve ever tasted. 

TG: What about colors for red wine?

GB: Yes, even colors for red wine. 

TG: Think about it for a moment; if that’s what you do I’m curious to know how you do it. Are there images of colors? A color gradation? Glasses of wine? 

GB: I think it’s a color gradation.

TG: Can you point to it? Can you show me where it is? In your mind’s eye? The easy way is to try to deliberately make it wrong. Say to yourself, “this is Pinot Noir,” and see what happens. Usually you’ll get a strong “no” of some kind. 

GB: I guess I see a color gradation right out here (points directly out in front of her face). The left side is lighter in color and right is deeper.

TG: Where is this gradation? How far out in front of you? 

GB: It’s right here (about six-eight inches directly in front of her face). 

TG: How wide is it? 

GB: It’s only about two inches wide. 

TG: So as you look at the gradation, do you then look at the glass and try to match up the color? 

GB: Yes.

TG: What happens when you find the match? Does something happen? 

GB: I think a little light goes off when I find the match. Wait, it’s like I see the paint strip in back of me.  

TG: You mean behind you? 

GB: No, it’s still in my head. 

TG: Still the same dimensions?

GB: Yes.

TG: Go ahead and find the main color of the wine and try to match it to the gradation. What happens? 

GB: A little light goes off. 

TG: What color is the light?

GB: its yellow (laughs). It’s like a small light bulb. 

TG: Where’s the light bulb? 

GB: It’s right in front of the gradation.

TG: If we’re talking about a white wine, is the color gradation in the same place or different place? 

GB: Same place.

TG: Does it go light to dark, left to right like the red wine gradation? 

GB: Yes. 

TG: What about the yellow light? Still in the same place? 

GB: Same spot. 

TG: Wow. Did you know that you do that? 

GB: No! 

 Tasting: Smell

 TG: When you first smell a glass of wine, what are your goals?  What are you trying to do?

GB: Like I said, I like to see layers in the aromas of the wine. 

TG: OK but before we get there, what’s important in terms of goals when smelling wine? 

GB: Is the wine good or not.

TG: So you’re checking the wine for quality. For hygiene? 

GB: Yes, checking to see if the wine is clean or not. But also does the wine smell good.

TG: What do you mean by “good?”

GB: Delicious.

TG: That’s pretty subjective. By delicious you mean … 

GB: Like something you would really want to drink, to enjoy.

TG: Got it. But also in terms of being a professional, what would your goals be in terms of smelling a wine.

GB: I want to make sure that it’s true to the varietal. I think there’s a lot of wine out there that smells good and tastes delicious but it doesn’t taste like the grape should. Then you just have to assess it for whatever it is.

TG: What could prevent a wine from tasting good or tasting like whatever the grape is? 

GB: Quality of the fruit; winemaking practices.

TG: Such as …

GB: heavy oak, too long maceration on the skins giving a coarse or gritty tannic structure in a red wine. Picking fruit too soon. Picking fruit too late. You can really tell if the winemaker is still experimenting when you taste the wine (laughs). I’ve never made wine but I think that as a winemaker you have to evolve in your style. And who are you practicing on? Us! 

TG: Go ahead and smell the wine. 

GB: I can actually smell it from here without lifting the glass and we’re not in a specifically neutral environment. 

TG: Wow, OK, pick up your glass. I’m curious, when you first pick up the glass, where do your eyes go? Is there a place that’s consistently comfortable for you? 

GB: My eyes go out and over the glass. 

TG: Right, they’re pretty much center and looking out at a 45° down but over the top of the glass.

GB: Yes.

TG: Just curious, smell the wine and then move your eyes to either side.  What happens? 

GB: It changes a little bit but it feels the most comfortable when my eyes are straight ahead. 

TG: I notice your eyes also go up to the left briefly as well.

GB: Yes and I also look to the side a lot when I’m smelling.

TG: Do you say anything to yourself when you first start smelling the wine? Any kind of verbal prompt? I’m trying to figure out your sequence.  

GB: I say something like, “what” or “what’s there?”

TG: What happens after you ask that question? You mentioned that you “see” layers of flavors. Does that happen then as in immediately? Or does something happen in between? 

GB: Yes it does. It’s like a cake.  

TG: If I had to be you, what would I see? What would I experience? What does that look like? 

GB: It’s not like a physical cake. It’s just brown lines like in my brain is making layers. Then I fill them in with what I get in the wine. 

TG: Is it like a wooden frame or just lines? What color of brown? Are the lines thin or thick? 

GB: Just a frame and it’s tan brown with thin lines. It’s like a layer cake in between the lines (she motions to the layers about ½ inch apart).

TG: It looks like the layers are only about half an inch apart. In your mind’s eye, how far away is these layers? (Gillian motions to about 10 inches right in front of her face). How big is it?

GB: It’s about eight inches tall and it’s square.  

TG: Is there a border on the square? 

GB: No.

TG: Does it just fade out? 

GB: Yes.

TG: What surrounds it? 

GB: It’s just sort of neutral, it’s white.

TG: Just curious, what would happen if you made the square larger? Would that make it easier for you to recognize aromas? Try it and see what happens.

GB: I’ve never thought about expanding it but it would probably change what I’m smelling.

TG: Fair enough, but let’s figure out what you do first and then come back to this. To recap, you see this square that’s about eight by eight inches. Inside the square there are layers. What do you see inside the layers? Colors? Images? 

GB: Brown layers with off-white in between; I fill in the layers with what I’m smelling in the wine. With this wine, in the first layer I would probably have a blueberry in my head. 

TG: Can you draw that for me? Motion with your hand and draw the square and show me what it’s like.

GB: It doesn’t really have a border but here’s the first layer (motions out in front of her face about 10 inches away and slightly to the right). It’s tan brown with a thin layer of off-white or cream color in between—just like a cake.

TG: But then these layers get filled in with various things. Does it start off blank and then you fill it in, populating it with different things you smell in the wine? 

GB: Yes.

TG: That’s a pretty cool system. So as you’re smelling this wine, the Syrah, what starts to populate in the layers?

GB: I look for fruit first so at the base I would see blueberry and blackberry.

TG: Does that become an image before it goes into the layer? 

GB: No.

TG: So how does that happen?  How does that get into the layer? 

GB: I don’t know.

TG: Hold the glass and smell the wine for a few seconds focusing on the blueberry and blackberry. See if you can figure it out because this is one of those things you probably never thought about or were even aware of.

GB: The frame is already there and then I fill it in with an image of blueberries.

TG: In the cream-colored part? 

GB: Yes.

TG: How does that happen? 

GB: I just smell the wine and then it’s there.

TG: Do you say anything to yourself at that point like, “that’s blueberry.” 

GB: I do and then I move on and try to build up the other layers. 

TG: So you start at the bottom and build up? 

GB: Yes.

TG: So as you smell the wine again what else comes up besides blueberries?

GB: Violets; crushed violet pops into my head. 

TG: When you say it pops into your head does it appear in one of the layers? 

GB: It came in a little higher up …

TG: Can you show me where it is? (Gillian motions out in front of her face about 10 inches away and about 10 inches off to the right of center). Hold the image of the crushed violets for a moment. What does that look like? Is it 2D or 3D?

GB: It’s flat and like dried crushed petals that are sitting right there.

TG: Once you see that image does it go into the second layer? What happens then? 

GB: It actually moved up another layer because it’s more of a top note. 

TG: I was just going to ask if there’s some kind of hierarchy in terms of the position in the frame of the image of the aroma as it relates to the specific kind of aroma.  

GB: Yes, so floral being a more delicate aroma is higher up. 

TG: As you think about this square, what would be at the top?

GB: Flowers. I would put all the fruits at the base. 

TG: Where would the oak go? 

GB: The oak would be somewhere right above the base, above the fruit.

TG: Let’s finish the wine. What else do you smell? 

GB: Black pepper. 

TG: Interesting; your eyes first went here (out front and slightly up) and then here (to the right where the layers are. Does the image first pop up here in front and then move to the layers? Is that what happened with the violets? 

GB: Yes.

TG: Did you also say to yourself, “black pepper?”

GB: Yes. 

TG: Is the black pepper above the fruit? 

GB: Yes and it’s in the middle between the fruit and the violets. 

TG: What else do you smell? 

GB: Tobacco.

TG: You did the same thing with your eyes so that seems to be your system: smell the wine and the image pops up here in front and then moves into one of the layers. Is the image of tobacco flat and two dimensional?

GB: Yes. 

TG: Is there a shape to the picture of the tobacco? 

GB: It’s round. 

TG: Where does it go in the grid? 

GB: It’s in the middle; it’s where I see warmth. 

TG: What do you mean by warmth? 

GB: I consider tobacco to be a warming aroma. 

TG: Does warming mean heat or warm feeling or…

GB: It’s a warm feeling; it’s where the sensual part gets filled in.

TG: Say more about that.

GB: Tobacco kind of strikes a sensual chord inside of you. You smell the wine and then think that at the base there’s this fresh vibrant fruit, so you see it at the base layer of the “cake.” In the middle is where all the warm sensual things are like oak, cedar, tobacco leaf, and coffee. At the top is where the floral and black pepper come into play. 

TG: Smell the wine again and check for any earthiness. I’m not sure if there’s any earthiness, but go ahead and check for it.

GB: There is a faint stony mineral component. I know this vineyard.

TG: So knowing that do you get a picture of the vineyard? If so, where is it? 

GB: It came up all over. 

TG: Like you’re standing in the vineyard.

GB: Yes and I’m actually there right now looking at the soil. It’s very chalky and stony.  

TG: Where in your “layers” does the earthiness go?  

GB: It’s between the warm central part and the fruit probably because it’s the earth component and it holds everything else up.

TG: Just curious, hold it there underneath the fruit for a few moments and see if it feels right. What happens? 

GB: No, it’s above the fruit.

TG: OK but what is the earth like? A picture or a texture? 

GB: It’s the crushed stony soil that I see. 

TG: Like a picture of the wine. 

GB: Yes, this it’s literally a picture of the wine.  

TG: Smell the wine one last time and see if there’s anything else.

GB: There’s vanilla; it looks like a vanilla bean suspended in air.  

TG: Where does it live in the layers?

GB: It’s also in the warm layer with the tobacco.

TG: Having said all that, are there any parts of the “layer” cake that are left blank for this wine? 

GB: From an aromatic stand point yes, but it will complete itself when I taste the wine.  

TG: Got it. Last question about this section: how do you know when you’re finished smelling the wine and it’s time to taste it?  

GB: I feel like I can always come back, so I don’t ever feel like I’m “done.” 

TG: Back to your layers. Is the set up for the layers different with each wine the same? 

GB: Yes.

TG: Are the layers something you’re consciously aware of what a picture of a wine actually looks like? In other words, do you have an idea of what the layers for an Alsace Riesling look like compared to those for a Rioja Gran Reserva? 

GB: Yes.

TG: Have you ever thought about practicing tasting by practicing with your layers and not tasting? 

GB: No, but I think it would be very interesting to do. I’ve never verbalized this before so it’s hard to explain. At the same time, it’s something that I would want to develop further. It’s funny that you mention the eye thing.  When I took the theory exam, Fred (Dame) said that I kept looking up—and that’s where I kept getting my answers from.

TG: Up and to the right or left?

GB: Just generally up. 

Tasting: Palate
 
TG: Now that you’ve smelled the wine you have a pretty good idea of what it’s about. When you finally taste the wine, what are you trying to do? What are your goals when you taste vs. smell?

GB: I think about whether everything that was pleasing aromatically is there on the palate. Does the palate match the texture in terms of what I thought it would be visually? When I think of texture I think of things like sweaters or wooly blankets.  

TG: I have a feeling we’ll get back to that when we talk about calibrating the structure of the wine. Go ahead and taste the wine and I’ll do so as well. First, when you taste the wine do you say something to yourself like you do when you first smell the wine? Or do you bring the layers back in? What happens?

GB: I bring the layers back in but now they’ve gone this way, 90 degrees to the right. They’re still in layers but now it’s more what about the texture, the alcohol and the acidity are like. 

TG: Do you literally ask yourself, “What’s the texture like?” or “what’s the acidity like?” Things like that? 

GB: That’s when I think of a sweater or a piece of chalk.

TG: Taste the wine again. How would you describe the texture? What’s it like? 

GB: It starts off kind of velvety.

TG: How do you represent that? 

GB: A kind of red velvet top or something like that. 

TG: Where is that?

GB: It’s here (directly in front about eye level).

TG: Is it an actual picture of it? 

GB: No, it’s more like the material.

TG: Does it change as the finish goes on? 

GB: It changes to a more slightly chalky feeling.

TG: After you get the chalky taste/feeling what happens to the material?  Does it go away?

GB: Yes. 

TG: How is the chalk represented? 

GB: It’s like crushed white chalk suspended in the air.

TG: What about the layers? Do they change if the intensity of the aromas change on the palate? Or do they stay the same? 

GB: They stay in the same place.

TG: Let’s talk about structure; the alcohol, acid and tannin. How do you calibrate the structure in a wine, the difference between medium and medium-plus acid, for instance.

GB: The tannin is medium-plus. 

TG: How do you know it’s not medium?

GB: Because it’s slightly elevated; medium would be right here (points out in front of her).

TG: What’s right there?

GB: Medium.

TG: Where’s low? (She points down lower) Where’s high? (She points higher but in line with where medium and low are). Aha! So there’s a scale of sorts.

