The eyes have it

Although some might disagree, I employ all of my senses when tasting a bottle of wine. The prism of colours created by both red and white wines displays clues to the varietal and whether the wine is filtered.

In whites, a light shade of butterscotch shows an influence of oak on the wine, while a sublime copper blush with wonderful, inviting honey notes reveals the Pinot Gris winemaker has allowed a light skin contact. For reds, the colour indicates the varietal and age of a wine, as older vintages lose the blush of youth.

Varietals will reveal different depths of colour from continent to continent. A Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bordeaux region will differ from similar varietals from California or Argentina in depth of colour. These differences reflect local style and tradition and, more importantly, the influence of a region on how the vines and grapes grow. In a category unto themselves, Pinot Noirs display a distinctive range of colours as they age.

Aromas are also affected by local climate and flora. Consider the nuance of eucalyptus on red wines from California and Australia. Certain base similarities—“barnyard” for example — will show in a varietal across all regions, but the fruit notes will reflect the local influence of climate and soil type—which subsequently impacts the vines.

The eye can detect flaws in a wine. If the wine is slightly cloudy, or has trace amounts of what is best described as “light streams of matter” moving through the wine, then the wine might be suspect. The eye is the first sense you employ to enjoy a bottle of wine.

Next week, we will examine the sense of smell and what it tells us about wine.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
If you are a local wine enthusiast, you can have fun by taking notes on your favourite wines from year to year. Compare variations from vintage to vintage. If you are a collector, you may also track the evolution of a wine as it ages and matures. It is always interesting to revisit and compare subsequent vintages with its original release.

It is also fun to compare the same vintage from different wineries. I poured a glass of the 2013 Broken Stone Chardonnay, which displayed a range of washed straw where the wine touches the glass, developing to a deeper golden in the centre. Then I poured a glass of By Chadsey’s Cairns 2013 White Horse that was a different visual beast. The wine that touched the glass was almost translucent, while the centre glowed with a straw and light lime hue. Two examples with different visuals.