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Puff Lifestyle
Like the perfect cigar, the smoker’s lifestyle is one focused on enjoyment and relaxation. At Puff Lifestyle, we discuss all avenues of lifestyle - great hotels that are cigar friendly, fantastic wines, cigar friendly dining, cool gadgets, lighters that actually work, hand carved cedar humidors...you get the idea. But we also cover the down to earth lifestyle interests as well: the most enjoyable reasonably priced cigars, best vacations on a budget, and the best way to stretch a buck...which has never been more important. Nothing is off topic!
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Wine Aromas and Flavors
Saturday, 26 July 2008
Wine Aromas
Wine Flavors
The label mentions "blackberry, cassis, mocha and
clove." ... You take a sip ... it tastes like wine ...
You have a good bottle of
cabernet sauvignon. The label mentions
"blackberry, cassis, mocha and clove." Your pinot noir is said to be
reminiscent of "strawberry, rose and autumn forest earth." The
chardonnay:
"pear and melon, with a hint of butter." That sauvignon blanc contains
"essences of citrus, passion fruit, and wild herbs."
You open a bottle, pour a glass, enjoy the beautiful color and aroma, and
take a sip. It smells and tastes like... wine. Are you missing something?
Where are all those flavors and aromas supposed to come from?
The descriptions may seem fanciful, but they are (or should be) based on
characteristics the wine actually possesses. An ability to identify
component aromas and flavors in wine is largely acquired through practice;
don't worry if they are not immediately obvious to you. If you want to,
you can learn to recognize them. Nobody is adding any
fruit flavorings ...
Grapes are the source of primary flavors and aromas in wine. Nobody is
adding any fruit flavorings; if the wine tastes a bit like another kind of
fruit, then perceptible quantities of specific chemical compounds (or
precursors of those compounds, which will later release the aromatic
compounds themselves) have developed in the grapes that are also found in
the fruit it resembles.
Just what the grapes taste like will depend on a number of factors. These
include varietal characteristics (that is, the kind of grape), vineyard
practices, the vintage (what happened the year the grapes were grown) and
the place where they were grown. The French term "terroir" refers
generally to the many features of a given place (including, but not
limited to, soil and climate) that give rise to particular characteristics
found in the wines produced there.
Secondary flavors and aromas are the result of winemaking, which includes
fermentation and any of a number of additional processes.
The primary fermentation converts grape juice into wine. That means yeast
cells metabolize sugar in the juice, releasing alcohol, carbon dioxide and
energy (in the form of heat.) Variables may include the sort of
fermentation vessel used, temperature, the yeast strain (or strains)
involved, and how much contact the juice has with the grape skins, to name
just a few; all of these factors and many others will affect the
development of the wine's flavor and aroma.Additional
processes may include aging the wine in barrels.
The porosity
of the wood can influence the wine's development significantly, allowing
it to mellow and integrate, and the wine can extract flavor and aroma from
the wood. Traditional barrel-making involves heating the staves around a
smudge pot, thereby softening them in order to form a water-tight
container. This also toasts the wood; a whole range of characteristics
associated with fine wine can result from its contact with the toasted
barrel. Variables may include the type and quality of wood, the degree of
toast (a lighter toast can impart toasty or nutty aromas, a heavier toast
can give sweet spice, coffee, chocolate, etc.), how old the barrels are (a
newer barrel will impart a stronger flavor; that may be desirable in a
strong wine, but could overpower the primary aromas of a lighter wine) and
how long the wine is left in barrel.
Further microbial activity can also change the wine. For example,
malolactic fermentation (or "ml") occurs when lactic bacteria consume the malic acid naturally present in wine and produce lactic acid. If this
happens in a controlled manner it can result in a pleasant, creamy texture
and softer acidity, although spontaneous ml can make the wine cheesy and
fizzy. Diacetyl, a chemical produced by malolactic fermentation, can give
the wine a buttery flavor, which is very noticeable in some chardonnays.
Most red wines go through ml; with whites it is a stylistic option. If the
ml is suppressed the wine will retain higher total acidity and more
"nerve."Wine continues to evolve as it
ages in the bottle ...
Once the wine has been bottled, it will evolve more slowly. Aromas that
develop as a consequence of chemical changes that occur in the bottle may
contribute to what is referred to as "bouquet." Strictly speaking,
discussion of bouquet (as opposed to aroma) is only applicable to older
wines, but the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
Wine is a complex fluid. Many chemical compounds responsible for specific
flavors and aromas have been isolated and identified, and many others have
not. The notes on the back label are usually based on the subjective
reactions of tasters (normally they are not written by chemists) but they
should reflect the wine's physical properties.
In the column titled
Wine Tasting Basics we distinguished between taste
and flavor. Flavor and aroma are closely related; most of what we perceive
as flavor is actually aroma in the form of volatile compounds that reach
the olfactory bulb through the retronasal channel from the mouth instead
of through the nose. The physiological proximity of the olfactory bulb to
the frontal lobe of the brain, which stores memory, is said by some to
account for the remarkable ability of certain aromas to evoke memories and
emotions.Simply try different wines and pay attention to
what you smell and taste ...
