Taste / Flavor Wine Tasting and Appreciation

For the love of wine!

28 th of May 2012

George Naim – Château Qanafar Eddy Naim – Château Qanafar Hiba Salloum – Oenologist, winemaker, Umami Club Content

1 Introduction to wine

2 Wine tasting and appreciation

3 Recognizing wine faults

© 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 2 Introduction to wine What is wine? Simply, grape juice transformed into an alcoholic drink! But how? Brief history – Evidence suggests it may have started in Georgia around 6000 BC – Moved to Phoenicia and from there to Europe (Romans, Greeks, French, Spaniards) through Phoenician traders

The Mediterranean terroir is ideal for growing grapes: – Climate: temperature and diurnal variation, elevation, humidity, wind, exposure to sun, all leading to ideal macro and microclimates – Soil & water attributes: soil type & nutrition, water availability

Wine Grapes Red : Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah (Shiraz), Carignan, Pinot Noir, Caladoc, Alicante, Barbera, St. Jovese, Nebiolo, Tempranillo, Grenache, Malbec, Zinfandel (Primitivo) White : Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viogner, Muscat, Riesling, Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Obeidi, Merwah

© 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 4 Introduction to wine Characteristics of different varietals Red Cabernet Sauvignon – Cassis, black berries, cedar, green pepper, chocolate, prune Merlot – Supple and richly colored wines with a nutmeg spiciness, and plummy fruitiness. Blends well with Cab Sauv and is ideal for early drinking. Syrah (Shiraz) – Fruity in general, spicy blackberry, plum, peppery flavors, licorice, bitter chocolate, mocha Cinsault – Spicy, aromatic, low tannins, used for mellowing out harsh tannins in other varietals

© 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 5 Introduction to wine Characteristics of different varietals Red Grenache – Cherry color, aroma and flavor, can make good rosé wine Carignan – Good grapy juicy fruit, medium tannin, blends well with grenache. Pinot Noir – Aroma of raspberries or strawberries. Mostly light in color, but elegant. Takes a lifetime to make well Zinfandel (Primitivo) – Deep red purple color, berrylike, jammy-intense, spicy

© 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 6 Introduction to wine Characteristics of different varietals White Chardonnay – Fruity, lemony notes, crisp, elegant Sauvignon Blanc – Fresh, grassy, mineral, sweetly tropical, crisp, elegant Viogner – Floral, Fruity, spicy, citrus, apple, apricot, peach Riesling – Flowery, perfumed, citrus, crisp, distinctive flavor, ripens quickly and early Obeidi and Merwah – Local grapes. It is claimed that Obeidi is the father of Chardonnay!

alcohol (and hundreds of other compounds (CO 2, acids, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, other more complex compounds). Two styles of winemaking: – Selected yeast is used for particular characteristics. The fermentation is better controlled – Indigenous (natural) fermentation (no yeast is used). Wild yeast / bacteria can drag the fermentation in undesired directions (result: complexity but potential off-flavors) In both cases the must temperature is closely controlled between: – 23-32 C for red – 14-16 C for white The quality of the wine depends on the success in controlling the fermentation (Temperature, aeration, speed, homogeneity of the must) All the sugar must be fermented down to below 2 g/Lit. (dry wine), except in the case of sweet wines © 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 9 Introduction to wine Secondary (malolactic) fermentation - MLF Malic acid Lactic acid

HOOC -CH 2-CH 2-COOH CH 3-CHOH - COOH (Compare with acetic acid:

CH 3COOH ) To allow the MLF to take place is a winemaking choice , not all wines have gone through it Except for Chardonnay, usually only done for red varietals Important: – If MLF is allowed to take place, it should fully complete otherwise it can continue in the bottle after bottling – The completion can be achieved over a long period of time (thru winter). Once the MLF is complete the wine is ready for bottling

© 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 10 Introduction to wine Blending wine Usually, each varietal is fermented separately and aged for some time in SS tanks or oak barrels until well stabilized Various blends are made containing different ratios of each varietal (components) Very stringent wine tasting is performed and the best (tastiest) blend is decided The final blend is prepared accordingly and can be stabilized, stored in SS tank or filled in bottles, or sold in bulk! Regular sensorial evaluation and laboratory testing are performed at every stage to ensure continuous and proper quality control

Production: – 5 million bottles per year in 2000 – 8 million bottles per year in 2011 – More than half exported

© 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 12 Introduction to wine Lebanese wine Can claim noble classification! High class with rich heritage for more than 6000 yrs. Established by the Canaanites, the Phoenicians and our current professional industry Lebanese wine should be the norm for others to follow!! Highly regarded outside Lebanon – underestimated locally!!?? The Lebanese show off with French wines!

