The other day when I was checking out Wine Library TV, which is basically my main source for when I want to try out some new wines, I came across this video that’s a couple of years old in which the super knowledgeable, super entertaining Gary Vaynerchuk tastes a number of different random things that are flavors frequently found in wine and I felt the need to share it. This is apparently how he learned to train his palate at the age of 17, when he was too young to really be training his palate by trying the actual wine. As I was watching this, I couldn’t help but think that I should try this out as a tasting exercise – perhaps with a few friends (any takers?) with the wines that are supposed to contain these sorts of flavor profiles. OK, so probably not all like 30 some odd things he tasted here – probably not socks, or dirt, or a rock (unless you’re up for that), but we could try out a few… As someone who enjoys wine, but has trouble really picking out the various flavors present in it, I think this could be a really neat exercise.
By the way, if you haven’t checked out Wine Library TV and you have any interest in learning more about wine, you definitely should check it out. Gary Vaynerchuk is pretty awesome to watch (definitely high energy and something of an insane genius) and probably the reason I’ve taken such a great interest in wine. I usually hit up the site on Saturday mornings before I do my wine shopping – just to get some ideas of what I might want to purchase and what I should be looking out for.
So anyway, check out the video – it’s a half hour long, but fairly entertaining (I think)- even if you’re not really into wine.