GB: Yes, there’s a visual scale of sorts.

TG: What does the scale look like? Does it look like a ruler? Like a dial? 

GB: It looks like hash marks.

TG: It seems like they’re right out in front of you in the center about 15 inches away; medium is right at eye level with “high” up higher and low below eye level. How wide are the hash marks? 

GB: About 4-5 inches wide.

TG: Are the marks on a ruler? 

GB: No, they’re suspended in space.

TG: How do you use them to calibrate? Is there a button that moves? 

GB: No, my eyes move up and down them. So if I’m tasting a wine that has medium-plus tannin my eyes start at medium and then move up.

TG: So there’s some kind of marker for medium-plus? Or does it light up someway so you know? I’m trying to figure out how you do it.

GB: Not sure.

TG. Try this; taste the wine and try to make the tannin medium or medium-minus. What happens? 

GB: The hash mark pops up (laughs).

TG: Fair enough. What about acidity? Do you calibrate it the same way as tannin?

GB: No and this is so hard because I’ve never thought about it.

TG: Not a surprise given that you do it so fast and for so long that you’re not aware of how you actually do it. Try doing it the same way as tannin and see what happens. If it’s totally off your brain will show you how you actually do it rather quickly. 

GB: The acid part is more round like a circular scale.

TG: Where is it? 

GB: Right in front about a foot away. It’s about the size of a basketball.  

TG: How does it work in terms of low, medium, and high? Where is low acid on the circle?

GB: Low is right in the center and high is on the outside. Medium-plus is close to the outside.

TG: So how do you calibrate a wine? Are there concentric circles? Do the inner circles move? How does it work? 

GB: It’s kind of like a target.  

TG: Are there different colors? 

GB: No, it’s all blue—like peacock blue. 

TG: OK, but how are you absolutely sure that a wine is medium-plus acidity and not medium? How do you know? 

GB: I think I start in the center and then move out as the acidity elevates.

TG: As the acidity elevates do the different concentric circles light up? What happens? 

GB: Yes, they light up and get more intense in color.

TG: Taste the wine again and let’s figure out what you do for alcohol. First, how much alcohol do you get in the wine? 

GB: Medium-plus.

TG: Once again I have to ask, how do you know it’s not medium? Do you use the hash marks or the concentric circles? What do you do?

GB: I use the gradations—the hash marks.

TG: Do they look the same as the tannin hash marks? 

GB: Yes.

TG: So “medium” is straight out in front of you, “high” is up higher, and “low” is lower?

GB: Yes.

TG: How about the length of the finish? How do you calibrate that? 

GB: The finish is more like a runway and you’re on it and seeing how far you’re going on it.

TG: So if it’s a really short finish, what’s that look like? 

GB: It’s right in front of me and stopped.

TG: Where’s a medium finish? 

GB: Several feet out in front of me.

TG: And a long finish? 

GB: A long finish really doesn’t have an end. It goes all the way to a vanishing point. I like that.

TG: Great, one more thing; back to the layers. If a flavor really changes from the nose to the palate, what happens to it in the layers? For instance, if there’s more red fruit on the palate vs. the nose, do the layers change to reflect that? What happens? 

GB: I think I add layers or even take away in some cases.

TG: One more question about the layers; if you’re getting blackberry in the wine, is there literally an image of blackberries in one of the layers? Or is it 3D where you could reach out and grab the blackberries?

GB: I could reach out.

TG: Once it’s time to identify the wine what do you do? Do you bring the layers back and take a look at them again?

GB: In an exam situation structure seems to come to me first. I’m not sure if that’s because I like to get the structure out of the way to make room for the layers or if it’s because that’s how I approach a wine. I think it’s a little bit of both. Structure as in alcohol, acid, tannin, body, and finish come first for me.

TG: We didn’t talk about body. How do you calibrate something like light-bodied vs. full-bodied?

GB: I guess it’s a circle.

TG: So if it’s something light-bodied like a glass of Champagne, what’s that like?

GB: It would be a bright circle.  

TG: What about something like a Chardonnay?

GB: Yellow.

TG: And this Syrah? 

GB: It’s almost purple-black.

TG: What about something that’s medium-bodied?

GB: More red.

TG: It seems like this circle is right out in front of your face.

GB: Yes.

TG: What’s interesting to me is that you use all these structural visual devices, if you want to call them that, really quickly and unconsciously so you probably aren’t aware of using them at all.

GB: Yes and maybe it’s because I want to get structure out of the way so I can rearrange all the furniture if I need to.

TG: Meaning the layers?

GB: Yes.

TG: But do they stay relatively static? Or do things change a lot?

GB: It can change lot because the palate of this wine is very different from the nose. 

TG: With the layers, are they all the same width? Or if something is really dominant, is it wider than the other layers?

GB:  If something is really dominant it’s almost like the base of a pyramid. It’s wider.

TG: Did you know you did any of this? 

GB: I knew about the layers because it’s how I “see” wine.

TG: It might be interesting to see if somehow, either visually or on paper, you could create different layers for all the classic grapes and wines.  

GB: That would be really interesting.

TG: I say that because as time goes on, I tell students that they first have to figure out what strategies they use internally. Then they need to practice these strategies in terms of memory but without actually tasting wine.  
 
Submodalities

One more thing; submodalities. Let’s play with the structural elements of your layers to see if and how they can change your experience of the wine.  So let’s try a few things. First, what happens if you smell and taste the wine and then move the layers across the room and make them small? 

GB: It makes the wine a little fainter. It’s like you’re trying to distance something that’s internal. 

TG: Now reset and then make the layers huge—the size of a billboard. What happens?

GB: The wine expands and gets much more intense.

TG: Does it get harder to pick out the individual things? 

GB: Yes! Much harder.

TG: Reset and put the layers back. Now make the image of the layers black and white. What happens?

GB: The wine becomes much more muted.

TG: OK, reset again. Now take the layers and put them over to the left side. What happens then? 

GB: More muted. 

TG: Put it back where it belongs and leave it! Last thing: how do you know when you’re done tasting a wine? 

GB: That’s interesting because I’m still tasting this wine as we speak. I guess if I’m taking notes I’ve said everything I wanted to say. I guess that’s the point of completion. 

TG: Thanks! This has been a lot of fun.

The Certified Sommelier Examination was introduced in December of 2005. Previously, students who passed the MS Introductory examination could apply directly to the Advanced Course after waiting the required years’ time.  More often than not, first time students did poorly on the Advanced Exam for any number of reasons. Each student is unique so the three parts of the examination will always pose different challenges to different individuals. Historically the major challenge was the service exam where the combination of lack of appropriate preparation for dealing with nerves—sometimes extreme—in an audition situation doomed most first timers. Exceptions to the rule usually came in the form of students who were working the floor of upscale restaurants where they performed service to MS standards night in and night out, and who were also used to the pressure of being “on stage” in a top level venue.

Several years prior to 2005, the CMSA Board had discussed the possibility of an intermediate level between the Introductory and Advanced Courses; a level that would accomplish several goals: first, to provide the hospitality industry with a much-needed basic sommelier certification; second, to introduce students to the three-part MS examination format; third, to give us a first look at their individual service skills.

Between 2004 and 2005 a team of Masters from the CMSA created the Certified Sommelier Examination with the help of UK and European Masters. After beta-testing, the exam went live at the end of 2005. While the content has changed from year to year, the format of the exam has remained basically the same:

• Theory: a 40-question written test combining multiple choice, short answer, and matching questions.
• Tasting: a blind tasting of two wines, one white and one red, with the student filling out a grid based on the MS Deductive Tasting Method.
• Service: sparkling wine service with students being asked questions about various beverages that might be served during the course of a meal as well as questions about food and wine pairing. 

Since that first exam in 2005, the Certified Sommelier Examination has, to a great extent, accomplished its goals. With that, I’d like to offer some advice to students who are preparing to take the Certified Exam, especially those taking it for the first time. 

Disclaimer! The following is my personal advice to students and in no way a reflection of the policies of the CMSA or its Board of Directors.

Theory Examination

The CMSA philosophy of theory curriculum has a lot to do with what a sommelier theoretically could be asked tableside by a guest about any beverage served in the restaurant. Emphasis is placed on wine, but beer, spirits, sake, and aperitifs are important as well. Therefore, it’s important to realize that geography is vital to a sommelier’s body of knowledge; knowing where a wine is produced down to a single vineyard (if necessary) is paramount to success in the MS program.

Example: if a guest is asking about a vintage of Savennières “Clos de la Coulée de Serrant” from the producer Nicholas Joly, the sommelier/student should know the following about the wine:

• It’s a dry white wine.
• It’s made from the Chenin Blanc grape.
• The Coulée de Serrant vineyard is located in the Anjou region of France’s Loire Valley, specifically in the AOP of Savennières.
• The Coulée de Serrant vineyard is actually an AOP itself.

Further, if the guest asks about the biodynamic symbol on the bottle, the sommelier/student should be able to explain what it means and also provide some information about the philosophy of biodynamics, how it can affect wine quality, and some growers/producers that farm biodynamically in other regions of the world—all without burying the guest in a mountain of useless and confusing verbiage.

Once again, it’s important to note that MS theory exams focus on geography and being able to connect grape varieties to styles of wines made in specific geographical locations. From there students also need to study country and regional laws, classifications, terms about grape growing and winemaking, and major producers for important wines such at prestige cuvée Champagne.

Tasting Examination

The Certified tasting examination consists of tasting a white and a red wine and filling out a written grid based on the Deductive Tasting Method, which is first taught in the Introductory Sommelier Class. The grid requires the student to input information concerning a wine’s aromas and flavors, the presence of minerality and/or earthiness, and the use of oak. Further, the grid asks that students assess the structural components of the wines; the levels of residual sugar, acidity, alcohol, the finish, and tannin in the red wine. Finally, the student is asked to deduce the best possible conclusion about the wine, which includes the climate in which the grapes were grown, Old World vs. New World style, the actual grape variety or blend of grapes, the country of origin, and the vintage of production. 

It goes without saying that a good deal of practice is needed to become proficient at using the grid, not to mention tasting in general. The good news is that the grid can be downloaded for practice from the CMSA website at any time (here). The grape varieties used in the exam for both white and red wines are listed on the grid so the student can focus his or her tasting practice. Otherwise, here is further advice in preparing for the Certified tasting exam:

A word about practicing tasting: make sure you are working in a tasting group as the dynamics of a good study group are essential to learning and improvement, not to mention the camaraderie and shared experience. 

Finally, I’ve written about tasting and preparing for the MS tasting exams extensively on my blog. I’ve found that smelling and tasting wine is completely based on one’s memory; not only the memory of the various aromatics and flavors in wine but the combination of these components that make up the complete profile of a grape or style of wine. If memory is the key, then students can—and absolutely should—work with their own personal memories of these components and varietal profiles apart from actually tasting wine. I strongly believe that practicing memory of the components and profiles of grapes and wines is just as important and beneficial as actually tasting them. 

Service Examination

The MS title is about being a world-class sommelier and thus service and working the floor are the essence of what we do. The service component is also important to an employer in terms of wanting to know if a potential hire knows the basics of correct service and can open a bottle of sparkling wine without inflicting bodily injury to themselves or those in the immediate vicinity. Safety is key in sparkling wine service. There are any number of ways to open a bottle of bubbly incorrectly—even dangerously—but only one way to do it right. Here are some vital pointers to do just that:

Mise-en-Place—Setting Up:

• Fold two—and ONLY two—serviettes for service. One will be used for opening the bottle and the other will be left on the bucket tableside if a bucket is used for service. In other words, don’t fold all the napkins on the service station.
• Make sure the glassware is clean and polished. 
• Always line the tray with an unfolded cloth napkin; no fancy origami folds as they result in an uneven surface almost guaranteeing you’ll lose glassware in a spectacular fashion.
• Place the glassware consistently at each cover; at the point of the knife is the most straight forward method.
• Place glassware starting with the host or the person to the host’s left. Placing glassware is NOT gender specific so one trip around the table will suffice.
• Place two under-liners or coasters to the right of the host, one for the cork and the other for the bottle, if the host decides to keep the bottle on the table.

Opening the Bottle:

• Never take the top of your hand off the bottle when opening. This is utterly crucial to opening the bottle safely and properly. BEFORE loosening the cage, place a folded serviette over the top of the bottle. Then with a firm grip over the serviette and top of the bottle, loosen the wire cage and slowly remove the cage and cork at the same time by twisting the bottom of the bottle back and forth. Remember: the cage is NEVER removed before the cork. 
• Watch where you’re pointing the bottle when opening. Don’t point the bottle at the table or anyone else in the vicinity. Doing so is dangerous and cause for major deductions on your score.
• Always place a serviette over the top of the bottle when opening. As mentioned above, use a serviette over the top of the bottle when opening to prevent spilling any wine if the cork exits the bottles suddenly and tragically.
• Open the bottle as quietly as possible. A no-brainer. This is proper wine service and not the end of a Formula One race. Opening bottles of sparkling wine quietly is a matter of practice and repetition.
• Wipe the bottle with your serviette after you’ve removed the cork before pouring a taste for the host.
• Present the cork to the host on an underliner which is placed to the host’s right.

