We can all use some additional knowledge about wine and wine enjoyment. This week, I came across three very good articles from the wine media community that help us do just that.

First, Why Does Wine Taste Different on an Airplane? (LINK TO ARTICLE) a very good article from Business Insider – Australia about the effects of cabin pressure on wine and on you, the drinker. An excerpt (in the original Australian), read the article at the link above:

“Much like having a cold, the pressurised cabin and its dry air numbs your taste buds, and compromises your sense of smell by drying out your nose. Since flavour is a combination of both (in fact, almost 80% of taste is based on smell) things taste different on a plane. Apparently, our sense of salty and sweet can drop as much as 30% on a plane.”

Something to think about before you order that expensive Burgundy in first class.

Second, from Andrew Jefford in Decanter: Tasting notes – the shame of the wine world? (LINK TO ARTICLE)
is not exactly what you might expect on this topic. Here is an excerpt, read the article at the link above:

“The issue, it seems to me, is as follows.  The writing of descriptive (as opposed to academic) wine notes is a specialized form of wine entertainment, and is quickly seen as such by users.  No one takes them literally; they are liberally sprinkled with salt by the experienced reader, and soon leach more water than an aubergine.  The tongue is always somewhere in the writer’s cheek (or should be).  They are drafted with a smile, in a spirit of levity (or should be).  That’s how the genre works.”

Third, again from Decanter, How to Understand Wine (LINK TO ARTICLE) is a very good primer on the qualities that create the experiences that you have when you drink wine. Here is an excerpt, read the article at the link above:

“Try tasting one glass of plain water, then a second with some lemon juice added: you’ll notice the effect of the acidity in your mouth. Any fruit needs some acidity to be enjoyable, and wine – the juice of the grape, at heart – is no exception.

“Too little acidity, and the wine will taste flabby and over-sweet. Too much, and it will be tart, astringent and sour.”

Spending time with articles like these increases your wine knowledge and increased knowledge allows for increased wine enjoyment. The more you know, the more you can find what you like and avoid what you don’t like.

You may also want to review these sites more thoroughly and subscribe if you think it will be of value to you.