Ever buy a bottle of wine without trying it? Many of us have due to recommendations by friends, the pretty labels, or when we feel like being “spontaneous”. Sometimes we get lucky and our purchase proves to be as delicious as we hoped, and other times… well, at least we tried.
That’s where wine sampling comes in. You can’t do it at a grocery store, but you can do it at wineries. In fact, it is recommended and encouraged to try before you buy. You can test your palette, and learn from the wine makers as they are more than happy to share their passions with you while you sample their products.
I got to go taste a variety of wines at Running Vines Winery in Chesterton recently, and took it upon myself to pick the brain of winery owner Nicole Caylor while simultaneously sipping the samples with which she supplied me (someone has to do the tough jobs).
We began with a chardonnay. Nicole said that you should always start with white to red and dry to sweet because sweet wines will close down your taste buds, warping the tastes of the remaining semi sweet and dry wines.
“You want you palette to be open and ready for all of the tannins that will be coming from the wine,” Nicole explained.
Their chardonnay is a medium-bodied wine with notes of citrus, and like the rest of their wines, it is unoaked. They are make in stainless steel vats.
For those who are unaware (like me until I Googled the term), the term “body” refers to the weight of the wine that can be felt as is crosses the palette. The body is determined by the amount of alcohol in the wine.
Next came the Gewürztraminer, probably the most adventurous in the terms of wine names. Similar to a Riesling but not as sweet, Running Vines’ Gewürztraminer had floral notes and Nicole said that it pairs well with a meat dish.
With each glass, Nicole asked that I swirl the wine around in the glass and smell it before tasting it, and after each glass I was to cleanse my palette with a nibble of something from the artfully prepared tray of meats, cheeses, and crackers that was set at my side.
“Swirling aerates the wine and lets it get more flavorful, and smelling it also enhances the flavor,” she explained.
The forth wine that I tried was the pinot noir. Made with grapes from the Napa Valley region, this wine had notes of strawberry and black cherry. What’s interesting is that no actual berries or stone fruit were used in the wine making process, only grapes.
“The flavors come from what the grapes pick up during the fermentation process,” Nicole said. “A lot of it has to do with the soil in which the grapes are grown.”
Nicole then let me try the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a dryer red, which is mid-bodied. Those with a more mature palette would really enjoy this one. I steer more toward the sweet wines, but this is a wine that I wouldn’t mind having a glass of here and there.
The last few wines came from the Running Vines Race Collection. These wines are sweeter and fruity blends, and each is named after a type of race like marathons, triathlons, etc. Why is this so?
“As many know I have a passion for running,” Nicole explained. “So I wanted to incorporate my two passions into one entity. And the play on words with ‘Running Vines’ is great because of how grape vines grow in a vineyard.”
We started with the Sprint. It’s made with Niagara grapes that are grown in New York, and it had a light and fruity flavor. I’d drink this out on the deck during a pretty summer day or while I’m at a cookout. It’s bright and summery.
I sipped the Triathlon next. This light white is made with Catawba grapes from New York. You’ll feel pretty fancy with notes of tropical hibiscus dancing on your tongue. It was citrusy and sweet
Lastly, came the Marathon, a personal favorite for Nicole. It’s a blush colored wine made with Concord grapes and has a smooth finish.
Since we all have different procilities and ideas on what we consider to be good wine, you sould go and taste for youself at Running Vines. Just head over or call them at (219) 390-9463.