W I N E

T A S T I N G

M A N U A L

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE CONDUCTING A WINE TASTING Before the tasting: • Be on time! Try to be at the venue at least half hour before the tasting. • Make sure the wines are properly chilled, and that wine buckets, spittoons, and water jugs have been provided. • Test the projector for focus and clarity of image. • Limit the tasting to max. 5-6 wines per tasting. • Open the reds beforehand in order to enable them to breathe. • Open and taste all the wines to ensure none of them are corked. • Keep 1 spittoon for every 4-6 persons. • Brief the waiting staff on the sequence of wines to be followed and the amount of wine they should pour into each glass.

Pre-Tasting Checklist: • Glasses • Chiller Buckets • Openers • Spittoons • Wine • Brochures and Collaterals • Bowl for Visiting Cards • Tasting Sheet

Chill the wine appropriately: • Myra Cabernet Sauvignon – 16 - 18°C • Myra Shiraz – 16 - 18°C • Myra Sauvignon Blanc – 10°C • Myra Chenin Blanc – 10°C • Reserve Shiraz – 16 - 18°C • Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – 16 - 18°C • THB Sauvignon Blanc – 10°C • THB Shiraz – 16 - 18°C

Open the bottles: Screw-cap - If it is a screw-capped bottle, twist the skirting below the cap, itself, to open. Once the seal breaks, simply unscrew the cap.

Tasting: • At the tasting, begin by giving the background of Myra vineyards and the process of making wine • Before starting the tasting, inform the guests about the order of tasting: Whites, Rose followed by Reds. • Keep 1 glass for each person. Rinse the glass only with the next wine when it is a dry wine after sweet wine or white after red. • Show the guests the bottle and label before pouring at each table. Describe the wine before offering it to the consumer to ensure they are okay with it. • Pour only 50 ml per glass to ensure that the consumer can swirl the wine comfortably in the glass. • 1 bottle = 16 people/pour. • Serve the wines quickly one after the other to ensure that the audience stays attentive.

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During the tasting: • Display the wines being tasted so that people can see the brand. • Talk about the price. • Ask the audience what flavours they can distinguish. • Encourage the people to eat bread/crackers between two wines being tasted so that their palate is refreshed.

After the tasting • Ask for feedback so you know which wines were liked. • This will help you gauge the audience.

Sequence of wines to be followed while tasting 1. Dry whites 2. Medium dry whites 3. Rose 4. Lighter reds 5. Robust reds 6. Sparkling (This can alternatively be a welcome drink as well) 7. Dessert wines

WINE TASTING SEQUENCE I. SEE The appearance of the wine gives you a good guess of the type of grape, the age of the wine and whether the wine is bad. Assess the wine by tilting the glass of wine over a white background or holding it up against the light. HUE (Color) – Depends on vintage, varietal, age and style.

Pale yellow

Straw

Butter Yellow

Golden Honey

WHITE WINE Pale Yellow – Chablis, German Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc. Straw – Gewurztaminer, Chenin Blanc, Riesling. Butter Yellow – Chardonnay, French Burgundy. Golden Honey – Dessert wines, aged white wines • The wine should be poured into a clear glass and held in front of a white background. • White wines are not actually white; they range from green to yellow to brown.

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Inky Purple

Deep Red

Light Red

Purpely light Red

RED WINE Inky Purple – Petite Sirah. Deep Red – Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux wines, Merlot Light Red – Pinot Noir, Burgundy Purplish light Red – Beaujolais (Gamay) • Red wines are not just red; they range from a pale red to a deep brown red, usually becoming lighter and more brown in colour as they age. INTENSITY (DEPTH OF WINE) • Useful for red wines, which will range from opaque to transparent. Older wines tend to be brownish on the wine’s edge in the glass. CLARITY • Clear or cloudy, if it is the latter, it’s probably spoiled.