Serving the Bottle:

• Hold the bottle with a still wine grip. Do NOT hold the bottle with your thumb in the punt of the bottle when pouring; this method does not provide enough control and stability and the odds of dropping or losing control of the bottle increase significantly.
• After presenting the cork pour a 1-to-1.5 ounce taste for the host. Wait for them to approve the wine and then serve the table in the following order: serve lady guests first and then men. If there is a guest of honor seated to the right of the host, serve them first before lady guests. Serve the host last regardless of gender.
• Fill the glasses at least ½ to ¾ glass full with a maximum pour of an inch below the top of the glass.
• Fill the glasses one at a time with a maximum of two pours for each glass; partial pouring and/or going around the table multiple times is not allowed.
• Make sure the pours are even!
• Gage the pour level/amount based on glass size and number of glasses to be poured so you don’t run out of wine.
• It’s not necessary to empty the entire bottle of wine; in fact, there should be a little wine left in the bottle.

General Service Points

• Remember to serve from the right and to move around the table clockwise—ALWAYS—even if just returning to the service station.
• Don’t reach across a guest’s space to place or clear glassware or serve wine--even if the chair is empty.
• PRACTICE CARRYING A TRAY. This is the one part of service that cannot be faked. If you don’t regularly work with a tray, lots of practice will be needed for an exam setting. Odds are you will be nervous. Practice!
• You should be able to carry a tray comfortably with either hand. However, proper service dictates that the tray should be carried in the left hand and glassware placed with the right hand.

Service Exam Theory:

• Work on major cocktails, aperitifs, and after dinner spirits. Study cocktails and aperitifs by category, i.e., vodka cocktails, gin cocktails etc.
• Food and wine pairing: Have specific wine recommendations with producer and vintage in mind.
• Be able to take a specific style—be it a high acid red wine or a white with residual sugar—to multiple places in the wine world.   
• Above all, know why the pairing works! Be able to explain why a wine works well with a specific dish in terms of the structural components of the wine (i.e., high acidity, lack or oak or smooth tannins). It’s the entire point of selling a specific wine with a certain dish. 

General Service Advice:

• Taking care of the table is paramount. Even though you’re in an exam setting, remember that you are a sommelier and your job is to take care of the table—NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. In a real life service situation you do not have the luxury of freaking out or giving up on a table or “failing.” Your job again is to take care of the guest and give them great service. The exam should be no different. Take care of the examiner(s) as you would any guest in your restaurant. To do so will translate into success. 

Recently, I was listening to Michael Krasny interview wine importer extraordinaire Kermit Lynch on a local Bay Area NPR radio affiliate. At the end of the interview Kermit took calls from listeners. One of the callers complained bitterly about wine writers and how they describe wines in florid detail using terms that, according the caller, were complete nonsense. Kermit soft-pedaled his answer saying that yes, writers can sometimes go off the rails when describing wine, and that yes, everyone’s palate is different so you can’t expect to agree on everything you read in a wine review. Lynch’s response made me pause because I’ve heard this complaint all too often; that wine descriptions and reviews are in some form or other nonsense and that wine writers frankly make things up. So I’d like to address this personally, even ecumenically, if you will.  

As much as you may want to believe it, wine writers are not making things up. Sure there may be the odd hallucination now and again, but usually they’re simply trying to tell you what wine X, Y, or Z smells and tastes like to them. Emphasis on THEM. Beyond that, we often hear the phrase “everybody’s different” when it comes to wine and that is correct across the board. Here’s how we’re different. In short, here’s the deal:

We all have the same hardware in the form of our brain and neurology. After that, all bets are off. What’s different? Simple answer: everyone’s memories. Your take on Meyer Lemon is going to be different than mine because my memory in the form of internal pictures, movies, sounds, and feelings associated with Meyer Lemon throughout my lifetime is unique--and it’s definitely not yours. While we may agree that there’s something sour and citrus-like in the wine we’re sharing, we’re never going to have an identical experience known as Meyer Lemon. You may think it smells more like pink grape fruit or a catcher’s mitt or a freshly painted garage door for that matter. Further, the wonderful bouquet of flowers I adore in a glass of glorious Grand Cru Alsace Gewurztraminer may utterly repel you because it’s entirely too close to your memory of a tragic drive-by at a Macy’s perfume counter at some point in the distant past. Personal likes and dislikes are important and those are based on memory too.  

Context is also important. The how’s, who’s, why’s, and when’s you taste/drink a wine collectively form the trump card in any wine experience. That magic bottle of whatever you enjoyed when your boyfriend proposed will forever be your favorite wine in the entire universe. The mere thought of it will send you around the moon and back to that magic moment--until the break up.  Then it becomes the most cursed s#@*&% bottle of wine in the history of mankind. Yes, friends, context is important. Remember that.

Remember also that wine tasting is marginally about actually tasting. It’s primarily about SMELLING as smell accounts for over 85% of the sense of taste. So if you’re passing by the nose on your evening glass of Cabernet going right in for the big slurp, the proverbial cow is already out of the barn. In fact, the cow is so far out of the barn that it took your car to SFO and is now headed to Fiji. On your credit card. Moo. 

Olfactory memory is the most powerful form of memory we have because aromas from the glass or any other source go right up our nasal passages to be transferred directly into the cerebral cortex. That means when such-and-such wine writer rambles on about how the pepper and herbal notes in a Chateauneuf-du-Pape remind him of the cassoulet his grandmother used to make when he was a kid during the holidays, guess what; it probably does and that means you shouldn’t wig out over said writer’s musings but should instead try to get to your own memories of pepper and savory herbs to better understand what the writer is trying to express about the wine. Hopefully the next time you taste the same wine or a similar wine you might experience them too. Unless, of course, you find something completely different. Because after all, it’s what the wine smells and tastes like to you that actually counts.

As for the sense of smell, we as a culture generally suck at olfactory memory. It’s not important to us so we don’t practice it and we’re not very good at it. Other than a smack-me-on-the-side-of-the-head tsunami of cow pasture, raw garlic, or did somebody left the burner on the gas stove on, we’re generally not tuned into the olfactory world. There are definitely exceptions and those individuals tend to be in the perfume, wine, and spirits worlds or other professions where one’s expertise is largely determined by smell memory. Thus it’s not surprising when someone with a highly developed olfactory memory writing about their subject is viewed with great suspicion by the public at large.

On the other hand, it's easily understandable that the poetic meanderings and or descriptions of wine writing can sometimes leave one puzzled, forlorn, and even verklempt. Wine has no inherent vocabulary leaving us as wine professionals to borrow, often tragically, nomenclature from completely unrelated fields. Adjectives such as “murky,” “bold,” “dense,” and even something comical like “explosive” find their way into wine descriptions, not to mention any number of fruits, herbs, and spices (road tar is among my favorites). But when you read that tasting a rare old vintage made some famous wine writer start weeping you should definitely have serious misgivings. I would.

Know that wine professionals taste a lot of wine, some of them thousands of bottles a year. If someone is tasting that much odds are they’re pretty good at it and they should also be proficient at communicating about it in a meaningful way even if they are limited to nomenclature that may seem like Martian to the novice. Keep in mind that this is tasting and not drinking. A professional tasting may sound like fun to you but it’s hard work requiring a hell of a lot of focus, concentration, and inevitable palate fatigue. Still think it sounds fun?  Imagine tasting 45 different coffees in 90 minutes, taking notes and then writing about the qualities of each one. I rest my case.

Finally, if the florid wine descriptions still give you agita, consider giving wine writers a break. Even with the zillions of wine blogs and everyone pretending to be a wine expert these days, there are more good writers than ever. Find one whose prose you can live with—even like—and follow them. Chances are their likes and dislikes in wine are similar to yours. But remember that your palate—and what you like to drink—is the bottom line.
 
Because after all, I made all this up.  

Just kidding.

Gilian Handelman is the current director of education and communications for Jackson Family Wines. She began her career as an assistant sommelier in 1987 at Pierce’s restaurant in the Finger Lakes region of New York. But quickly moved into the production side in 1988 in Washington State working six harvests for three different wineries. Gilian was hired in 1994 by Kendall-Jackson as Enologist, where she produced experimental wine, yeast, and barrel trials and tracked the 1,500-plus lots of wine made by the winery each year. In 2006 she was tapped to create a trade education program for the winery, where she developed training for KJ’s sales force as well as wine and food education and seminars for trade and consumers. 

In 2000 she was hired by Paige Poulos at Paige Poulos Communications to be the Director of Wine Communications. Here she developed PR and education plans for winery and industry clients; plans that combined sensory evaluation, winemaking, and culinary education with public relations and marketing strategy. In 2002 Gilian was hired by Wine & Spirits Magazine as their Director of Marketing and Education. Handelman created their Best New Sommelier program, coordinated and taught scores of classes at culinary and hospitality schools around the United States, and developed their lauded event program. Eventually Gilian was lured back to Jackson Family Wines in 2007, where she currently directs education for the family’s 34 wineries around the globe. Gilian lives in Berkeley, California with her husband and two children. 

I met with Gilian in May of last year. We used the 2009 RDV Rendezvous Merlot blend from Virginia and Riedel Vinum/Bordeaux glasses for the tasting. As for the session, it was clear from the outset that Gilian’s inner processing of wine is far different than most people’s strategies. She is a synesthete processing wine as a flow and shape of colors and movement. She’s created “maps” of many grape varieties and these can be found on the KJ website (http://www.kj.com/sensory-tour). Her strategy is unique--and remarkable as well.
 
Overall Goals

TG: What are your overall goals when tasting? 

GH: I’m trying to bridge the gap between language and the abstract. For me, it’s a different exercise because I’m trying to decipher what’s going on in the glass whether it’s for a blind tasting or for quality purposes. But when I’m speaking to an audience and trying to get them to come to a shared conclusion, what I’m trying to do is to get them to consider anything whether it’s shapes, sounds, frequencies, or hard word descriptors—literally anything that will create that “aha!” for the class. It’s a language aspect.

TG: What do you think the “aha!” moment is? What does that mean? 

GH: It really varies so much from person to person. What I’m looking for is the brow not to be knitted anymore. It’s like someone is thinking, “I don’t see it, I don’t see it, I don’t see it, I SEE IT!” Some people want the satisfaction that they’ve hit upon a descriptor that resonates for everybody. Other people want to understand a structural element. Some people just want answers to questions like, “what do you mean by framework?” or “What do you mean by high note?” Even if you have to resort to things like, “is it this?” (She sings high pitch) or “is it this?” (Sings low pitch); you do whatever it is to make all the brows to stop knitting. 

Sight

TG: When you look at wine in the glass what are you trying to figure out about it? 

GH: I’ve been spending a lot of time lately trying to unravel the 30-year mystery for me of how much bias goes into sight. This because I’ve had so many “kerthunk” moments in the last five years when I’ve been positing things to scientists and people who really taste analytically about how sight is such a huge predetermination of how people taste. What I’ve been trying to do is to open the space between my ears and think, “with this wine (glass in hand), it’s opaque so my sense is that it’s relatively low in acid and high in tannin and probably has wood on it, blah blah blah.” These are all things you get from visual cues. But now I’m trying really hard to think that maybe those things aren’t necessarily true.

TG: Why do you want to avoid doing that? I think to your point, sight, especially for red wines, builds instant expectations for fruit qualities and structural components. At least that’s a good framework to begin with. Are you trying to wipe the slate clean?

 
GH: A little bit. I think one of my pitfalls as a taster is that I have preconceived notions and they will drive me through things that I am missing. So something I’m really striving to do now is to stop my brain from saying, “I know what that is!” 

TG: Anything else about the sight, the appearance of a wine?  Anything to describe it? 

GH: The other thing about sight that I really like to pay attention to, and that I also encourage people to pay attention to, is the textural element; how the wine moves in the glass. That’s something I look at pretty carefully right away. That’s different from color.  It translates to sound for me.

TG: In other words when you swirl the glass and watch how the wine moves in the glass you hear sounds? 

GH: Yes.

TG: If a wine is really viscous and rich what sound is that? 

GH: Gloop, gloop, gloop. (Laughs)

TG: Is it just a sound? Is there anything that you see? Does the sound create any kind of pattern in your field of vision? I’m just curious.

GH: I don’t think so. I think it’s more like having observed Jell-O, jellies and candies hardening-- various things like that over the years. I just have a very firm sense of what texture means.

TG: What about something like Champagne or German Riesling that’s really light-bodied?

GH: Ffft! Ffft! Ffft! (Laughs again)

TG: What’s in between? 

GH: It’s more of a gentle swishing sound, like water lapping on the edge of a lake or the sides of a boat.

TG: Do you have a predisposition to any one of those? 

GH: Gloop, gloop, gloop is not attractive to me. 

TG: For all wines? What about something like a dessert wine? 

GH: For a Sauternes it’s OK. 

TG: What about a red wine?

GH: Much less so. Personally, I want more tension and more edges on my red. Also I’ve become more predisposed to not like so much glycerin-glycerol-texture in my wines. But that’s totally personal and not qualitative. 

TG: So one is about judging wine professionally and the other is personal. But it sounds like you like the higher acid, less alcohol red wines. 

GH: Yes, but there are definitely exceptions. I wouldn’t kick a Huet Vouvray out of bed and it’s a gloop gloop wine. 

TG: (Laughs) I agree. 

Nose 

TG: Go ahead and pick up your glass and smell the wine. When you really get into your zone, I’m interested in is where your eyes go; where you look. (She smells the wine) It seems your eyes go right out here (straight out and down about 15-20 degrees). 

GH: Yes.

TG: Does that feel really comfortable, like it’s the best place? Try it again.