There are many courses and publications available that are intended to
help cultivate an ability to identify and describe component aromas, but
the best advice I can offer is simply to try different wines and pay
attention to what you smell and taste. Give it some conscious thought and
talk about it with friends who share your interest. If you're really
serious, consider writing down your impressions. As you compare wines to
one another you will increasingly discern the characteristics that
distinguish them.
The
Wine Aroma Wheel, created by Ann Noble at the University of California
at Davis, is a useful tool that can help you acquire some of the standard
vocabulary used by many wine professionals and enthusiasts. It consists of
three concentric circles; at the center are twelve general categories such
as "fruity" or "chemical," then sub-groups like "berry" or "sulfur" and
finally specific aromas like "blackberry" or "skunk" (evidently, it
includes undesirable aromas associated with flawed wine as well as the
appealing sort you might find on a label.) Dr. Noble deliberately excludes
such common descriptors as "charming" or "sophisticated"; they can be
useful, but what do they smell like?
Most likely, some of the conventional descriptors will be unfamiliar to
you, and you may come up with some of your own that are not part of the
usual lexicon. That's normal; each of us has our own set of references
derived from our own life experience. The foods you like, the herbs and
spices your grandmother used in cooking, and the flowers that grow in your
area will all have aromas that resonate with you, even if you can't name
them. Many of us have a hard time identifying things we can't see; that's
why practice and deliberate attention are called for. A set of
standardized descriptors can help us understand one another better.
Analyzing aroma and flavor may not be a prerequisite for serious wine
enjoyment, but if you like wine I think it will add to your pleasure and
help you make good choices.
Cheers!
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Seafood Stuffed Flounder with Tomato Dill Cream
Monday, 06 June 2005
Chef Phil's
Weekly Recipe
Updated Weekly
Sausage and Vegetable Frittata Recipe
Tomato Pie Recipe
Grilled Pork Brochettes with Confetti Rice Pilaf Recipe
Crab Stuffed Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon Recipe
Pan Seared Soft Shell Crab Hoagie Recipe
Seafood Stuffed Flounder with Tomato Dill Cream Recipe
Garlic & Ancho Rubbed Porterhouse Steaks Recipe
Chicken Cordon Bleu with Mornay Sauce Recipe
Braised Garlic Short Ribs with a Red Wine Tomato Sauce Recipe
Chef Phil's Brief Introduction to Cooking
Seafood Stuffed Flounder with Tomato Dill Cream
Recipes will be updated
weekly on Monday's.
(This will give you
enough time to get the ingredients and practice for next
weekend's date.)
Weekly Recipe for June 6-12, 2005
Seafood Stuffed Flounder with Tomato Dill Cream
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes.
Time she will remember it: Forever. Women never forget.
Serve with: Rice-pilaf, steamed fresh carrots
with butter and taragon.
4, 6oz. Boneless, skinless
flounder filets
8oz. Bay scallops
8oz. Bay shrimp
2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, crushed
1 ea. Medium onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
16 oz. Heavy cream
4oz. Butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce to taste
Sauce:
2 ea. Beef steak tomato’s, seeded and medium diced
2 Tbl. Roughly chopped dill, no stems
2 oz. Shallots, minced
12oz heavy cream
Method:
in a medium size sauce pan melt butter on low heat, add onions and celery and sweat until onions become translucent, turn heat up to medium high add scallops and shrimp sauté approximately 2 minutes add cream and bring to a boil, remove from heat add Ritz crackers, tobasco, Worcestershire and salt & pepper.
Split flounder filets down the middle length wise
Place approximately 6 oz scoop of stuffing mix on a buttered oven ready pan place flounder fillet around stuffing making sure that you wrap fillet with skinned side in.
Put in a 375° oven for 20 minutes.
Sauce:
Place shallots and cream in a 2 qt. Sauce pan and bring to a boil, reduce cream by half and add tomato and dill, bring back to a boil season lightly with salt and pepper and pour liberally over finished fillets. Bon appetit!
Tip:
The skinned side of the fillet is the smooth and slightly darker side, it is important to place this side in because when the fish cooks it naturally curls in.
Makes 4 servings.
Wine Selection: Lungarotti 2003 Pinot Grigio, Southern Italy, Italy.
Click
to Buy
Questions or comments? Email: chefphil@cigar-review.com
© 2005 Cigar-Review.com, Kevin Godbee & Philipp V. Denfeld.
Re-print with permission only.
To get permission, email: kevin@cigar-review.com
CLICK HERE TO READ FULL STORY...
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How to Meet Women
Monday, 01 August 2005
This week's article: While you have met many people in your life, not many of those people have been your ideal mate. Sure some of them have been very attractive, but once you get to know them they may not seem so wonderful. That's all right though. In order to find the right person you may have to go through a large number of people...
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How to Tell When a Woman Wants to have Sex with You
Monday, 08 August 2005
This week's article: Many men are left wondering how they can know if a woman is making advances to sleep with them. After all, many women do crazy little things that would lead you to believe that they want to have sex with you. For instance, some women will invite you to their house after a date. This would make you think that they want to have sex with you, but is that what it really means? Not necessarily!...
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