Personal nuances

Beyond the senses of smell and taste, touch and hearing can also contribute to the wine experience. The sensation of touch is apparent, since it registers when we allow wine flow over our taste buds. The sense of hearing is a stretch — you can hear wine being poured into a glass or you can hear the explosion of bubbles from a sparkling wine. I submit we utilize all our senses when tasting wine—some, admittedly, more than others. The experience is enhanced when we use all our senses to understand the complexity of wine. In fact, we could say the same for tasting coffee, tea, juices and so on.

What you get from a wine is personal. When you taste a wine, you will experience flavours that are familiar to you. It may be fruit notes or candy that you remember from when you were younger. It might be the inside of a cigar box or Christmas spices. Only you know the flavours and smells you gravitate toward or the degree of sweetness you expect to enjoy in a wine. Approach a glass of wine with confidence, knowing that your life experience will allow you to enjoy and parse nuances that are peculiar to you alone.

One of the classic blending grapes from the Bordeaux region, Petit Verdot was almost wiped out by phylloxera. The disease ravaged European vineyards in the late 1800s. It suffered further trauma when the vines were severely damaged by frost in 1956. The name refers to the very small berries in the cluster, which makes them sweeter, higher in tannins, rich in colour, and a little spicy. This makes it ideal for blending with more astringent varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon.

Petit Verdot predates Cabernet Sauvignon and is suggested to be a cross of Duras and Tressot, which was first introduced to the Bordeaux region by the Romans. Warmer climates make a natural home for this grape. Australia and California now grow this varietal with great success, producing sublime, single-varietal wines.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
Karlo Estates recently released 2012 Petit Verdot typifies the flavour profile with lavender, fennel, star anise, rosewater and musk elements. It is usually full fruit with softer tannins and a lightly spiced finish. Richard Karlo has extracted these core flavours delightfully. This wine is well suited for autumn harvest cuisine.

Karlo Estate’s Petit Verdot is priced at $39 per bottle and is available at the winery, at 561 Danforth Road in Hillier.