GH: Yes, that’s it. Definitely. I don’t stare into the wine. 

TG: Most people do. Over 90% of the people I’ve worked with look down either center, slightly to the left, or slightly to the right. I think this is really important because it’s a starting point for your tasting sequence. It also helps to shut the world out so you can focus. Once you do that and smell this wine, what kind of fruits do you smell? 

GH: Mostly dark fruit; fruit that’s not stewed but more on the compote side or on the counter for a while side. 

TG: As you’re smelling the wine and telling me this, I see your eyes start here and then go out here (Straight out in front almost eye level). Question: how do you know it’s dark fruit and not something else? 

GH: Tenor.

TG: Tenor meaning …

GH: I also see and hear music a lot when I taste. For me, this wine is more of a basso sound (hums) vs. a higher sound. 

TG: When you say you see something, do you get images of something that’s dark fruit? I also have to note that you’re looking in exactly the same place as before. 

GH: Not sure. 

TG: Put your nose in the glass and hold the dark fruit and your eyes in the same place for a few seconds and see if anything pops up.

GH: No, I don’t see any dark fruit. I feel dark fruit whether it’s in the core of my body or in a smell memory.  

TG: But I’m curious because feelings tend to be evaluative—they happen as a result of an image or a sound. What I want to know is if there is an image that creates all this other stuff? Because again, how do you know it’s dark fruit and not red fruit or even a catcher’s mitt for that matter? How do you know?

GH: Right as in how am I pulling it from the wine. I guess it’s just an instantaneous reaction in my brain. There’s this thought that I’ve catalogued all these smells and there’s a synapse that’s telling me this is dark fruit.

TG: But what tells the synapse?

GH: I think, although I haven’t really articulated this before, that for me it’s sort of a family tree or a logarithm. Like you, I do the same kind of thing in terms of the fruit, the floral, mineral, veggie, and the rest. 

TG: As you’re saying those things, you’re going left to right just out in front of you. Is that how it works? 

GH: I always go left to right.

TG: Is that a grid? 

GH: It’s a like a family tree or a logarithm. If I’m starting with fruit (and I always start with fruit), then it would branch off here (points out front).  It happens really quickly and there’s only two worlds for fruit for me—white and red. In red fruit there’s also only two worlds, red and black. After that, the logarithm breaks off further.

TG: If I were you, what would all that look like? Is it like a picture of a tree with branches?

GH: It’s almost like electricity. Once I make those quick decisions, say that it’s in the black fruit world I’m asking if it’s fresh black fruit or prunes or whatever. 

TG: As you point to those places (out in front of her), are those images or what are they?

GH: I think they are lines of connect in my brain that are leading me to one framework or another. 

TG: I’m still trying to get to how you know it’s black fruit vs. something else. So if I had to be you, what would I do? So far I know that you put your nose in the glass and some kind of tree appears quickly; but you somehow take everything into consideration and then recognize something specifically. From there, it becomes a subset of different variations of whatever it is. But what does all this look like? 

GH: It’s like a family tree or an electron; almost like when you match up electrons and protons. There’s lines of yes-no, yes-no for me.  

TG: Are there any pictures that have to do with all this? I’m just curious if there are images somehow in the process.

GH: I don’t think there are pictures. I think there’s a memory but it doesn’t look like an image because I’ve been smelling things for so long. I remember walking around as a kid with my Mom smelling things in markets. It’s more of an association. It’s not emotional as it it’s recognition of some kind.  

TG: But how do you recognize something? That’s the question. If you recognize anything specifically, how do you do it? Say it’s something really strong in a wine such as a fruit or a rose; how do you represent that? 

GH: If we really do go there, I think it’s a shape. For me round, dark fruit is sort of amorphous and blobby. Red, vivid fruit is spiky. And it’s not necessarily something like, “there’s that shape of a tear drop.” It’s not that clear cut for me. It’s more like thought flowing into shape. So round, black fruit that’s kind of stewed is amorphous; back to the gloop gloop. In fact, all the fruits I smell will go into those kind of roles. Maybe that’s what it’s like for me, a channel of shape and sound. “So (speaking in a high voice) this is a tiny channel that is bristly, high-noted, and cleaver-shaped. Then (speaking in a much lower voice) this amorphous pool of a shape.” I don’t think I see actual pictures of things. 

TG: Interesting. Where does that come from? Where do these shapes come from? Inside your head? Out front? 

GH: It comes from my whole body (laughs).

TG: Not only that but it seems like there are sounds that accompany all this too.

GH: Yes, inside my brain. 

TG: So you project these amorphous shapes along with pitches and frequencies in terms of how rich or how acidic the fruit is.  

GH: I do this all the time especially with the structure of a wine—the liquid takes a shape.

TG: We’ll get to structure in a bit. In the meantime, you mentioned dark fruits. Are there any red fruits in the wine, anything sour?

GH: Near the end there’s some plum notes like plum skin.

TG: What about things like flowers, herbs, and even earth?

GH: There’s kind of a cured leather or cured fruit leather to which then to me goes flat. It’s not amorphous anymore and that I think is just associated with fruit leather. Whenever I think of fruit leather I always think of flat.

TG: As in a flat shape?

GH: Yes, there’s also some subtle perfume in this wine but it’s more of a bass-noted or woody perfume. That’s getting into the wood world but it’s still kind of in the fruit-natural things world.

TG: Finally, what about oak? How do you know there’s oak?

GH: There’s a cocoa note which to me is a dark almost round, puffy character. Oak characters to me are more bristly.

TG: When you say bristly, what do you mean? What does that look like?

GH:  It looks like a claw (laughs) because it’s “grippy.” Then there’s the spice-oak elements which I’m picking in the wine which are almost like roasted spice elements. They’re like little bits of roundness but it’s not a large puffy thing.

TG: Thinking about all those things together, what does that look like? Once you put your energy into a shape and/or color how does it appear? It seems to be almost like an arrangement. Do all the shapes happen at once and stay there or does it happen one thing at a time? 

GH: It eventually all comes together so that there’s the puffiness and the roundness. But that round jam note anchors it all and then there’s stuff laid on top it. 

TG: So the shape of the fruit anchors it all and everything else is around it like little satellites? 

GH: Yes.

TG: In other words, there are shapes instead of actual images? 

GH: Yes.

TG: A bunch of different shapes? Do the shapes have any color or any texture? 

GH: No.

TG: Are they just outlines?

GH: There’s definitely texture. Now I’m also picking up some resinous notes in the wine. It’s almost like blood orange notes and dried citrus and they’re kind of curly shaped.

TG: You’re pointing to them right out in front of your face. It’s interesting that your entire field is very close to you in proximity. It’s all within 12-14 inches in front of you at eye level. What happens when you taste the wine? Does all this change? If one flavor gets stronger than it was on the nose, does anything change? Or does it all stay the same? 

GH: Your right, it is all intimate for me; it’s right here in front. But what changes is that it takes off.

TG: Takes off? As in …

GH: Away from me.  

TG: Just curious, smell the wine again and take your arrangement of shapes and push away from you about 10 feet. What happens to the wine? Just push it all the way.

GHY: I kind of lose control of it.

TG: Can you make sense of the wine anymore? Or does the wine smell different if you push it away?

GH: Yes, it smells higher noted. It’s like I pushed the bass away.

TG: Reset it. It sounds like there’s dimensionality to this as well as depth. What happens if you smell it and make the shape flat? Like two dimensional and flat right out in front of you.

GH: I lose the whole screen.

TG: But is there any part of the wine that smells stronger? Different?  

GH: It’s kind of like all the left over notes like soy and fruit leather.  

TG: So the major things go away?

GH: Yes.

TG: Makes sense. So reset it and let’s taste the wine.

Palate 

TG: Now that you’re tasting the wine keeping all those shapes in mind, does anything change? Or do they stay in the same kind of arrangement?

GH: Now what happens is that I check the assumptions from the aromatic profile and things open up quite a bit.

TG: Meaning that the field gets larger? 

GH: Yes, it gets quite a bit larger this way (pointing up) and that way (side to side).  But it never, ever grows down. I don’t know why, but that’s the way it is. It grows in width, in height, and in depth.  

TG: So how much larger does it get? 

GH: At least a hundred percent bigger. I feel and see huge spikes.

TG: Huge spikes? What does that mean? 

GH: I’m very influenced by structure in terms of my visuals and my sense of things, which is why when I’m teaching a class in front of people I’m motioning like this all the time (waves her arms). 

TG: You’re literally showing them what you get out of the wine.

GH: Right! It’s really a three-dimensional model on my palate.

TG: Do the shapes stay the same? Do they get bigger? 

GH: No, the big amorphous thing is still there and that’s the center of the whole structure. What’s happening elsewhere is that tannin and acid are stretching either forward, or up and out. With a tannic wine like this I’m looking very carefully at how the tannin crescendos and where it pops out. This is a little bit like those fruits that have spikes on them. I think it’s like a passion fruit because it’s fairly round. They don’t take on square shapes for me so they’re fairly round. It’s almost like this is a vision of my palate right in front of me.

TG: It’s kind of an arch right in front of you.

GH: Right, front to back. So what’s happening is that the tannins take shape on the palate.

TG: When you say, “takes shape,” what does that mean?

GH: They get spikey. 

TG: Meaning that on the curve of the wine shape there are spikes that come up? 

GH: Yes, there are spikes that come up through the curve.

TG: Again I have to ask, is there any color to all this? Or is it just shapes and outlines?

GH: In reds no but some whites have a color.  

TG: But in red wines in terms of all these different fruits, spices, and other things, there’s only shapes with outlines? Are they filled? How does it work?

GH: They’re definitely filled. It’s like a big rubber casing that’s filled and things are shooting out the end of the casing making the rubber stretch which is what I meant by the passion fruit. Then in the back there’s this kind of roller coaster and other stuff stretching through the casing.

TG: Roller coaster meaning what?

GH: Cascade—like a cascade of what’s going on. There’s tannin and acid, and it (cascade shape) goes up (motions with hands) coming back down and then goes up again. 

TG: So it’s the shape of the palate of the wine. Does the structure define the movement of the shape? 

GH: Yes, the structure.  

TG: How is high acid different from low acid? 

GH: For me high acid definitely goes up (whistles). With acid there’s usually an up and sometimes an out.  

TG: How would that be different? 

GH: Because of the way I perceive acid on my palate. Whether I feel a burst at the end of the wine like fingers moving, or a turkey tail, or a slow build of acid that takes off like you’re going up a roller coaster.

TG: How about alcohol? How is that represented to you? 

GH: I don’t perceive alcohol that much. The only way I’m influenced by alcohol is by retro-nasal.  

TG: What about something that’s really high in alcohol like a port? 

GH: If it’s really high in alcohol it’s almost like a burning or a gaseous.

TG: You’re making a motion off to the side and up.

GH: Right, it’s off to the side and up but all also through the palate. It’s constantly kind of burning in there like roiling gas.

TG: How about residual sugar? What’s that like? 

GH: I don’t know because I don’t have anything like that in the glass. 

TG: True, but if you had a young vintage port, what would the sweetness be like?

GH: It’s that base “mattress” again (pointing right underneath her chin). So if this is all a reflection of my palate, and I think it is, then this base mattress is a kind of soft, couchy thing going on the bottom of my palate. 

TG: So you’re literally projecting all this right out in front of your palate? In front of your face? 

GH: Yes.

TG: Have you ever thought about taking different grape varieties and drawing maps of what all this looks like? 

GH: Yes, I did it and they’re on the Kendall Jackson website. 

TG: You did? Then I have to check it out to see what all of them look like.

GH: You’ll see them on the website and in some instances, I did several maps for a single grape like Cabernet. I did maps for three different Cabernets but you’ll see that they all have a similar shape. That’s because I feel that tannin and texture work together in such an unusual way. To me, the tannin dictates a huge amount of what that shape looks like. It’s not just the grape variety because you can taste Cabernet from the Oakville bench from a big time producer at 15% alcohol and to me the shape is a lot like a Central Coast Syrah. It’s got that zauftig kind of shape. But Cabernet from Howell Mountain or Pauilliac is much more spikey. So I can’t necessarily put a shape to a specific grape.

TG: So structure is really important. Does a shape with all these aspects just keep going and changing every time you taste the wine? Or does it stop changing at some point.

GH: It does change after three to five minutes. What’s left is this kind of end of the roller coaster or like foothills or steps left by the tannin on my palate. And often for me, and this is how I pick up minerality; there’s literally pebbles or gravel.

TG: Do you see pebbles or gravel? 

GH: I see different shapes of rocks on my palate at the end. 

TG: You mentioned no colors for red wine but some colors for white wines. 

GH: I should revise that because there’s no color for most reds. But if something is really different from what I’m tasting day to day (and that can change depending on where I am or what I’m working on), there might some color. That’s usually if something is really blue or really red in terms of the fruit. There’s also a spike or a frequency. Blue gives me a frequency that sounds like a high-pitched buzz. It’s almost musical.

TG: Do you have a music background? 

GH: No.  

TG: How does sound enter so much of what you perceive in wine? I have a formal musical background and it doesn’t really transfer over into wine. 

GH: Not sure why. I’ve always been very sensitive to music and it’s affected me emotionally quite a bit and that affects me physically.  

TG: What kind of music? 

GH: All kinds but I particularly love classical and even reggae. I love syncopation.

TG: When you say classical, what kinds of classical music?