II. SWIRL • Swirling the wine serves many purposes, but visually it allows you to observe the body of the wine. • The “tears” or “legs” are the droplets of wine as they sheet down the glass. • Swirling releases the esters that make up a wine’s aromas.

III. SNIFF Sniffing the wine from the glass will release smells which can be described as Fruity, Dairy, Savory, Nutty, Spicy,Mineral, Sugary, woody, floral, Herbal. Younger wines have a fruity bouquet whereas older wines tend to have a savory and spicy bouquet.

• Sniffing the wine from the glass will release smells which can be described as Fruity, Dairy, Savoury, Nutty, Spicy, Mineral, Sugary, Woody, Floral, Herbal. • Younger wines have a fruity bouquet whereas older wines tend to have a savoury and spicy bouquet. • Use terms that people can easily identify with. Avoid using foreign terms as much as possible.

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Cabernet Sauvignon: Cigar box, mint, black currant, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, olives, chocolate, cream. Chardonnay: Pears, apples, pineapple, melon, lemons, vanilla, cloves, butter. Gamay: Fresh strawberries, strawberry soda, cinnamon, cream. Gewurztraminer: Rose, lychees. Grenache: Earth, black pepper, plums, coffee, spice. Merlot: Chocolate, violets, oranges, plum, black currant. Pinot Noir: Wood smoke, damp earth, mushroom, strawberries, barnyard smell, sweet cream. Riesling: Green apples, apricots, peaches, honey. Sauvignon Blanc: Grapefruit, lemons, fresh herbs, cut grass, bell pepper, green chilli Semillon: Grass, lemon, nuts, butter, toasts Shiraz/Syrah: Black pepper, blackberry jam, blackberries, plums, spicy Tempranillo: Earth, mushrooms, cedar Viognier: Apricots, fresh flowers Zinfandel: Raspberries, chocolate, black cherries, cloves, black pepper Spoiled: Vinegar, mould, rubber, kerosene, cabbage, sulphur, fish, soap, wet wool, nail polish, wet cardboard, corky, musty.

IV. SIP Take a good-sized sip and swirl it around your mouth to allow it to reach all parts of your palate. You should be able to guess the varietal. Is it lush, full-bodied, medium-bodied, dry, sweet, acidic, flabby, oaky? WELL-BALANCED? A crisp, clean and lingering finish is a mark of a good wine. And don’t forget – ENJOY!

There are 6 different characteristics you may want to classify your wine: 1. Flavour: Fresh, floral, fruity, spicy, earthy, smoky, buttery, nutty, corky, complex, musty, sulphury, yeasty. 2. Acidity: (For whites) – High acidity (Dry, crisp, sharp) to Mid acidity (Off-dry) – to low acidity (sweet, rounded) 3. Tannin (For reds) – High tannic (astringent bitter, dry) to low tannic (soft, easy to drink) 4. Body (Weight of wine in mouth) – full, medium or light 5. Oakiness (Presence of wood) – oak or unoaked 6. Finish (Aftertaste – taste of wine) – Long, medium or short

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TASTING NOTES

This medium-bodied, fruit-driven wine has supple tannins and a good finish. While wonderful by This medium to full-bodied, fruity wine is

itself and paired with grilled foods and hard

marked by supple tannins and a good finish.

cheeses, it also lends itself to experimentation.

While excellent on its own, it also pairs very

Recommended serving temperature:

well with creamy pastas or Indian gravy

16 – 18º C

dishes, and hard cheese is an exceptionally compatible companion. Recommended serving temperature: 16 – 18º C

Crisp and light to medium-bodied, this wine

This light-bodied, crisp wine is infused with

features tropical notes and typical varietal

tropical fruit characteristics. This makes it

herbaceous characteristics. Great as an

excellent as an aperitif or paired with South East

aperitif or with salads and lighter styled fare,

Asian and Chinese cuisines. However, do feel

it is also perfectly open to your interpretation.

free to experiment with this versatile wine.