ZAWAQ: A great document in support of Lebanese wine

© 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 13 Introduction to wine About Chateau Qanafar A family business Location – At 1200 m altitude in the mountains of Khirbet Qanafar – 20 Km South of Chtaura, just after Kefraya Capacity – Currently 15-20k bottles – By 2013: 150-200k bottles Philosophy – Production of natural wines of the highest quality possible

1 Introduction to wine

2 Wine tasting and appreciation

3 Recognizing wine faults

Tasting is not simply drinking some wine, it is to discovering its secrets!!! Tasting can be learned, educated, evolved with the body and spirit as well as it varies in due time and modes. Wine appreciation, just like appreciating any art, requires experience to develop.

It is not just like art, it is an art !!!

You can like the wine without being an expert and taste a wine without prior training. This perception is immediate and total. However how often have you been tasting a glass of wine, and you think to yourself “I KNOW WHAT THAT AROMA IS’’ but you just cannot put a name to it.

Wine enthusiasts generally follow the same procedure in evaluating a wine These are also known as the ‘’FIVE S’’ steps: See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip and Savor. During this process, a taster must look for clarity , varietal character , integration , expressiveness , complexity and connectedness (the bond between the wine and its land of origin / TERROIRS).

While the wine color itself may not (consciously!) contribute significantly to the pleasure the wine brings you, it can tell you a lot about the wine in the glass before you even raise it to your nose or lips.

Color : Tilt the glass sideways over a white surface, we need ample lighting You can guess the age of a wine by observing its rim – Red : a purple tint may indicate youth while orange to brown indicates maturity – White : the rim can indicate age as well as whether the wine was aged in oak © 2012 Château Qanafar S.A.R.L. – All rights reserved 19 Wine tasting and appreciation Look / appearance

Clarity (or transparency) Most wines are relatively clear The opposite of clear would be opaque (suspended particles), sometimes seen in unfiltered wines

Note that suspended particles is acceptable for old wines but undesirable Sparkling (though not detrimental) in unfiltered Presence of CO 2, which is an wines anti-oxidant; makes the wine It is not toxic at all, it is perfectly ok to bubbly drink it but may be a bit bitter because the wine still contains all its grape proteins

Alcohol content & sugar levels : Look at two aspects when swirling the wine

DISC LEGS Look at the glass sideways and notice The number of legs increases with the transparent fluid on the surface of alcohol content; wine with more the wine. Note the thickness of the alcohol will have more legs. disc. The slower the tears flow down, the The thicker this disc, the higher the higher the residual sugar level in the alcohol content of the wine (from wine 11.5% to 16% in sweet wine)

A wine’s aromas are often called the wine's nose. Swirl the wine and then immediately bring the glass to your nose and inhale deeply to fully appreciate the aromas. Don't be afraid to really get your nose right in the glass to really pick up all those subtle aromas!

Aroma: it is the olfactory perception of a food which is made of a mixture of volatile molecules A wine’s aroma is no different! Generally refers to "pleasant" smells as opposed to odors which refer to an unpleasant smell or possible wine fault

Aromas can be: those of the grape variety itself, these aroma compounds are present in the skin and juice of a grape berry, very volatile and can be detected easily those derived from fermentation and aging in oak those that develop through bottle aging: chemical reactions between acids, sugars, alcohols and phenolic compounds create new smells known as the wine's bouquet Our nose is sensitive about 10 000 different aromas, classified in classes such as: Example: Benzaldehyde is Fruity the compound responsible Roasted / for cherry aromas Toasty Spicy / Vegetal Sweet

Floral Animal

After all the buildup, actually tasting the wine’s flavor is the culmination of the whole wine tasting ritual. There are many components to the taste of a wine and it does not just include the actual flavors you experience.

Wine is a complex sensory experience stimulating many senses. Along with the taste, the feel of the wine in your mouth, its balance, and its aftertaste and aromas are all equally important. For a balanced wine we should have acidity, tannins, alcohol and suppleness. All these elements together in equilibrium & harmony make the wine great.

The tannins in wine are from two sources: 1) from grape seeds, skins and stems, and 2) from oak barrels in which wine is aged. They are going to constitute the body of the wine and its structure. Tannins can be described as leaving a dry and puckered feeling with a "furriness" in the mouth called astringency The more tannic extraction during wine production, the less aromas will be expressive. It is the reason for which white wines are more aromatic than reds.