GH: Primarily French horn and cello. I love piano too and those are certain frequencies (sings a pitch). Things that vibrate at a middle base line frequency as opposed to more of a base frequency are less interesting to me.  

TG: Just curious, are there other things in your life where these frequency and shape things come into play? I’m not sure what that would be but do different people have different frequencies for you? 

GH: Frequencies definitely enter the picture around certain situations. 

TG: Does it have to do with stress? 

GH: Probably, but it also has to do with real happiness. So for instance my favorite time of the day is right before sunset and that is a shape that is incredibly amorphous and really generous and flowing. 

TG: Is there a sound or pitch that goes with that? 

GH: It sounds almost like a harp. It’s extremely gentle and sounds of water too.

TG: Really interesting. You’re very much a synesthete when it comes to tasting in that you bring in other senses to the tasting experience that don’t usually come into play. I think that pitch really help you calibrate things. If something in a wine is off then the pitch of the wine is probably off for you too. So if it’s not quite right it probably bugs the hell out of you.

GH: True.

TG: But as for shapes and pitches in tasting, not many people do that. For most of us, especially those of us trained in the MS program, tasting is very visual and locational. A lot of it has to do with pictures. 

GH: It’s funny because I’m not very good at memorization of specific wines like “X” producer from 1982. But I can remember the shape of the wine. Like I can also pretty much remember any face or voice I hear but I may not be able to remember a name.

TG: What parts of you strategy do you try to teach people? Do you try to get them to hear different pitches with different kinds of wines? 

GH: I encourage them to consider that there are other modes of communicating about wine which is arguably the area that trips people up the most. They can feel they’re not establishing a connection around what they’re supposed to be tasting with people. Or they can feel inferior in some way because they don’t have the language expected of them. I’m really trying to encourage people to consider that there are other modes of communication than words to discuss wine. 

TG: That’s great. I want to try one more thing if only to be a pain. I want you to smell and taste the wine and as you’re smelling, what happens if you put a picture of whatever the dominant fruit up there? 

GH: That does happen to me a lot in the beginning of tasting a wine before I’ve had a chance to dissect it. And this was the exact same picture I had when I first tasted the wine—which is like moss and mud.

TG: I was asking about fruit. So how does that happen? 

GH: It smells like moss and mud to me. The natural world of it is a very huge aspect for me as well. It’s really important and I often see landscapes or waterways when I smell and taste.

TG: Just curious, are those landscapes or waterways life size? 

GH: No, they’re very intimate; whether it’s like a river bank or a dried up gravel bed or other things like that. It’s literally like a section of earth or an overturned log or a crushed flowers or what have you. Those are the only visuals I tend to pick up. 

TG: And those are like flashes? 

GH: Right. 

TG: So the overall impression of the wine gives you something like that? 

GH: Yes and sometimes it’s kind of fecund and gross like a tide pool with rotting critters.

TG: One last question: when you teach beginners, what’s the “aha!” moment you want them to have? 

GH: That their voice is relevant. I tell people that they don’t have to describe the wine. What I’m asking them to do and what other people in this community will ask to them to do is to share some sort of connection around what’s in the glass. So they can come up with any kind of entry point in terms of describing it. They can describe wine musically or as a person. They can describe it as an emotion or they can dissect it and totally take it apart. They can describe a wine as the color purple. At some point you have to have a connection to the understanding that language is bringing to two people. What you’re trying to do is to connect over something that isn’t saying anything at all. It’s like when you’re trying to connect over a piece of art. It’s just that with wine you have so many more cues than just visual. You can say a wine reminds you of a piece of velvet because that’s true for you. It’s all about finding a way to connect.

TG: I think a major disconnect for most people is that the wine is visual; that internally the experience and sequence of smelling and tasting have visual aspects to them. At the same time, someone who is a beginner and picks up a glass of wine is really intimidated because we’re using a vocabulary, a language, that’s really intended for another sense—not smelling or tasting. 

GH: I agree. You just can’t expect people to come into a first tasting and start getting a lot of things right away. But your smell memory is yours and if you smell Clorox in a wine or Barbie legs it’s fine. It’s more like you’ve got all these memories logged and you can use them with wine. 

Daniel Tammet is a remarkable man. The London born 34-year-old Tammet is both autistic and a savant. In his book, “Born on a Blue Day,” he describes his struggles with autism as a child and young adult; how through sheer force of will, the help of his family, and a multitude of others, he was able to acquire the skills to be able to function in the adult world--an extraordinary feat. But what is equally arresting about Daniel is his incredible memory for numbers; he can recite the number pi past 22,000 digits as well as multiply and divide enormous sums in his head with the accuracy and speed of a computer. There’s more. To Daniel, numbers such as arithmetic problems or days of the week are experienced as different shapes, colors, and movements—hence the title of his book. This phenomena is called “synesthesia,” a term often defined as a neurological condition where stimulating one of the senses results in an automatic, involuntary response/experience with a second sense. Tammet describes synesthesia as “cross-talk” between the senses. He and others like him are called “synesthetes.”  

Over 60 kinds of synesthesia have been documented. Some of the more common forms include grapheme, or color synesthesia, where letters or numbers are perceived as colors; ordinal linquistic personification, where numbers, days of the week, and months of the year are experienced as personalities; and spatial-sequence, or number form synesthesia, where numbers, months of the year, and/or days of the week are experienced as specific and very precise locations in space. 

In thinking about Tammet, it’s tempting to put forth the idea that everyone experiences synesthesia from time to time given that our inner senses are so interdependent. Any strong memory--be it pleasant or not—is a complex package of intensely interconnected images, sounds, and feelings. But true neurological synesthesia is always involuntary thus differentiating individuals who experience it from the rest of us.

In regards to tasting and synesthesia, I’ve learned that most of the colleagues I’ve worked with in my tasting project are like me. We’re visual-dominant in our thinking and represent our internal experience of wine primarily with images in any number of different ways. However, over the last year I noticed several outliers among colleagues I’ve interviewed; professionals who taste at a world-class level but whose inner processing of the wine experience is so far outside the norm that their tasting strategies are challenging to deconstruct and code. To these few, the wine experience is not so much about using images associated with memories of aromatics and flavors, but instead experiencing wine as a flow, shape, colors, texture, and sounds often projected outward from their body. These tasters are synesthetes, the true instinctual tasters. Here are three of them.

Sur Lucero, MS

Sur Lucero, MS, describes himself as an instinctual taster who learned how to work with the MS tasting grid only after many long months of hard work in order to pass the Master’s tasting exam in the summer of 2012. Sur is also one of 16 individuals to ever receive the Remi Krug Cup for passing all three parts of the exam on his first attempt. Lucero told me that he’s never relied on the aromatic and taste profiles that most students use, but more from the “picture” of a wine in terms of how it interact texturally on his palate. 

“I visualize how the wine feels on my palate,” he says; “whether it feels flat, lifted, vibrant, tense, or youthful.” When asked for an example he mentioned New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc describing it as an “intense wine with lots of energy and crisp angularity to it with shades of green, yellow, and platinum.”  I asked if he saw shapes; he replied that he doesn’t necessarily see shapes, but does see colors and movement in what he described as a linear fashion out in front of him. “They move and they’re not just in one dimension. They expand on an X and a Y axis.” Further, he went on to say that the shape of a wine is largely determined by the structure. To Sur, the “intensity, the sharpness, and austerity” of a wine will create more lift on the Y axis as opposed to a wine that’s richer, fuller, and fatter which be more expansive and broader on the X axis.  

I wanted to know how he was able to assess the quality of the fruit or age of a wine. He answered by saying, “The colors are generally based on the ripeness of the fruit. Leaner, tauter wines are going to have lighter shades of color. A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a pretty intense, almost electric green. For Chablis, it’s a very pale cream straw; almost transparent.” Further, “I get the aromatic properties in terms of the fruit composition generally from the shades of colors that I see moving within the X and Y axes. Again, I don’t necessarily see cherries or blueberries or other specific fruits, I see shades of colors on the X and Y axes. But I don’t really think of the X and y axes as being present in this picture, I just see the shapes of the colors and how they move; the richer wines have more volume and the leaner wines have more height.” I asked him where a shape comes from and he replied with the following: “It comes from my chest and my head. Whenever I smell something I can feel it coming from here (motioning from his chest up to his face), definitely the upper part of my body.” 

Gilian Handelman

Gilian Handelman is director of education for Kendall-Jackson. She’s long known that she doesn’t process wine the same way that most people do. During our session, I asked her how she was able to recognize a specific fruit vs. another. She replied by saying, “I guess it’s just an instantaneous reaction in my brain. There’s this thought that I’ve catalogued all these smells, and there’s a synapse that’s telling me this is dark fruit. It’s almost like electricity. Once I make those quick decisions, say that it’s in the black fruit world, I’m asking if it’s fresh black fruit or prunes or whatever.” 

While saying the previous, she was motioning with her hands out in front of her face. I asked her if her hand movements corresponded to images of the aromatics she was smelling in the wine. She replied saying, “No, I think they are lines or shapes that connect in my brain leading me to one framework or another. I haven’t really articulated this before, but for me it’s sort of a family tree or a logarithm, almost like electricity.” As for the shapes, she said that the quality of the fruit and structure of a wine had a lot to do with determining the kind of shape.  She described her experience of the RDV Cabernet from Virginia we were tasting as: 

“It’s like a big rubber casing that’s filled and things are shooting out the end of the casing making the rubber stretch … then in the back there’s this kind of roller coaster and other stuff stretching through the casing. But there’s also like a cascade of what’s going on.  There’s tannin and acid, and it (cascade shape) goes up (she motioned with her hands) coming back down and then goes up again.”

When I asked her if the shapes were consistent within a single grape variety she responded by saying, “It’s not that clear cut for me. It’s more like thought flowing into shape. So round, black fruit that’s kind of stewed like in this wine is amorphous. In fact, all the fruits I smell will go into those kind of roles. Maybe that’s what it’s like for me, a channel of shape and sound. So (speaking in a high voice) this is a tiny channel that is bristly, high-noted and cleaver-shaped. Then (speaking in a much lower voice) this amorphous pool of a shape.” 

Gilian also experiences different sounds with different styles of wines. For her, a rich, round wine like the Cabernet we were tasting sounded like “gloop, gloop, gloop” vs. a lighter-bodied, high-acid wine like German Riesling, which would sound more like water lapping on the edge of a lake or pond. She describes it with the sound, “fffft, ffft, ffft.” She further said, “I see and hear music a lot when I taste. For me, wine we’re tasting is more like a basso sound (hums) vs. a higher sound.”

I asked her where a shape would come from and she replied, “It comes from my whole body. It’s really a three-dimensional model of my palate.” She went on to say that the shapes are outlines and some, but not all, have color to them.  

Gilian has illustrated many of the shapes for different grapes and they can be found at the KJ website: http://www.kj.com/sensory-tour

Here are some examples: 

Roland Micu, MS

Like Gilian Handelman, Roland Micu, MS, has always known that the way he tastes wine is different from everyone else. As soon as we started his interview Roland said, “I smell the wine and then there’s this so-called shape or texture. Maybe it’s a type of synesthesia because if you hear a note on a keyboard, it’s going to have a kind of impact. All the notes are going to have different impacts. So the shapes or textures remind me of that.” 

I asked him if the different components in a wine like a specific fruit had different shapes. He responded yes and then described the dark plum note in the Merlot blend we were tasting as having a round shape that was black in color. But his experience of the shape was more complex in that it had texture as if he were biting into the actual fruit. He went on to say that “different fruits have different textures. Raspberry is going have more angularity and be mushier. A dark cherry will be more focused and a dark plum more broad.”

I asked if images were involved in his perception of the different aromatics. He said yes but that the shapes were the initial sensation before an image of something would appear. Further, he said that the two were almost simultaneous as the process unfolds rapidly when he smells a glass of wine. He went on to describe the Merlot blend we were tasting with the following: “To me this wine is like a level. There are no sharp angles and texturally nothing shoots out. It’s not like a contact lens but more like squished elliptical shape and the edges are round.” 

I asked him where the shapes come from and he said, “It’s a feeling and it comes out of me (pointing to his chest) then moves up through my chest and out through my eyes so I can see it and translate it.” In terms of assessing the kind and quality of the fruit, he said that “the shape is being formed and all these fruits are being assessed at the same time.” 

Roland described any changes in the wine from the nose to the palate with the following: “I think with the nose its two dimensional, but when it gets to the palate it becomes three dimensional. It also might be more blocky or pixilated. But it’s three dimensional as opposed to the nose where it’s an image of a cherry or whatever.” As for assessing the structure in the wine we were tasting during the session, Roland used the shape to calibrate the amount of alcohol, acid, and tannin. “I don’t base structure on texture, but I’ve done some research and found that the elliptical shape in this wine typically is related to higher alcohol, riper fruit, new oak (usually barrique), and minimal minerality.”

Take Aways

Ultimately, the purpose of my tasting project is to model best practices by deconstructing the internal strategies used by top tasters. The end goal is to take the best strategies and be able to teach them to anyone interested in learning about wine. With that, the question of what can be taken from the strategies of Gilian, Roland, and Sur arises. At this point I’m not convinced their strategies can be easily taught. Perhaps what we can gain from them is the idea of using colors, sounds, and shapes to more intimately and personally calibrate the different aromatic and structural properties in wine. More than that, working with tasters like Sur, Gilian, and Roland makes me think about how complex and miraculous the human mind is. And though we share common “hardware” in the form of our brain and nervous system, how different we all are and how important it is that we celebrate these differences and learn from each other—on a blue day or any other.