Recommended serving temperature:

Recommended serving temperature:

10º C

10°C

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TASTING NOTES

Shiraz

This elegant purple-red wine has been raised to maturity in fine oak barrels. Created from

Cabernet Sauvignon

hand-selected grapes, its medium-bodied

This lovely, deep red wine has come of age in

palate has a soft finesse-filled tannin

fine oak barrels. Crafted with hand-selected

structure. Its gentle oak and vanilla nose and

grapes, it is medium-bodied and infused with rich

palate makes it a perfect complement for

currant flavours. It is best paired with simple

grilled meats and seafood, and medium-spicy

flavours, lamb, tandoori preparations and

Indian food.

mildly-spiced curries.

Recommended serving temperature:

Recommended serving temperature:

16 – 18º C

16 – 18º C

SHIRAZ

– A WINE TO SPICE THINGS UP This vivacious purple-red wine is hearty and spicy, infused with wild black-fruit aromas and

SAUVIGNON BLANC – A WINE FOR TAKING IT EASY

flavours and round smooth tannins. It’s a fab

This easy-going semi-dry straw-yellow wine has

accompaniment for all kinds of of medium-

a light medium body, playful hints of herbaceous

spicy Indian food.

and a round taste. It goes great with all kinds of

Recommended serving temperature:

medium-spicy food, and especially well with

16 – 18º C

lightly flavoured Asian fare. Recommended serving temperature: 10º C

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WORDS TO DESCRIBE WINES Included here are some general words that can be used to describe wines. These descriptions are in addition to the ones above under the nose and taste of the wines. 1. Astringent: a mouth drying feeling caused by tannins. 2. Balanced: Whereby all elements like acid, alcohol, flavours, texture is in pleasing proportions. 3. Clean: Fresh, without defects. 4. Deep/Depth: Complexity in flavours that requires more attention. 5. Easy: Drinks smoothly without much complexity. 6. Heady: Alcohol content is out of proportion. 7. Hollow: Lacking a satisfying middle flavour. 8. Length: The finish (aftertaste) of the wine. 9. Robust: Good body, vigorous and firm. 10. Structure: The overall architecture of the flavour. Important for good wines. 11. Supple: Used for younger wines that can further improve with maturity.

PRONOUNCING YOUR WINES Pronouncing some wine names or terms can often prove to be a difficult task for most of the non-native wine lovers. People get turned off by some wines simply because they are unable to read the names on the label. No fear, help is on the way! 1. Alsace

al zass

2. Anjou

Ahn jew

3. Appellation Controlee

AH pehl lah see on koh troh layl

4. Beaujolais

boh jhoe lay

5. Chablis

shaa blee

6. Chardonnay

shah dor nay

7. Chateau

shah toe

8. Chenin Blanc

Shen in blahnk

9. Chianti

key AHN tee

10. Cuvee

koo vay

11. Gewurztraminer

gah VERTZ trah mee ner

12. Lafite-Rothschildv

lah feet roth shield

13. Leoville- Barton

lay-oh-veel bahr-ton

14. Mercurey

mair coo ray

15. Mouton-Rothchild

maa toh roth sheeld

16. Muscat

Moos caht

17. Petrus

Peh troos

18. Pinot Blanc

pee noh blahnk

19. Riesling

REESE ling

20. Sangiovese

san joe VAY say

21. Sauvignon Blanc

saw vee nyon blahnk

22. Semillon

Sem eh lon

23. Tempranillo

tem prah NEE yoh

24. Terroir

ter wah

25. Syrah

see rah

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PAIRING NOTES Wine and food pairing: Pairing is not an exact science. It is simply the decision of which wine will bring out the best in a given food, and which food will bring out the best in a given wine. If forced to choose just one wine to match with a variety of different dishes, a rose might fit the bill nicely. Otherwise a medium bodied, medium dry white is probably the safest choice in India. Champagne and sparkling wines can be drunk throughout a meal. Can be drunk as an aperitif as well as with dessert. The main rule is “PAIR LIKE WITH LIKE”. For example, if the dish is slightly sweet then pair with Chenin. If it has green chilly and coriander, pair with Sauvignon.

