Asurpriseencounterwith007Tastingwinewithneweyes ByAlexHarper sohowdoesitmakeyoufeel? ummm,theacidisfresh,fineripetannin,balancedalcohol.Itsbeautifullyconstructed no,no,no...howdoesitmakeyoufeel? pause...

.likeIambeinggentlykissedontheneckbyahandsomeman Yes, that is the immortal tasting note I glibly gave to a South African winemaker on my first day workingatCamberleyWineEstateinStellenbosch.Iamnotsurewhosefaceregisteredmoreshock, mineforhavingutteredthosewordsoutloud,orhisforhavingheardhiswinedescribedinsucha way.Itwashisturnofphrasethathadpromptedmyoutburst,howdoesitmakeyoufeel?not what can you taste? It was a novel approach that was to prove a turning point in my understandingofwine.Itwasaphrasethat,liketheRorschachtest,openedwinetospontaneous sensualinterpretationratherthanconfiningittoatastingnoteguessinggameofanimal,vegetable or mineral. I still remember the wine; Camberley Cabernet/Merlot 2003, it was so seductively perfumed with an intense muscular power tempered by a silken tannin structure and perfectly poised acidity. Like a handsome, soave action hero, the wine caressed the senses like a trail of gentlekissesdownthethroat.PutitinblacktieandJamesBondwouldnthavelookedbetter. Alltoooftenweforgetwhatwineisreallyaboutitisanadventurenotatastingnote.Itcanbe boththecreatorofgreatmemoriesandthevehiclethroughwhichwecanreminisce.Eachcontact withthewine;thesmell,thetaste,thetexture,canevokeamemoryorinviteafantasy.Tocatcha whiffofperfumeintheairassomeonebrushespastcanpromptlongburiedmemories,theperfume ofawinecanhaveasimilarimpactifyouletit.Whenconsideringtheenjoymentofwine,itismore thanscientificanalysisofcomponentpartsorsimplyalcoholinaglass,itisasensoryjourney.After all, wine is a living, breathing, evolving entity. It has a life span like a person. If you drink it too youngitisoftenlikeateenager,sullenandsurly,ifyoudrinkittoolateithasalreadyretired,iteven getsjetlagafteralongflight.Itseemsashametobecomesowhollypreoccupiedwithidentifying whether it is a boysenberry or a damson that we can smell in our glass, that we lose sight of the magicofthebiggerpicture. Sowhentastingwine,considerthesensesratherthanthephysicalattributesofthewineandhow theymakeyoufeel,whatimagestheystirinyourmind,foroursenseofsmellissofundamentally tiedupwithourmemoriesthatitcanbeimpossibletoignore.IrecentlynosedaveryoldManzanilla Passada sherry straight from the barrel at La Guida winery in Spain. It had a wonderful rich silky nutty, salted caramel aroma that was brought alive by an incredibly fresh acidity on the palate. Immediatelyitremindedmeofwalkingmydogintheearlymorning,thesmellofrichnuttyearth stronginmynoseandtheinvigoratinglyfreshautumnalairexcitingthesensesasthesunjustbegins towarmthesky.Overthetop?Possibly.Enjoyable?Absolutely.Memorable?Definitely!