It’s holiday time again and that means we’re about to careen smack into the new year with little, if any, semblance of control. But before then, we’ll have to navigate the perilous tinsel-filled waters of office parties, dysfunctional family gatherings, crowds, traffic, and general holiday mayhem. Fear not! What follows is sage gift giving advice that will hopefully allay the madness and make your holiday shopping easier. But first, some sage advice for overall gift giving:

Rule # 1: if all else fails, give a bottle of bubbly. Champagne, sparkling wine, Prosecco, and Cava are like a quartet of sparkling seasonal elves whose only purpose is to make your gift list shorter. Prosecco, the DOCG variety and not the mass-produced dreck, is a personal favorite because of the deliciousness-to-value ratio. Beyond that, for the boss or the target of your future affection, a bottle of grower-producer Champagne fits the bill perfectly. Pierre Peters and Egly-Ouriet are personal favorites.   

Rule #2: Give yourself a gift. Before everyone and everything gets completely out of control, remember to get yourself something. A great bottle of restorative spirits is just the prescription needed, whether it be a top shelf Cognac, Malt Whisky, or Rum. Italian Amaros are my personal favorite and aside from the ever-restorative bottle of Fernet Branca always on my shelf, I heartily recommend Braulio. It originates from the Valtelinna region in Northern Italy and is both overtly herbal and bittersweet. An ounce or two (or three …) is guaranteed to help guide your nimble fingers over the keyboard as your order away online. Remember: avoid brick and mortar if at all possible.

Rule #3: Get a book! A good book is one of the best gifts to give and receive. Here’s a dozen I’ve read over the last year. All are entertaining, informative, and highly recommended. 

 Wine Grapes, by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, Jose Vouillamoz

The one and only time I met Jancis Robinson was several years ago at a memorial dinner held for the late Robert Mondavi at the artist formerly known as COPIA. I was a member of the sommelier team and met Jancis just as she was leaving at the end of the evening. I only had time to say hello and ask when she would release an update of her book, “Vines, Grapes & Wines,” published in the early ‘90s. She looked at me as if she suddenly had a strong urge to tase me. In fact, if there would have been a taser app for the iPhone at the time, I’m sure she would have made quick use of it. Instead, she smiled tightly and said that something would be coming out “in a couple of years.” Fast forward to last year and her new amazing tome, Wine Grapes. Weighing in at a hefty six-plus pounds and over 1,400 pages, it could be the most profound book on wine ever written—and sure to satisfy any and all wine geeks on your gift list. Suggestion: given the heft and lack of portability of the book, you might consider a gift download for your lucky recipient.  

One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson

I’m a huge Bill Bryson fan and his new effort doesn’t disappoint. In One Summer, Bryson spins his narrative magic describing in detail the months that made up the summer of 1927, a short period time crammed with remarkable characters and events including the likes of Lindberg crossing the Atlantic, the Sacco-Vinzetti trial, the secret origins of the Great Depression, Al Capone, Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, Charles Ponzi, Herbert Hoover, and much, much more. After reading it, I’m once again struck at how much there is to learn about American history. 

Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman

Nobel-winning physicist Richard Feynman was one of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century. For better or worse, Feynman was an instrumental part of the Manhattan Project that created the atomic bomb ending World War II and ushering in both the Cold War and the atomic age. Aside from his work in physics, Feynman was also an outstanding teacher/lecturer at Cal Tech and he penned multiple books comprised of his thoughts on everything from explaining the basics of science to gambling in Las Vegas to working on physics problems while sitting in strip clubs. Surely You’re Joking, is one of Feynman’s best and most entertaining volumes.  

Everything’s Coming Up Profits: The Golden Age of Musicals, by Steve Young & Sport Murphy

This book is to be filed under the category of strange, wacky, and delightful--as in an entire musical genre you’ve probably never heard of.  While great musicals such as “My Fair Lady,” “Oklahoma,” and “Carousel” are widely known (even if not nearly as popular as they once were), for several decades running the same talents—literally from writers to performers—crafted hundreds of stage musicals for the big corporations of their day; from John Deer Tractors to the Ford Motor Company to the Maiden Form Bra.  That’s right, full-blown staged musicals with casts, plots (sort of), bands, and full scores, where stars of the stage (and sometimes screen) belted out tunes about the beauties of selling the newest, shiniest tractor, pickup, or bra.  Steve Young, long-time writer for the David Letterman show, and industrial musical vet Sport Murphy, chronicle the history of the industrial musical through the decades. Everything’s Coming Up Profits is a perfect coffee table book filled with delightful period illustrations and photos.  

​Is there a connection between music and wine? I’m often asked that question and probably more than qualified to answer it, as I have two degrees in music; a BA in music history and an MM in classical trumpet. The easy answer is yes, there is a connection between music and wine due to the multitude of parallels between the two fields. Both have remarkable depth in terms of history, culture, sociology, philosophy, and more. But for me, the most important connection between music and wine for me is how they make us think; how intensive training in either or both can create complex and refined patterns of thought not necessarily acquired in other fields.

I started playing the trumpet in 4th grade. A few years later, my first job in the restaurant business, bussing tables and washing dishes in a pancake house from 6:00 PM to 4:00 AM on weekends, helped pay for my first professional trumpet. I played in concert bands, jazz bands, marching bands, (true!), and orchestras throughout high school into my undergraduate days at the University of New Mexico to graduate school at the University of Michigan. After grad school, Carla and I moved to San Francisco where I played with various Bay Area orchestras and chamber groups as well as with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra as an extra for the better part of four years. However, eventually the restaurant business and impending parenthood took over. But music has remained a vital part of my career and life and thus I can easily draw on my experience to answer the music-wine question. Further, there are more than a few things from my musical training that have mapped over to my wine career. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to say that I would never have passed the Master Sommelier examination without my musical training.  Here’s why. 

I. Shutting the World Out

Playing a musical instrument (or singing) professionally requires immense focus. One’s success ultimately depends on being able to shut the world out and concentrate singularly on practicing and/or performing along with the playing of other musicians if an ensemble is involved. Tasting at a high level of proficiency also requires great focus and the ability to shut the world out in order to decipher what’s the in glass. I would argue that both are refined trance states in a manner of speaking. 
 
II. Game Day Skills

Game day skills means the ability to bring one’s best game exactly when needed. I’ve written about it several times previously in this blog. The Master's Exam is a series of three very specialized auditions. I’m convinced that I would never have passed if it wasn’t for the trumpet auditions I took from junior high all the way to my years as a professional. As tough as the MS exam was, it wasn’t nearly as intimidating as some of the auditions I took as a professional. In one of those auditions, it was me alone on the stage of a huge empty concert hall in front of an audition jury I couldn’t see with a music stand filled with a long list of the of most difficult excerpts in the repertoire. Audition protocol requires that you start playing at the beginning of the list and when you make a mistake a voice from someone unseen in the jury calls out, “again!” Then you resume playing until you make three or four mistakes at which point the unseen voice says, “Thank you!”  With those two dreaded words you're done and months and countless hours of practice are gone with no reward other than the fact you took the audition and have the experience. Want pressure? That’s pressure.

III. Unconscious Competence and Mastery

Competence as in unconscious competence of a given skill with the ultimate goal of mastery. This is the scale of competence that begins with unconscious incompetence (I’m completely oblivious to the fact that I’m a really horrible dancer), conscious incompetence (Wow! I really suck at dancing), conscious competence (I can dance OK but I really have to work at it), and finally, unconscious competence (Wow, he/she’s an amazing dancer and they make it look so easy). Music and wine are both fields where this scale definitely applies. With the trumpet, it’s all about breathing; specifically the cycle of inhalation, exhalation, and the release of a note—a cycle that has to practiced literally thousands of times to become consistent under the duress of an audition or performance. With wine, one smells and tastes in order to translate a myriad of aromas and flavors in the glass in order to connect sensory impressions to a specific grape, style, place, and even a single harvest. This too requires repetition in the form of thousands of times to gain unconscious competence and with the ultimate goal of mastery.

IV. Heightened Sensory Acuity and an Expanded Field of Awareness

This is perhaps the most important connection of all; how music and wine affect the way we think. A musician in a professional orchestra is required to have remarkable sensory acuity. I remember performing the Verdi Requiem in an orchestra of over a hundred musicians with several vocal soloists out in front of the orchestra, a chorus of over 200 singers directly behind me, and a dozen off-stage brass players positioned hundreds of feet from the orchestra up in the balcony of the hall. From moment to moment, I had to be aware of everything going on around me including my own part, watching the conductor, and listening to the other people in my section, as well as all the various instruments and singers around me. Every instant I had to adjust the volume, intonation, and timbre of my sound while playing my part in tune and in time with the rest of the trumpet section, much less the rest of the orchestra. I really can’t tell you how I did this--or how any musician does it for that matter. But I can tell you that performing at a high level requires one to keep an enormous number of things in their field of awareness either simultaneously or in rapid sequence.

Tasting is much the same. In the work I’ve done over the last several years modeling the tasting strategies of MS and MW colleagues, I’ve noticed one major pattern: tasting is a visual experience internally for most people and top tasters have unique and intricate ways of visually organizing all the information in a glass of wine. Like the musician, a professional taster can keep a great number of aromas and flavors as well as structural components from a given wine in their field of awareness either simultaneously or in rapid sequence.

V. Heightened Sensory Calibration 

I’ve written many times previously of how sight is our dominant internal sense; how most of the human race thinks in pictures and movies. The accomplished musician goes one more by elevating their internal auditory sense to the level of internal sight. A trained, experienced musician calibrates pitch, volume, and timbre with as much precision as a visual artist does color, contrast, shade, and more. Likewise, a professional taster elevates the olfactory and gustatory senses by calibrating the qualities of aromatics (fresh vs. dried vs. cooked vs. stewed fruit) as well the structural components in wine including acidity, alcohol, and tannin. I’ve heard many musicians describe their experience of music and/or playing as three dimensional; I’ve heard many tasters describe their internal experience of wine as three dimensional as well--no great surprise.

VI. Importance of Theory and Accumulated Experience 

It may sound lofty, but as a trumpet player sitting in the back of an orchestra I had to know the difference between playing fortissimo (loud) in a Mozart symphony vs. playing fortissimo in a Mahler symphony. Both are completely different even though they are marked identically on the page. In Mozart, the trumpet never plays above mezzo forte (medium-loud) even when the part is marked fortissimo because of the acoustical properties of the instruments that Mozart wrote for in his time. The trumpet Mahler wrote for at the end of the 19th century is almost identical to the instrument of today; it can easily bury an entire orchestra all by itself as far as volume. No surprise that he (Mahler) took full advantage of what the trumpet could do and wrote some of the greatest literature for the instrument in his nine symphonies. And when Mahler wrote fortissimo for the trumpet, he intended for the performer to play LOUD--but always maintaining a good sound.

In wine theory is also always key. In blind tasting it’s almost impossible for one to get to a conclusion such as “Spain, Tempranillo, Rioja Gran Reserva” without knowing that a classic style of Tempranillo from Spain comes from Rioja region and that the Rioja appellation has a quality hierarchy in which Gran Reserva is the highest designation (Not to mention that one can’t even get to Rioja without knowing all the markers for the Tempranillo grape).  
 
Final Thoughts

There are other many other parallels between music and wine but I will leave you with these last few: music and wine can both create great passion and drive on the part of the student for the very subject being studied. In fact, they should do just that. Both also require a willingness on the part of the student to spend a great deal of time practicing alone to improve personal skills which include the repetition of tedious and often boring things. Finally, music and wine are two fields involving a high degree of aesthetics and beauty; in many ways they are two of the greatest things Western civilization has ever produced. Music, wine and life—it’s not a bad combination.

​Last year as a part of my tasting project, I did a session with dear friend and fellow Master Emily Wines. Emily is the current Senior Director of Beverage for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants in the U.S. She’s had an outstanding career in the wine industry having worked at top level restaurants in San Francisco such as Jardinierre, Elka, and Foreign Cinema. In 2000 she joined the Fifth Floor restaurant as assistant sommelier under Raj Parr. In 2005 she took over the Wine Director position for the restaurant and during her tenure the Fifth Floor list won a Grand Award from Wine Spectator as well as being nominated for the Outstanding Wine Service award by the James Beard Foundation.  

In 2008, Emily became one of only 149 people in the U.S. to ever pass the Master Sommelier diploma examination—and one of only 24 women. She was also awarded the prestigious Remi Krug Cup for passing all three sections of the exam on her first attempt, one of two women to ever achieve this remarkable distinction.  

We did the tasting session at her office in San Francisco. The wine used for the tasting was the 2009 Double Bond Pinot Noir from the Wolf Vineyard in Edna Valley. Riedel Wine Series Chianti Classico/Sangiovese glasses were used for the tasting. During the session, I spent the better part of two hours standing next to Emily observing her tasting. In particular, I paid close attention to her eye movements and language patterns, looking for clues as to how she processed all the information in the glass. My intent was to deconstruct her strategies, literally how she thinks about tasting, in the form of processing and organizing aromatics, flavors and structural components. In the end, we managed to map out the exact sequence of what she does internally when she tastes. The results, to say the least, are remarkable in that they provide a glimpse into the thinking and strategies of a top taster. Read on and enjoy!

