These wine-tasting notes compare two Syrah wine styles from the Rhône Valley and Australia. Smell, taste, and learn to become a discerning taster.
Back Labels—Decrypted is a free monthly online wine-tasting event led by wine-tasting coach Dr. Isabelle Lesschaeve. Here's a summary of the participant's experience at the latest session.
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Tasting wine in a comparative tasting set-up is quite effective. It helps the tasters identify more nuances differentiating two wine styles.
In this session, we compared:
In a comparative wine tasting, we assess two wines side-by-side to detect subtle nuances:
This well-established sensory approach helps sharpen participants’ senses and improve their ability to identify and describe wine aromas and flavors.
We use the Wine Aroma Wheel to categorize the aromatics into generic families (fruity, woody) and then try to become more specific, guided by the suggested subcategories on the wheel.
Therefore, a comparative tasting is not so much about the wines and their story (of course it’s part of it).
As a sensory scientist and tasting coach, I’m leading this type of tasting to free the tasters from any a priori expectations so that they can experience the wine flavors through their senses and their interpretation of them.
Participants are the heroes of this session.
My focus is on helping them become more discerning tasters for their pleasure or their career.
The session replay is available here, on our YouTube Channel.
Let’s discover the participants' tasting notes and how they align or diverge from the reviews and back labels describing these same wines.
2021 Nobles Rives Cave De Tain Crozes Hermitage - $24.99
They agreed with the back label description on some aromatics but experienced a drier and somewhat acidic.
Overall, the participants aligned with each other's experiences on the fruity and woody aromatics, mouthfeel, and acidity.
Here are more details.
2021 Mollydooker Shiraz The Boxer, 2021 - $29.99
They agreed with the back label reviews on the dark fruit aromatics. However, we missed the savory olive and tea accents.
Overall, the participants aligned with each other's experiences on the fruity dominance, the spicy and woody aromatics, and the lingering alcohol perception.
Here are more details:
The comparative tasting of two Syrah wine styles embraced the subjective nature of wine tasting. Participants agreed on the major flavor differences between the two wines.
Some people were more discerning than others, and that’s fine. The goal is to learn as much about ourselves and from others.
By honing our sensory skills and embracing diverse perspectives, we can deepen our appreciation for these complex beverages.
Whether you detected notes of dark fruit, spices, or something entirely unique, each experience is valid and enriching.
Published July 28, 2024
Explore Syrah and Shiraz wines' complex and intriguing aromas. Learn about their qualities, origins, and get some tips to practice their identification in wine.
Categories: : Tasting education, wine aroma
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Blog author, Wine Sensory Scientist and Wine Tasting Coach
Internationally renowned wine sensory scientist, Isabelle demystifies wine tasting and helps serious wine lovers improve their senses of smell and taste to sharpen their tasting skills and tasting notes.
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