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Wine Tasting 101

As a sommelier, when I lead a wine tasting, I start from my passion. I began studying wine in 2008, which is also when I began to look at the journey of wine from producer to glass. That’s really how I came to understand wine. It’s important for wine lovers to know about where their wine comes from and how it’s made. Wine can taste very different when you know these things.

The first thing I tell people at a wine tasting is, “trust in your mouth.” What do you like? If a certain kind of wine agrees with your palate, explore that. If you’re just starting to seriously learn about wine, know that your tastes will change over time. Initially, I drank only simple wines, but eventually my preferences shifted. It takes time to develop a sense for all the components that make up a complex wine.

So, trust in your mouth, and your other senses, too. When tasting wine, start with your eyes. Look into your glass and observe the color of the wine. See how the light hits the wine in the glass.

First things first: Ombretta watches how the wine hits the glass.
First things first: Ombretta watches the way the wine streams into the glass.

Then, you must listen to the wine. How does it sound when the sommelier pours the wine into the glass? From this information, you’ll start to put together some ideas about the wine, which you must then confirm with your nose and, last of all, your tongue. It’s simple, but also very complex. All the senses are engaged and working together to determine what you are drinking.

As a sommelier, I’m very interested in matching wine and food. In Italy, we have lots of traditional foods to pair with traditional wines, and many different kinds of indigenous grapes from the North to the South. We are very rich, from this point of view. Umbria has an especially beautiful variety.

Grechetto, for example, is a white grape typical of Umbria. Although sometimes we may expect white wine to be thin, Grechetto is very structured, with an almond finish. In some ways, it’s similar to a red wine: it’s wonderful with beef, for example.

Trebbiano Spoletino pairs well with Umbrian cereal soups made of slightly sweet, nutty grains like barley and faro (with a little olive oil on top). They go together nicely because Trebbiano Spoletino delivers a fresh, fruity finish. Both Grechetto and Trebbiano Spoletino are white wines, but your tongue will react quite differently to each!

Ombretta and Via Umbria chef and wine director Vickie are expert sippers.
Wine is better when sipped together! Ombretta and Vickie enjoy a glass and each other’s company.

The two traditional red wines of Umbria are Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino. Both are perfect with beef, pork, and fresh black truffle. Montefalco Rosso is a blend of about 70% Sangiovese, a widely cultivated grape in Umbria, and 15-20% Sagrantino. Each winery can choose which kind of grape makes up the last portion. Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon are typical.

Sagrantino is somewhat astringent and robust, but it’s also long and elegant, leaving room for notes of fruit and spices. The Italian laws about production are very clear: a Sagrantino must age for 37 months. When it comes to rich, complex wines, it’s not so easy to maintain elegance, but a good Sagrantino does. Wine is like an orchestra. All the instruments have to play at the right moment, in perfect time, to create a symphony.

To learn more about Umbrian wines (and taste some yourself) join us for Ombretta’s wine tasting class on Wednesday 3/9! Test out what you’ve learned with a wine dinner afterwards.

Ci Vediamo!

Above, watch Ombretta do a quick swirl and swish in the Via Umbria wine cave.

With Sommelier Ombretta Ubaldi Read more

As a sommelier, when I lead a wine tasting, I start from my passion. I began studying wine in 2008, which is also when I ...

Chef Vickie’s Wine Primer

To prepare for tomorrow’s Montefalco Rosso wine tasting class with visiting Italian sommelier Ombretta Uboldi, we met up with Sommelier and Chef Vickie Reh in the Via Umbria enoteca to learn about the Wednesday night wine line up. Here’s what Vickie had to say about what you’ll be tasting:

In the town of Montefalco in Umbria, they produce a Montefalco Rosso and a Sagrantino. One is not a lesser version of the other. Sagrantino is simply 100% Sagrantino, and the Montefalco Rosso is primarily a Sangiovese. Tomorrow, we’re featuring a selection of Montefalco Rosso wines.

 

The 2011 Pardi Montefalco Rosso.
2011 Pardi Montefalco Rosso

It’s nice, I think, because the Sagrantino is a super deep, dark, extracted wine, and you can’t have something deep, dark, extracted, and tannic with every food. Sometimes you need a lighter wine, and the Montefalco is a lighter wine. It’s still by no means thin, but it’s something that can go with light pork dishes, chicken, vegetarian dishes, and cheese.

 

The 2012 Tabarrini Montefalco Rosso.
2012 Tabarrini Montefalco Rosso

So that’s where we are tomorrow. Ombretta is going to show you wines from 4 different producers: Pardi, Tabarrini, Plani Arche, and Sololoro. Most of them are 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, and then each one has a different combination of the last 15%. The Pardi is probably the lightest, and the Sololoro is probably the deepest and darkest. The Tabarrini and Plani Arche are more in the middle, even though they are on the darker side.

 

The 2012 Plani Arche Montefalco Rosso.
2012 Plani Arche Montefalco Rosso

Two are organic, and two are sustainably farmed but not “certified organic.” To a certain extent, you have the same grapes in all of them, but some are fuller, some are lighter, some have different oak treatments, or different soil types and sites. Some are deeper and some are lighter. You really have to taste them side by side to get it.

 

The 2012 Sololoro Montefalco Rosso.
2012 Sololoro Montefalco Rosso

This is just the tip of the iceberg, because we think the best way to learn about these unique wines is to taste them for yourself. That’s why we’re offering several unique opportunities to learn about Umbrian wines in March with Umbrian food and wine experts Ombretta and Ernesto: three interactive wine classes and three dinners featuring Umbrian dishes perfectly paired with the wine’s you’ll learn about. Join us for a class, a dinner, or a combination of both for the ultimate Umbrian wine experience!

Wednesday March 2: Discover Umbrian Wines with Ombretta

Wednesday March 9: Discover Umbrian Wines with Ombretta

Wednesday March 16: Discover Umbrian Wines with Ernesto

Ci vediamo!

All about Montefalco Rosso wine Read more

To prepare for tomorrow's Montefalco Rosso wine tasting class with visiting Italian sommelier Ombretta Uboldi, we met up with Sommelier and Chef ...