Overall Goals and Beliefs about Wine 

TG: What are your overall goals when you taste? What are you trying to accomplish?

EW: I’m trying to find out if the wine is, what it should be, and if it’s OK and not flawed. If it’s too wacked I don’t even bother to go further and taste it. I’m also checking for flaws to make sure it’s not too over the top. I’m also looking for varietal correctness and the “deliciousness factor,” or something that makes me want to taste more. Even if it’s an over the top Cabernet, is there something about the wine that would make me want to taste more.

TG: What does “deliciousness” mean? 

EW: Does the wine have good balance and good structure? Does the wine have something intriguing about it that makes me want to taste more? The intriguing part could be, if it’s an over the top Chardonnay that’s all about oak and butter, does it taste like delicious caramel popcorn, tropical fruit, and butterscotch? Or is it just so heavy in the mouth and there’s really nothing else there. The opposite would be something really understated which also can be a problem if there’s not much there to begin with. A lot of people are now making an un-oaked or restrained style of Chardonnay and there’s really not much there.

TG: Do you have other goals for tasting if it’s a wine you’re considering for a restaurant list?

EW: I’m checking for varietal or regional correctness. I’m also asking if it’s appropriately priced. Does the wine taste like it should for the money or does it over-deliver? Ideally it should over-deliver.

TG: What are your goals as a taster? 

EW: To narrow down and get an impression from the wine. At the very least, I want to come away with an impression from a wine. I’d like to have more stamina as a taster, to be able to get through more wines. Once I get beyond 50 wines my palate isn’t as fresh. But there’s not something specific that I try to do every time I sit down and taste. I’m trying to find something new that sticks or that makes an impression; I think blind tasting is like a language, so I’m looking for something that I can add to my language of senses.  
 
TG: What is your evidence for a good tasting?  What do you need? (Glassware, context, lighting, etc.)

EW: I need good light, bright enough light that I can really see the wine; it needs to be quiet. With a professional tasting, it’s really easy to blow through a ton of wines and not pay attention. I taste wine in batches so I can go back and compare if I need to. I think comparing is important because a wine can sometimes be affected by what comes before it. I also almost always taste wines at room temperature because any flaws in the wine will really show. It’s the most honest way to look at wine.

TG: What are your beliefs about tasting; about your own tasting?

EW: I think that I have a pretty unbiased palate; some people’s palates are more skewed to luxury wines vs. other people’s palates which can be more naïve. I’ve tasted so long as a buyer that I do tend to have that perspective. One of the things I have to do is find wines under $5 and that’s hard. But I don’t really think I’m a great blind taster; it’s something that I worked really hard at and focus on. It’s not something that’s inherently easy for me. Some people have really great palate memory and the ability to taste things and textures that I don’t get. But I can taste at a really high level. In the scheme of blind tasters out there, it’s not a talent that came easy to me but it’s something that I’m good at doing. I think I’m good at processing information quickly and categorizing it in my mind; visualizing through things. I learned pretty early on that I’m a visual learner with my tasting. 

TG: What about the other parts of the exam?

EW: Service was easy for me because it’s what I did all the time. Theory was manageable because it was about taking all the information and making a system for memorizing the information. To memorize theory I made up a lot of acronyms. But then I also did what I’ve come learn as making memory palaces; taking names or places that didn’t really have any connection for me and then create a word association picture with it. 

TG: What are your overall beliefs about wine? 

EW: Wine is pleasurable, it’s enjoyable and it’s often social. It’s an artisanal thing but it’s also an industrial product; there’s a balance there and it doesn’t mean that one is necessarily better than the other.

TG: How is wine valuable to you, both personally and professionally? 
 
EW: It’s a living, creative thing. Fine wine is like artwork that’s in a bottle and you don’t get to appreciate that artwork until you consume it. If you go to a big trade event like the Aspen Food and Wine Festival, watch the people with wine vs. spirits. There’s something about the way that people think about wine—they savor it.  Most people take their time and get drawn into it. You don’t see that often with beer and spirits.  

Sight

TG: What are you trying to learn/accomplish when looking at a glass of wine?  

EW: I’m looking for quality. There are times when I’m looking at a Pinot Noir, for instance, and it’s purple. Then something’s wacky or not varietally correct because there could be something blended in like Syrah. So it’s not honest wine and they’re (winemaker) changing the wine from something that it should be.

TG: As you look at the color, how do you know if it’s varietally correct? How do you know that it’s the right color vs. other similar wines you’ve had in the past? 

EW: I can compare it to similar wines I’ve had before; I have experience with what those wines should look like. I’m picturing the range of colors for red wine starting on the left with pale colors for a delicate young red moving across and to the right as they get more intense in color (Emily motions 12-15” in front of her, starting to her left at eye level, then going left to right ending just to the right of her face. The more intense the color, the farther right and closer to her face the color is. If it’s too intense for her it’s literally right in her face).

TG: What about wines that have age? 

EW: If the wines are more orange in color with age, then it moves off to the right and farther away.  
 
TG: So there are two color spectrums? One for age and one for intensity of color? Do they start together and then branch out separately? 
 
EW: Yes and yes. 

TG: Do you do this with all wines? What about a white wine like Chardonnay? 

EW: Yes, if it’s really yellow, it’s right here close to me. If it’s a younger wine with more green, it’s over here (to her left). If it’s golden and oxidized, then it’s over here off to the right and further back. 

TG: Do you literally take a look at the color of a wine and then compare it to the scales? 

EW: Yes.

TG: What shape are these color scales?

EW: It’s like a strip.                                              
 
TG: Do the colors change in a continuum or are they separate?

EW: It’s like a continuum or series of pantone paint swatches lined up.

TG: Are the different colors segmented? 

EW: They are segmented but it’s very subtle. Like tick marks, like paint strips with very thin lines. 

TG: How does it work? Do you look at the color of the wine and then match it? Does the scale move? Something else move? 

EW: The scale is fixed. I look at the wine and then compare it to the scale.  
 
TG: How do you know you have it or have accomplished it? 
 
EW: It happens pretty quickly for me. After I match the wine to the color on the scale I’m pretty much done. 

TG: How do you actually observe wine? 

EW: When I look at a glass of wine, I almost always tip it away from me and roll the glass in my fingers. At the same time I’m looking at the color, I’m also watching the viscosity and the staining because the wine is moving and reflecting light. I’m also looking down at the core and then at the rim for sediment for brightness and for clarity. All that’s happening pretty much at once.  

Tasting: Nose

TG: What are you trying to learn and/or accomplish when smelling a wine? 
 
EW: The grid is a pretty important framework to hang things on. My primary goal is to get a first impression. I believe that whatever that first impression is, is really important. If I’m starting to veer off, I go back to that first impression because it’s something that can’t be ignored. The first impression can be a flaw or cherries or violets or smoke like a campfire. I ask, what can that be? Sometimes it can be really obvious like Shiraz. Sometimes not.

TG: When you say it’s obvious like the Shiraz, it’s because ...

EW: It’s because all those clues are lined up.

TG: What are the clues? 

EW: I’ve already looked at it so the color’s there. Then there’s an almost painful intensity with blue-black fruit, tar, mint, and eucalyptus, herby, and exotic--all those things. 

TG: Are there any other goals in smelling the wine? 
 
EW: Once I get that primary or first impression, I usually don’t say it out loud; but if I’m blind tasting but hold it and then I try to go through the wine and find the fruit, earth, and wood.

TG: Do you use the MS tasting grid? 

EW: Yes, it’s huge and in black and white right in front of me (about 5 feet away, 2D, rectangular about chest height). It looks like an Excel document and has the all information from the grid on it. The first thing I do when approaching a wine is to get a first impression, to let the wine come to me. I stop and smell the wine. It’s more of a visceral experience and I try to get an idea of what’s the very first impression. But I’m not trying to make any decisions. I just want to be with the wine because sometimes I think we do so much work with the grid that we miss out on things. You can miss the soul of the wine.  
 
TG: What does soul of the wine mean to you? 

EW: It’s the part of the wine that speaks to me. 
 
TG: So soul and first impression are the same thing? 
 
EW: Yes. 

TG: Let’s find out how you smell wine. 

EW: I smell wine twice. I first pick up the glass not disturbing it too much and take the most delicate gentle sniff and let the wine come in. To me, it’s a whole different range of smells. Then I give it a swirl and smell again.  

TG: What are you looking for in that first go round? 
 
EW: The very delicate, sort of volatile aromas that disappear when you swirl the glass. Things like floral, volatile acidity, and perfume. Sometimes it’s hard to pull things out of a wine; but when you pick up the glass like that you can get some delicate subtle aromas. 
 
TG: Show me how you smell the wine. (Emily rests the glass under her nose on her upper lip.  She holds the glass at about a 35 degree angle, head slightly down, torso very slightly down as well). When you first pick up a glass to smell the wine where do your eyes go? 

EW: Straight out ahead and very slightly down. 
 
TG: What’s happening then? Do you think about the grid? 
 
EW: No. 

TG: What’s going on?  
 
EW: I smell roses and cherries. It’s almost like Tarot cards on a table.  

TG: Cards? How do the cards appear? Where do they come from? So you smell something, ID it as “cherry,” and then what happens? 

EW: It’s almost like there’s a table in front of me and there are cards on the table that have things in the wine on them. 
 
TG: Where do the cards from?  
 
EW: I take them out of my back pocket.  

TG: When you take the card out of your pocket do you look at it and ID it as “cherries?”

EW: Yes.

TG: So when you smell something you and ID it, how do you know it’s a “cherry” and not something else? This is even before it becomes a card. 

EW: I’m picturing big, luscious, almost stewed cherries right here (points chin level to the right about six inches away). There’s a cluster of cherries, they’re really ripe and almost soppy.  

TG: What does the image look like? 

EW: It’s a cluster of cherries in 3D with realistic bright colors and texture. 

TG: What happens to the cherries once you see them and ID them? 
 
EW: I set them aside and they become an image on a card that goes on the table. With the first impression whatever it is, the card is larger and I keep it on the table right in front of me.

TG: So you smell and then confirm with an image of the fruit or whatever; then the image becomes a 2D Tarot like card on the table in front of you.  
 
EW: Yes.  
 
TG: What’s the table like? 

EW: It’s a dark wood conference-like table. When I taste, the table is my whole world. I can’t see the other side. I’m in my own little bubble just putting these cards out in front of me. It’s funny because I’ve never even done Tarot cards before. But that’s exactly how I picture it.

TG: What else did you smell besides the cherries?  

EW: Roses (she points to almost the same place where the image of cherries was) and they’re almost to the point of almost being tossed out.  

TG: Just curious, where are the cherries now?  
 
EW: They’re both together but the roses are closer to me. They’re the same color as the cherries (deep but almost faded Burgundy).  
 
TG: What happens to the roses then? 

EW: They become a card and go on the table.

TG: How big are the cards on the table? 

EW: About the same size as playing cards, although the primary, first impression card is larger and it’s right in front of me. The others not so close, so I’m always having to refer back to them. If there’s an important clue about a wine, the card could become bigger and closer to me. If I’m looking at a white wine that’s copper colored, then it’s an important clue and it would be a bigger card. It’s almost as if the sight’s here, the nose is here, and palate’s here (she motions in front of her left to right, table level, sight to the left, nose directly in front and palate to the right).  

TG: With all these cards, are there different places for fruit vs. earth vs. wood?  
 
EW: Not at all. It’s more about what are the most important clues. The more important they, are the closer they are to me.  
 
TG: This is a pretty cool system. How do you use the grid with it?  The grid that you showed me a few minutes ago was right out in front of you about chest-high and was like an Excel grid with all the information on it. 

EW: Yes, it’s right here (motions out in front of her about two feet), and I’m going through it checking off things that might be in the wine.  
 
TG: What happens there? You’re seeing something that might be on the grid and then what? 
 
EW: Rather than checking something off, it becomes a visual clue.

TG: So you’re going down the grid checking things off and then an image is generated? 
 
EW: I’m looking at the section of the grid on wood and now images of oak aromas are coming up; then they become cards and go down here (points to the “table”).

TG: It also seems like the images of wood are slightly to the right of center.

EW: Yes. 

TG: For this wine, what representation of wood do you see? 
 
EW: I’m looking for sweet things like in ice cream or baking spices like clove. Or maybe there’s a subtle textural thing.  
 
TG: Are you pulling something out of the glass and then comparing to something you’ve smell before, or do you see all of those things first and then choose? 
 
EW: It’s a scale just like the colors; from gently oxidative all the way to screaming oak.

TG: What does that scale look like? Is it colors? Images? 
 
EW: I guess it’s kind of images. For gently oxidative I think of dried apples.  
 
TG: Where is that? (Points over to the left about 2-3 feet from center) What’s over on this end? 

EW: On this end, it’s my primary impression and I almost can’t shake it. The scale starts here (motions in front about two feet left of center) and goes over here (scale ends really close to the right side of her face).  
 
TG: What’s over here next to your face? 

EW: It’s something very sweet like vanilla and sweet spices. It’s not necessarily images, but something really sweet like you’re walking through the cologne department of a store and people are spraying things on you. While over here I really have to reach for it. 
 
TG: That’s great, but again I’m trying to get the recipe or sequence for what you do. You put your nose in the glass and smell the wine. Then you have the Excel grid in front of you and have these continuums. Do you use them for everything? Do you use the same thing for earth and mineral? 
 