Some conventional guidelines: FISH - dry or medium whites. POULTRY - pinot noir and mature Cabernet Sauvignon are delicious with roast chicken or turkey. GAME AND RED MEAT - the classic combination is with full, mature, red wines of high quality- Burgundy, Bordeaux, Chateauneuf-du-pape or a new-world equivalent. LAMB - a fairly firm, robust red with some acidity, like Chianti, Rioja or Zinfandel. CHINESE FOOD - spicy whites such as gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc or off dry Riesling. INDIAN OR OTHER SPICY FOOD - very cold, semi-sweet whites. CHEESE - there are many good cheese and wine matches- mature cheddar and mature red wine, port with stilton, goats’ cheese with Sauvignon Blanc, sweet wine with creamy cheeses are all classic pairings. DESSERT - the best sweet white wines are perfect partners for most desserts.

GENERAL GUIDELINES Proper serving of wine: PROPER SERVING of wine is important for the enjoyment of the wine. It would be most tragic if an excellent bottle of aged wine is served at the wrong temperate or with the wrong glasses. Following some of the simple rules stated below can help you impress your friends especially when you have a wine buff among them who will settle for nothing less than a perfect glass of wine.

A. The right temperature Not all wines should be served at the same temperature. Depending on the body and the flavour of the wine, one should vary the temperature as recommended in the chart below. The thumb rule it to put the wine in the fridge two hours before serving. Take it out and let it stand for 30 minutes or less, depending on the room temperature, Alternative, a quicker way is to chill the wine in a bucket of ice and water for 5 to 10 minutes. Many red wines might recommend being drunk at “room temperature”. However, it is wise to know that our room temperature is often not the room temperature where the wine is produced or labelled. Hence, a little chilling is often necessary. Full Bodied Red Wine- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz

15-20°C (59-68° F)

Light Bodied Red Wine- Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Red Burgundy 12-15°C (54-59° F) Dry White Wines. Chardonnay, Burgundy, Sauvignon

8-12° C (50- 54° F)

Light Sweet Wine- Dessert wines, Champagne and other sparkling wines. 5-10°C (41-50° F)

B. Uncorking the wine: Don’t make the embarrassing mistake of boasting about a great wine that you are opening and use an improper wine screw that leaves half the cork in the bottle. The best brand in the market for corkscrews is probably Screw Pull but many other imitations have since hit the market. The “waiter’s friend” or “butler’s friend” are next best alternatives.

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C. The right glass: To fully appreciate the wine, especially if you intend to some major swirling, the wine glasses need to do have a bigger bowl and a smaller rim. This will allow more space for the wine to be swirled and the flavour will then be funnelled to your nose. Glasses for red wines tend to be larger than those for white wines and Champagne should be served in a flute glass whenever possible. Notice that white wine glasses are generally smaller than red wine glasses. This is because smaller quantities of white wine should be served to ensure that it does not become too warm for drinking.

D. Decanting and breathing: Decanting is often necessary for the older wines or heavier reds to remove the deposits in the bottle. To decant, stand the wine for a day and slowly pour the wine into another bottle or decanter. Ideally, do it in front of a lamp or torch once you see the deposit. The process of decanting also allows the wine to “breathe” which will help soften the harsh tannin of wine.

E. Red or white first: The general rule is “white before red, young before old, dry before sweet”. But don’t argue with your friends over that, as some reds are actually lighter than some whites.

Serving wine: While it may seem a trivial thing, serving wine correctly can add class to any occasion from a casual get-together with friends to a more formal wine and dinner party. Here are some things you should know about preparing, serving and pouring wine, and types of wine glasses suitable for the wines served.