The 5 elementary tastes: 1. Bitterness 2. Sourness 3. Saltiness 4. Sweetness 5. Umami = Savory in Japanese

Sip the wine and move it around in 1. Attack : It is the first impression the your mouth for a few seconds before wine makes on your palate when you swallowing or spit it out. Let it reach first put it in your mouth all of your palate and even suck in 2. Midpalate : It is the flavor profile of the some air to help further liberate its wine after the initial attack and before perfume. How would you describe the finish. A great wine should be the texture of the wine on your consistent, making a good impression palate? throughout the tasting process

3. Finish (or aftertaste) - The finish is another aspect of the wine flavor that often goes overlooked for novice wine tasters yet is one of the most important characteristics that distinguishes the greatest wines in the world. Great wines have a long, lingering finish which is flavorful, balanced and entices you to go back for the next sip. Pay attention after swallowing or spitting the wine. Does the flavor drop off immediately (short or no finish), does it linger but have an odd or unpleasant aftertaste, or does it reverberate on your palate with beautiful flavors that last a long time (long finish)?

1 Introduction to wine

2 Wine tasting and appreciation

3 Recognizing wine faults

Flaw or fault?

Some common flaws and faults

Flaw vs. Fault : Intensity! Flaw: Minor departure from an acceptable norm Fault and one that causes the wine to be atypical and less than normally enjoyable Sensorial Flaw contribution Fault: Major departure that spoils the wine, is Can be a significantly atypical, good thing! usually unpleasant and 1 often undrinkable Concentration of Detection threshold off-character

1 Source: BCAWA

Name Description Causes Judging implications

Hydrogen Sulfide Very volatile, intense rotten - Yeast strain - Confirmed using copper

(H 2S) egg aroma - Low must N penny - Grape varietal - Cover and shake glass to - Poor aeration during dissipate fermentation - Elemental S in vineyard

Ethyl Mercaptan Less volatile than H 2S, - Formed by yeast after - Confirmed using copper reminiscent of skunk, garlic, fermentation, especially if penny

cabbage, or propane (used as H2S already present - Shaking may reduce a natural gas additive). intensity but usually persists

Thiols and Rubbery or burnt rubber odor, - Usually converted from - Sulfury / rubbery character Disulfides and rubbery / soapy taste. ethyl mercaptan that is unaffected by the penny test - Permanent fault

Name Description Causes Judging implications

Acetaldehyde Quite distinctive: straw-like, - Excess oxygen oxidizes - Very small amounts may sherry-like. ethanol into acetaldehyde increase complexity Taste a glass of wine that has - Avoid saying “wine is been sitting overnight! oxidized” because other compounds can also be oxidized (e.g. pigments)

Malolactic Musty, stale dishcloth, - Bottling without ensuring - Depending on intensity fermentation in swampy characters with or MLF has completed could be a flaw or a fault bottle without a slight fizziness. - Bottling without preventing MLF from taking place

Yeast Yeasty, effervescent wine - Wine bottled with residual - Slight fizziness may not be fermentation in possibly with off-characters sugar and viable yeast unpleasant in dry whites, bottle cells but usually not desirable in - Wine bottled without steps reds taken to prevent fermentation

Name Description Causes Judging implications

Ethyl Acetate The most common ester - Damaged grapes in - At extremely low levels it found in wine. Unmistakable vineyard can add complexity, but nail polish remover odor - Acetobacter converts any noticeable acetone (solvent, acetone) alcohol made by wild characters is a serious fault yeasts into acetic acid with the wine undrinkable which reacts with EtOH

2,4,6 The culprit for “corked” wine! - Naturally occurring - Considered a serious fault trichloroanisole (vin bouchonné) airborne fungi and/or - Some people aren’t (TCA) Musty barrels, earthy, dank, bacteria metabolize sensitive to it at all and mouldy wood, mouldy chlorinated phenolic may never notice it newspaper compounds into TCA - About 5% of all bottles can Extremely low threshold be expected to be corked

Volatile Acidity Refers to acetic acid but also - Acetobacter - Some wines have includes some others. Only a - Damaged grapes in embraced VA! slight contribution to aroma vineyards can provide - Can be a positive but ethyl acetate is often also large inoculum which contributor to complexity present. Present in the thrives in unattended caps but can quickly overwhelm mouth, particularly lingering aftertaste.

Name Description Causes Judging implications

Brettanomyces Barnyard, horsey, sweaty, - Contamination of grapes, - Arguably increases (Brett) leathery, meaty character. wines, and equipment by complexity at reasonable the surface yeast, levels brettanomyces spp and its - Detected as aftertaste and production of by rubbing sample tetrahydropyridines. between clean hands