Unusual encounters: An study in Taste
Taking my place at the restaurant where I join in a blind tasting I notice an Englishman with an aquiline profile, tall and thin sitting next to me talking without preambles: I need your help, I do not understand anything about wines but I do have an accurate olfactory perception. Never ben in a test of wine before.
We were in five gentlemen . After receiving the evaluation sheets we began the ritual in silence and deep concentration.
After the tests, the comments came one by one:
The first, a Frenchman, said that the first wine was a Malbec from the region of Cotes-du-Rhône , 1997 season with more tannic than normal concentration. The second he considered its a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Languedoc region of the 1999 season with perhaps a cut of Shiraz, the third wine its an assemblage Vannières 1995. The fourth wine was certainly a Cabernet Franc and the fifth , a Bordeaux aromas of mold.
The second, Sir A. Doyle, agreed that the fifth was a Bordeaux wine of low quality and that should be avoided. As the assemblage, disagreed, and Ott d'Domainde was not a Vannières. The first wine from Ventoux is a poor harvest and the second one, a Hermitage of 98 - Fantastic wine
The third, another Frenchman, disappointed everybody saying they were only simple red table.
We stopped for a while and when back to the taste room my English colleague started:
"The first wine of softness wonderful wine, good concentration of tannins in quality, menthol aromas with touches of herbs is a Merlot. The second is an assemblage with 65% likely Shiraz in the composition added to 15% of Crenache, 10% of Carignan and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The third trial of grape wine is made under Syraz with Microvinification without flavorings defined yet. It´s quite young. Finally the 4th is a wine Carbert Sauvignon 1990, Cinsault, well prepared and excellent finishing. The fifth wine is really an ordinary Bordeaux.
With the exception of Bordeaux are all of Languedoc, Saint-PlaceElse Village, produced by Mr. M Blackwood, our partner here. "
Enthusiastic, standing applaud by all.
Giving him a ride in my car, he explained: When I realized that Blackwood was a producer, I used the break and accessed via internet his winery website and read that he only produce four wines, so I deducted that one wine was not made by him because nobody is stupid to bring a wine worst than others showed. This lead me to the Bordeaux that tasted was identified by all as the scent of mold. After this, using the datasheets, it was easy to identify the four flavors, which as you know is my specialty.
You said that the nails, the fingers, the clothes and accent, can identify a person, but Blackwood is a man of fine hands, Parisian accent, red face and tall, and typical of northern France. How did you find out that he was a producer?
"Elementary my dear Zainer, he was the only one that seemed not to understand wine"
So I left him in front of his home in the 221 Baker Street and never saw my friend Sherlock Holmes again.