EW: No, it’s different. With fruit, I have buckets of different kinds of fruit I’m reaching into. Is it red fruit or black fruit, or blue fruit or dried fruit? (Points to different locations out in front of her, eye level, left to right starting with red fruit). 

TG: When you say buckets of fruit, are there literally buckets? 

EW: No, they’re almost like giant fruit bowls with real fruits in them (both 3D). I identify the kind of fruit in the bucket and then ask what quality is the fruit. Is it fresh? Is it dry? Is it sweet? Is it sour? 
 
TG: So you pull the fruit out of the bucket and then look at it to see if it’s dry, fresh, sour etc.? Once you’re done with it, does it becomes a card that goes on the table? If it’s really important, is the card is larger and closer to you? If it’s anything else, is there an arrangement to it?  

EW: Not really, it’s more like the important things are closer to me; the things that are screaming are very close, and that first impression is always the biggest card.

TG: Do the other cards vary in size?
 
EW: No, it’s just in terms of how close or how far they are from me. 

TG: What about earth? What do you do with earth?

EW: With earth, I smell the wine and ask if it’s there and then if it’s organic or not (Eye position is in front and down table top level).  
 
TG: You looked here and here for organic and inorganic. What are you looking at?

EW: It’s almost like there are two buckets; a bucket full of rocks and a bucket full of soil and mushrooms.  
 
TG: What do these buckets look like?

EW: These are more like a bucket with a handle on it.

TG: And the fruit is in a bowl?

EW: Yes, the fruits are in a bowl up here (points to just below eye level out in front), while the buckets for earth and mineral are down here (table or waist level).

TG: So you ID something, define its quality, and then as soon as you’re done with it, it becomes a card on goes on the table.  
 
EW: Especially if it’s important. It might not be that important.

TG: How do you know if it’s important? Better question, how do you know if it’s not important? 
 
EW: Sometimes if it’s a neutral white wine and has citrus, the citrus doesn’t tell me anything. 

TG: Got it. Behind your system there’s a lot of theory and experience to back it up.  

EW: Right. 

TG: I have to ask if you had any idea that you did all this? 
 
EW: I knew I did the Tarot card thing but not the rest of it.  

TG: To summarize: you start by putting your nose in the glass and then you look out in front. It seems like most of your eye positions are right out here in front. Right here (out in front, straight ahead and slightly down), seems like your comfortable starting point. Does that seem right? 

EW: Yes.

TG: From there, you’re looking for the first impression, whatever the strongest aroma is.  If it’s fruit, it’s in the bowls out in front here; if it’s earth, it’s in the buckets here or here. What about herbs and other non-fruit things? Where are they? 

EW: They fall in that same kind of middle tier out here (points directly out front, chest level and left to right).  It’s almost like reaching out to find what else is there.  
 
TG: Where are the herbs? 

EW: The herbs are in bunches. I’m also asking what kind of herbs, as in fresh herbs vs. dried herbs, etc.

TG: So literally right out in front of you, chest level, with herbs left of center in bunches and then going toward center.  
 
EW: Yes. 

TG: To finish your sequence; you put your nose in the glass and then your eyes go out in front and slightly down. If fruit is the first impression, you go with the system of bowls, choose what it is, and then grab it. From there you hold it, look at it, and then assign a quality to it. Finally, that becomes a card that goes on the table. 
 
EW: That’s right.

TG: How do you know when you’re done? 

EW: Because I’ve gone through the entire grid. I’ve got my first impression and then I check off all the boxes on my Excel sheet.  
 
TG: It also seems like that once you ID something, you pull it out and compare it against the grid as well.

EW: Right, I check it against all the boxes.  
 
TG: When you say you check all the boxes, do you actually put marks on the sheet?
 
EW: Yes.

TG: To finish up, let’s talk about submodalities and the image of cherries. What happens if you make the image larger as in really large? Does the intensity of the aromas of the fruit get stronger? Less strong?  
 
EW: If I make it larger it becomes singular, blocking out all other smells.

TG: What happens if you make the image smaller? Stronger intensity or less strong?  

EW: By making the image smaller it’s less intense, almost like it's set aside.

TG: What happens if you push the image far away? Stronger intensity or less strong?  

EW: Much less strong or intense; it’s what has to happen to move on to the next aroma. 

TG: What happens if you make the image of the fruit black and white? Stronger intensity or less strong?  

EW: It becomes much less intense. The color is very much a part of the aroma.

TG: What happens if you make the image 2 D instead of 3 D?  Stronger intensity or less strong?  

EW: Much less strong. This is what I describe when I say the 3D image becomes like a playing card. It is cataloged but set aside.

TG: What happens if you change the location of the image? Say put it way up or way down? Stronger intensity or less strong?

EW: It becomes less strong. It's strongest when it is right in front of my eyes.

TG: In summary, your driver submodalities are size, proximity, color vs. black and white and location. Changing any of those in an image changes the experience and sometimes dramatically.  

Palate

TG: Now you have a really good idea of what the wine is about. What are your goals when actually tasting the wine? What are you trying to
learn/accomplish?

EW: To confirm the checked off things on my Excel sheet next to me, but I’m also going through this physical visceral kind of experience with the wine. 

TG: What does that mean? 
 
EW: Is it mouthwatering? Is it appealing? Is it bitter? Is it even the right temperature?  

TG: We’ll get to the structure in a bit, but in the meantime, what are your goals as a taster in terms of what you’ve tasted vs. the cards on the table? 
 
EW: I’m referring back to the cards on the table, reviewing and asking, does this taste like cherry? Like roses? Now I’m noticing that the fruit is more macerated.

TG: What it seems like you’re doing, is pointing to all the cards on the table from smelling the wine. If there’s something extra, what happens? Is it the same process where you reach for something and then it becomes another card? 
 
EW: No, when I taste I’m looking at the cards and reviewing them. If there’s something new, then it’s almost like it’s right in front of my face.  
 
TG: You mean an image right in front of you? 

EW: Yes, but it’s like a card because I’m not reaching for it. I’ve already done that but I’ve missed whatever the new thing is.  
 
TG: After it pops up where does it go? Is there a specific position for it? 
 
EW: It goes on the table in the palate position to the right. If it’s something subtle, then it will go further away from me. But if it’s something screaming, then it will be closer and I’ll say, "Wow, how did I miss that much tar in the wine?" Or something like noticing that the quality of the fruit is different from what I was smelling.  
 
TG: Do the images on the cards change, or do you get different cards?

EW: If I’m tasting a wine and the fruit is much richer or brighter than it was on the nose, then the image on the card actually gets brighter too. If it’s a wine where I’m reaching for it and can’t I really get anything out of the nose, sometimes I’ll taste something new and it can solidify the wine.

TG: Go ahead and taste the wine. I’m interested in the sequence of where your eyes go. I notice that when you taste your eyes go down here (down and straight ahead). Are you looking at cards?   
 
EW: I’m looking at the other edge of the table. When I taste, my whole world is right out here (motions to the “table”).  
 
TG: Are you looking at anything in particular? 
 
EW: No, just trying to let an impression come to me. 
 
TG: So you look out to the other edge of the table and let the whole process start? 
 
EW: Yes.

TG: Now for structure. How do you know how much acid, alcohol, or tannin is in the wine? How do you quantify those things? Let’s talk about acidity, for instance. 
 
EW: I’m paying attention to how tart the wine is on my tongue, how much I’m salivating—a combination of the two.  
 
TG: Got that. But how do you calibrate just how much acidity is in the wine, as in the difference between medium-plus and high acid? How do you know? 

EW: There’s a scale I see; it’s really small. 
 
TG: So there’s some kind of visual confirmation? You put both hands out in front of you about a foot apart. What does the scale look like? 

EW: It’s a ruler.  

TG: A ruler with gradations? Over here to the left for low and over to the right for high?

EW: Yes.

TG: What color is it? 

EW: It’s yellow and the color for medium to low is almost faded out; the color from medium to high is much deeper and brighter.  

TG: Is there any marker on it that moves so you can calibrate? Or do you just point to a mark on it? 

EW: There’s a motion; I point to it.

TG: What about alcohol? How do you calibrate it? 

EW: Alcohol is more visceral in some way; there’s an intensity to the wine overall. 

TG: How do you measure it? 

EW: There’s the same kind of ruler, only it’s broader because it goes from low to high. It also doesn’t have tick marks on it. There’s almost like a bubble on it like a construction level that shifts. I have to watch it a lot closer because alcohol can be kind of nebulous for me sometimes. 

TG: Is it the same color as the acid ruler? 

EW: No, it’s kind of an aquamarine blue like a swimming pool.

TG: What about tannin? 

EW: Tannin is kind of a wooly thing; it’s a textural thing. It’s almost like a piece of wool that’s stretched out and thin at one end and much thicker and larger at the other. 
 
TG: I also notice that you’re going through the scale with your hand. Is that something you have to feel? 
 
EW: It’s a textural thing: how much it is and the texture.  Is it gritty? Is it silky? Where is it on the scale and how much?

TG: So it’s a combination of the amount and the texture.

EW: Right, as I’m tasting, it’s almost like I’m taking a piece of Brillo pad and rubbing it against my fingers. 

TG: So if it’s a Brillo pad, it’s probably a wine that’s pretty tannic and astringent. What about a wine that’s smooth? 

EW: It’s like wet velvet.

TG: It seems like you have your right arm out in front of you and you’ve moving it from left to right and feeling the texture of the wool.

EW: Right.  
 
TG: What about the finish? How do you calibrate that? 

EW: I like the finish because I get a lot of subtle clues out of it (Her eyes move slightly up and look out over the table).

TG: I noticed that your eyes moved here (points to the location). What’s there? 

EW: I guess it’s almost like I’m trying to taste the wine through my sinuses or something. I’m exhaling the finish.  
 
TG: Like retro-nasal breathing? 

EW: Yes, I’m doing that and asking, “What’s there?”

TG: OK, but twice you’ve literally looked right up here, slightly above eye level, out and straight ahead. What’s up there? 

EW: I’m looking for anything that I haven’t seen in the wine.  
 
TG: The components of the wine? 

EW: Yes, sometimes I find something on the finish like, “that’s American oak.”

TG: Would that then become a card? 

EW: Absolutely.

TG: Getting back to the finish. How do you know how long the finish is? How do you calibrate it? Is it another scale? 
 
EW: Yes, it’s a kind of a scale that goes out in front of me. It’s almost like a road that goes out to the horizon. I’m looking to see how far down the road I can see.  

TG: When you taste and look down the road at the finish, does anything move? 
 
EW: No, it’s almost like how far away is the horizon.  

TG: How do you know when you’re finished tasting the wine? 
 
EW: I’ve gone through the process with all my cards. Then I sit and do a quick see, smell, and taste through of the wine to see if I’ve missed anything. From there, I ask what makes sense about the wine. I obviously already have a general idea about the wine sitting in my head.  

TG: Do you use the cards on the table to match to a specific wine? How would you match the cards to this Pinot Noir we’re tasting? 
 
EW: No, it’s like I have a Pinot Noir card in my hand (holds her left hand out in front of her) and ask if the cards on the table match the list of things on the Pinot card.

TG: So you look at the list of things on your Pinot Noir card and compare it to the cards on the table? If enough of them match, then you internally say yes, this is Pinot Noir?  
 
EW: Yes. 

TG: What happens if the Pinot card doesn’t match? 
 
EW: Then I might set the Pinot card aside and consider other cards. But I always have my first impression card and that’s really important for the
conclusion.

TG: What does the Pinot Noir card look like? Is it just a list of the markers for the grape? 
 
EW: It’s a card with a Burgundy-colored border and the center is white with the list of Pinot things typed out in terms of sight, smell, and palate. It’s literally a check list for Pinot Noir.

TG: Is it playing card size? 

EW: Yes. 

TG: If it’s not Pinot Noir, you pull out another card that the wine could be? 
 
EW: Yes, at that point I have a really good idea of the cards I want to bring out to look at to consider for the wine.

TG: Where do the cards come from? 

EW: (Pauses and smiles) From my back pocket! At that point, I think that I have Pinot or Gamay or something like that and ask, “Which of these match?” I’m thinking varietal as well as wine.  Is it Burgundy? Is it new world? 

TG: In terms of Pinot Noir, are there different cards for Central Otago and Carneros? 
 
EW: They all have their own cards. It’s almost like Pinot Noir has a card but Pinot Noir from Beaune has its own card too.   
 
TG: How do all these Pinot cards show up? 

EW: It’s almost like a family of cards, the Pinot cards, and that set has a Burgundy border. If it’s the Malbec/Syrah cards, they have a dark purple border. It’s a family of cards.  
 
TG: So it has to do with color.  
 
EW: Yes.  
 
TG: If it’s white wine, does it have to do with the color as well? 
 
EW: Not necessarily but wines that are grassy and herbal have a green color. Aromatic wines might have a pink border since they are so distinctive and floral.  
 
TG: How do you know you’re finished tasting the wine? 
 
EW: I say this is the card that matches, that feels right. Then I put the card right in front of the wine and move on to the next glass. When I’m done with all the wines I’ll go back and look at all the cards to make sure.  
 
TG: What about age and being able to assign a vintage to a wine? 
 
EW: To me, that’s like theory. It’s about knowing what happened in a particular place, how youthful the wine is, and then matching the two together and asking if it makes sense. It’s combining the sensory thing of feeling the age of the wine with knowing about the year.  

TG: Thanks, Emily, it's been amazing to taste with you and deconstruct your system for tasting.