UnCorked
  • Home
  • The Blog
  • Who and Why
  • Contact Me

Memory Problems...

10/13/2013

3 Comments

 
The title of this post could apply to lots of things in life, I'm sure (at least for me these days...) But one thing I've found is that the more wine I taste, the more wine I forget I like (or dislike!) So... what to do? Now, I know this is dorky, but I've started keeping a google spreadsheet of every wine (and beer) I try. I know they make wine journals, but I'm not about to tote one around in my purse, and I want to be able to access it from anywhere- which is where technology saves me. Now, just know, I'm not fancy with my notes, but I do like to keep track of anything from details of each sip and sniff to just a vague lasting impression.  For me, the things that are important to record are the following: 
  • What date did I try it?
  • The vintage?
  • The winery?
  • The wine?
  • And then, I like to put misc notes- like, what grapes were in it? How did it compare to other stuff I tried? Do I have any fun factoids about the winery?
  •  Tasting notes- now really, I'm not fancy. Sometimes I literally put things like "mmm. me likey." I'm usually only this succinct if I'm in a major hurry, but I include it just to show that you don't have to be pretentious for your own private use. I don't think I've ever once discussed a wine's legs in my notes. I might remark if it has a long finish, or if it is super tannic... Basically, I use a language that works for me, so that later, if I look back and go "oh yeah, I said that had an herbal flavor to it," I'll know what I meant. If I put in extraneous info from the back of the bottle about "exquisite notes of granite, cassis, and mountain herbs" that's not going to help me as much as "good acid on the front- falls off on the end," or even "gross. Tasted like raisins, feet and damp, wet leaves." I'll remember that I don't want to drink that again. 
So, there you go- type up a few columns and keep track for yourself! If you want to break it down further, you can do a tab for red wines, a tab for white, a tab for rose, and a tab for sparkling (I don't go this far, but I support you if you do! It'll make indexing easier later.) The important thing is to just take the notes when you taste- even if you don't get around to it till the next day, it's still worth recording your lasting impression of the wine. And then, when you're in the mood for something, you can look back, find stuff you liked, and go out and buy it again! (But beware the rut of only buying the 2 wines you already know you like. Be brave!)


Go forth, drink up! 


Did you know?
One of my favorite fall wines, Blaufrankisch, is also known as Lemberger? I just learned this week that they are one and the same! The more you learn! 
3 Comments
Sonja
10/14/2013 04:20:31 am

Of COURSE you keep a list of the wines you've tasted! I love it. I have often thought of doing this myself, but I'm so terrible with the descriptions that I think I'd just say "liked it" or "too sweet" or something else that wouldn't actually help later on...

Reply
Becca
10/14/2013 01:57:07 pm

Hey! I'd say writing "liked it" or "too sweet" is TOTALLY helpful later on! When we do Wines of the World, we often just write smiley face, frowny face, or face with a straight line mouth next to each one! It works! (Adam started it and the rest of us stole it.)
Whatever works for YOU!

Reply
Elinor
11/4/2013 12:13:20 am

We also have a spreadsheet for beers. And ones for national parks, states, countries and UNESCO world heritage sites. Maybe wine is next? See, you are not alone.

Also, I did know that Blaufrankisch=Lemberger (I also really like this wine)... I've heard it described as similar to Beaujolais Nouveau, but have never actually tried the latter. What do you think?

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Wanna receive updates in your inbox?
    Enter your Email:
    Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

    Author

    I'm a wine-loving actress in the Windy City who holds certificates in Enology and Viticulture from Washington State University. I also own a hilarious cat.

    Archives

    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    101 The Basics
    Alcohol Content
    Grape Growing
    Media/Pop Culture
    Pests And Diseases
    Sugars
    Tasting
    Vocab
    Wine Making

    RSS Feed