Wine serving temperatures: The temperature at which a wine is served has an immense impact on its taste. Serving wine cool will mask some imperfections-– which is good for young or cheap wine – while a warmer wine temperature allows expression of the wine’s characteristics – best with an older or more expensive wine. A bottle of wine will cool 2 °C (4 °F) for every ten minutes in the refrigerator, and will warm at about this same rate when removed from the refrigerator, and left at room temperature; the temperature of the room will affect the speed with which the wine warms up. If you need to chill a bottle of wine in a hurry, 35 minutes in the freezer will do the trick.

Decanting wines: Decanting is pouring wine into a decorative container before serving. Decanting is typically only necessary for older wines like Ports, which contain sediment that can add bitterness to the wine. Wine decanters allow the wine to breathe and may improve the flavour of older red wines. Younger wines also benefit from the aeration and rest that decanting provides. But a wine decant can also be used simply for aesthetic reasons. Before decanting a wine that contains sediment let the bottle rest upright allowing any sediment to sink to the bottom. Then slowly pour the wine into the decanter keeping the bottle angled to prevent any sediment from making its way into the wine decanter. The wine can be poured through cheesecloth to help filter out any wayward particles. Decanting wine should be done out of the guests’ sight.

Pouring Wines: Still wines should be poured towards the centre of the glass, while sparkling wines should be poured against the side to preserve bubbles. To control drips, twist the bottle slightly as you tilt it upright. When poring wine, fill the glass no more than two-thirds (about 5-6 oz). This will allow your guests to swirl the wine, smell the bouquet and check out the wine’s “legs.” A glass can always be refilled if desired. At a dinner party, serve wine to the women and older guests first, then the men and end with your own glass.

Wine glasses: As important as wine serving temperatures is the type of wine glasses in which wines are served. The shape of a wine glass can impact the taste of the wine, and for this reason different types of wine are served in different glasses.

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The three main types of wine glasses are: White wine glasses: tulipshaped Red wine glasses: more rounded with a larger bowl Sparkling wine flutes: tall and thin. A suitable all-purpose wine glass should hold 10 oz, be transparent to allow the taster to examine the colour of the wine and its body, and have a slight curve in

Tulip champagne

Rhine

Flute

{ 8 oz }

{ 6 oz }

{ 7 oz }

at the top to hold in the bouquet. While an all-purpose wine glass is fine for serving a red wine, do not serve a white wine in a red wine glass.

HEALTH AND WINE There are few passions in life that are both enjoyable and beneficial to health at the same time. While there were initial claims that the benefits of wine were folklore created by wine makers to propagate wine drinking, increasing researches by many reputable research centres have concluded that it is indeed no folklore. In fact, they discovered many other benefits of wine as well! Here are some of them. Heart disease – Wine helps reduce the risk of cardiac diseases including angina and stroke. It helps in two ways. Red wines have HDL (a good cholesterol) that drive the bad cholesterol from the arteries. Red wine also contains an antifungal compound called Resveratrol that can lower serum cholesterol. Digestion – Wine stimulates flow of gastric juices to enhance the digestive processes. It has also shown that wine kill cholera bacteria and can combat typhoid. Vitamins and Minerals – Wine contains utilisable minerals of potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorous, Vitamin B and P. Aging – Elderly people who drink moderate amounts are less prone to disability and mental illness. Some attribute it to the mineral boron which helps older women to maintain their oestrogen which in turn enables them to absorb calcium. Cancer – Red wine contains a strong anti-cancer agent known as quercetin which becomes active in the body when the grape juice ferments or the body digest food. Wine also contains gallic acid, an acknowledged anti-carcinogenic. Stress – wine is a mild tranquiliser that can help reduce stress, which in turn can help prevent certain forms of cancers. To conclude, wine is certainly beneficial to health but as with all good things, it should be enjoyed in moderation. Too much of wine can still intoxicate your body and the negative effects of excessive alcohol will overwhelm the positive effects of wine.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Here is a collection of the most commonly asked questions or FAQ concerning wine appreciation or knowledge. Q1: Do all wines improve with age? A1: No. Most wines (more than 90%) should be consumed shortly after they are released. Red wines usually age better than white wines. Q2: What is the sediment in the wine? A2: Many fine wines, especially the older red wines have sediment or deposit in the bottle. This sediment is nothing more than the result of the wine’s development and hopefully, improvement. It is not only normal but desirable for the wines. To remove, decant the wine. Q3: What is the “dome” in the base of a wine bottle called? What is the purpose? A3: The “dome” is technically known as the “punt”. Some of the many valid reasons include, allowing sediments to collect around the punt, allowing pourer to hold the bottle from the bottom with the thumb in the punt and greater strength and stability of punted vs flat bottom. Nowadays, it is used out of tradition because a punted bottle is equated with a higher quality. Q4: Why does the waiter in a good restaurant give you the cork of the wine to examine? A4: Some reasons that have been going around are – it’s for you to smell it, it’s for you to make sure what they opened is what you ordered or even, for you to keep as a souvenir. The most acceptable answer is that you can make sure the cork is still in one good piece and not rotten or broken. If it is so, chances are the wine will be affected by the cork.