Similarly the texture of the wine, the feel of it in your mouth caused by the wonderful interplay betweentannin,acidity,alcoholandoftenoakcancalltomindatactilesensationorimage.Irecalla wonderfullysmoothnorthernRhoneCoteRotiefromPierreGaillardthathadanincredibleelegance, fine sleek tannin and seductive chocolate notes amid a subtle feminine perfume of violets which broughttomindtheGalaxyChocolateadvertofthebeautifulladyswathedinbrownsilkwandering barefootthroughalargehouse. Winecanbeastaleandcomplexworldtoenter;drytastingnotesthatbarelycorrespondwithwhat isinyourglassorthelibraryoffamiliarsmellsandtastesthatyouusetoevaluatethem(catspee, really?!).Noteverywineyoutastewillhitachordwithyou,sadlyalltoomanywillbeforgettable, butwhenyoudohituponagemitshouldbeallowedtocomealiveandentertainallyoursenses, themostimportantamongthembeingyourmind,notjustyourtongueandyournose.Thatiswhen youshouldletdownyourguardandenjoythewineasanexperience,itcanbecomeanaccessible, memorable and fun rollercoaster ride. When I taste wine it is its different attributes; the fruit profile, tannin structure, acidity, alcohol, development and balance that combine to become the bones,theflesh,andthepersonalityofthewineformingvividcharactersinmymind.Wearemore programmed to remember and understand people than we are a ream of sanitised tasting notes whichswiftlyblurintoone,aswedealwiththemonadaytodaybasis.Itismoreentertainingand freeingtoapproachatastingasifyouwereattendingacocktailparty,meetingvariedanddiverse characters,ratherthanweighingalcoholpercentagesagainsttartaricacidlevels.Allowthewineto cometolifearoundyou. Youmightmeetarich,meaty,alcoholicBarossaShiraz,hewillbeholdingcourtinthecentreofthe room,jokingandlaughingloudlywiththosearoundhim,lovingbeingthecentreofattention.Offto onesideandlookingonwithdisapprovalistheBordeaux.Theleanfruitprofile,moderatealcohol and dusty cedar and tobacco notes calls to mind a gentleman, his hair flecked with grey and his designer suit cut to perfection wistfully thinking how much he would prefer to be at home in his libraryofoldbookswithagoodcigar.ThereisaChileanredblend,therichdarkexoticfruitsand sweetspiceswitharichsmokycomplexitysuggestsabeautifulLatinowoman,sheisallcurves,long darkwavyhairandbigflashingeyeswithaninfectious,seductivelaugh.TheMoselRiesling,bone dry, intense minerality, a smoky kerosene power and searing acidity becomes a tall striking leggy blonde,hairinaseverebun,darkrimmedglassesandapowersuitwithaswiftintelligentwit.No tastingiscompletewithoutmeetingVosneeRomanee,shehasanetherealbeauty,elegantandfine bonedwithlargeintelligenteyes.Shespeaksquietlybuthervoiceismesmericandherconversation diverseandfascinating.AcrosstheroomisaVinhoVerde,lightbodiedwithlotsofcleanfreshlime and a touch of fizz. She is a young girl, innocent and excitable as she flits around chattering and giggling.StandingoutamongagroupofSpaniardsistheRiberadelDuero;intenseconcentrationof fruit, fine structured tannins and a rich complex aromatic profile. He immediately draws your attentionwithhiseasy,unaffectedconfidence,darkintelligenteyes,flashingsmileandimpeccable designer clothes. Often an afterthought is the Sauternes, wonderfully exotic, lush fruit with an incrediblemarmaladecomplexitycombinedwithavibrantaciditywhichenervatesthewine,sheis of course an opera singer, full figured and enthusiastic. Though often considered old fashioned, onceshestartssingingshehastheattentionofeveryoneintheroomandlikeitornot,theybecome aconvert.Soyouseethereareamyriadofcharactersjustwaitingtomakeyouracquaintance.

Themagicofwineisthatnotwopeoplewillexperienceitinthesameway.Notthatmanypeople haveseenawineasanexoticChileanbeautythoughIhaveasneakingsuspicionanumberofthem wish they had. A chance meeting with German winemaking legend Reinhard Lowenstein of HeymannLowensteinsummedupthisinterpretationasaprivateemancipation.Healsobelieves that people should find new words for their wine experiences rather than be limited by language andthereforeusepicturesandfantasiesoftheworldweliveintomakesenseofit,whetherthatis throughart,musicorexperiences. So where does this leave us when tasting wine? Free I hope. Free to open your mind and enjoy yourselfratherthanfollowarigiddeconstructionofthewinebeforerebuildingit.Itisnowonder wineslookmorelikeaPicassothanapersonafterwehaveendeavouredtotakeitapartandpieceit back together again. Let wine take you on an adventure initiated by your own imagination, dont overthinkit,butfeelit,experienceitandletitcomealive.Loseyourselfinwineandseeifitdoesnt bringasmiletoyourface.