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Q5: Do I serve my red wine at “room temperature”? A5: Unless your “room temperature” is around 15-20 °C, you’ll need to chill your wine. The easiest way is to keep it in the fridge for half an hour and take it out half an hour before serving. A short dip in the ice bucket would do as well.

Wine tasting manual: Q6: Why do people decant their wines? A6: Decanting, which is to transfer the wine from a bottle to another container, is done for the purpose of aerating the wine or to remove sediments from the wine. Aerating a wine is sometimes necessary to allow off-odours to escape from an older wine or to soften the harshness of young wines. Q7: What wine goes best with curry chicken? A7: Sauvignon Blanc goes well with curries having green chillies and coconut Q8: Why is using a crystal glass for tasting better? A8: Generally, the thinner the rim of the glass, the better the wine will taste. Due to its stronger structure, crystal stemware can be made thinner than glass and hence contribute to the overall taste. Q9: What is the “New World”? A9: This is a collective term for those winemaking countries of the world that are situated outside Europe like US, Australia, Chile, South Africa etc. “Old World” wines used to be more subdued and understated in their flavours vs. the “New World” wines but this is a changing trend. Q10: Is Champagne a type of wine? A10: Yes, Champagne is made from a blend of red and/or white grapes and undergoes two fermentations to obtain its bubbles. After the first fermentation (similar to wine), sugar and yeast is added to the bottle itself to ferment again and the sugar is converted into equal parts of alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. The gas is absorbed into the wine, causing bubbles. This is how a Champagne or “Methode Champenoise” wine is made. Q11: What does Doux on a Champagne label mean? A11: This term is used to describe the residual sugar or sweetness of Champagnes. Brut - Very dry | Extra sec – Dry | Sec – Off-dry | Demi-sec – Sweet | Doux – Sweeter

WINE QUOTES Anything that is exquisite would have its share of human philosophy and wine is certainly no exception. Included here are a collection of ‘quotable quotes’ on wine: 1. ‘God in His goodness sent the grapes, To cheer both great and small; Little fools will drink too much, And great fools not at all.’ -- Anonymous 2. A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world -- Louis Pasteur. 3. The world needs water. For every bottle of wine you drink you tribute to conserving the drinking water reserves -- Paul Emil Victor (polar-explorer) 4. Be careful to trust a person, who does not like wine. -- Karl Marx 5. If a life of wine, women and song get too much, give up the singing -- Anonymous 6. Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it. -- Anonymous 7. Beer is made by men, wine by God! -- Martin Luther 8. Wine is a little like love. When the right one comes along, you know it! -- Bolla Wines 9. [Making wine] is like having children; you love them all, but boy, are they different. -- Bunny Finkelstein 10. Wine is like sex in that few men will admit not knowing all about it! -- Hugh Johnson.

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