Use your wine tasting techniques on water
So last week we talked about the importance of blind tastings, its about getting in touch with your senses- sometimes we are going mach 10 and forget to stop and savor the best italian panini you have ever tasted or the most amazing nuances in a Pinot Noir. So to up the ante we decided to host a water tasting- yes your average H2O, which comprises over 96% of our bodies.
After doing a little research I was stunned that there is so much information on the web about tasting water. Who knew?! (except the people that organized the International Water Tasting Competition of course) So we hosted our own water tasting- only still water this time, with a few of The Vines staff members in our Mendoza Tasting Room, and used all the techniques that we have learned from wine to evaluate the sensory properties of these waters.
So what you want to think about is:
1. Smell- what do you smell, is it neutral, smell like chloride, or off smells (hopefully not)
2. Texture- how does the water coat your mouth, does it slide smoothly, is there stickiness
3. Taste- are there any apparent outstanding flavors that you can perceive and do you like/dislike them and how do they compare to the other waters that you are tasting
4. Finish- is there an aftertaste, any metallic flavors, or does it simply melt away?
So, you too can host a water tasting to prep for your wine tasting- see its not all for snobby sommeliers.
I found this super helpful resource from Bottled Water of the World (they must have a lobbying group for sure)
How to Conduct a Water Tasting
Written by Michael Mascha
A tasting provides the best introduction to the surprising richness of epicurean experiences with water. Here are directions for conducting your own.
• Chill all the waters to about 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13°C) to nicely showcase the differences in the waters. Make sure they stay at the same temperature throughout the tasting otherwise their qualities (or the perception of them) will change.
• You will need two to three proper water glasses per person. Ideally, have each flight in the glasses at the same time.
• Sometimes it’s fun to have pure H2O available to calibrate your palate.
• Serve bread or crackers, but not salty food.
• Make notes if you wish, describing how the water feels (short, long, focused, wide, and so forth).
Because the waters vary significantly in mineral content, mouthfeel, and other characteristics, it will be hard to pick a best water. Instead, think of foods that would be good complements to
particular waters.
So the waters that we tasted:
Villivicencia- plastic bottle | 128 mg/l | Magnesium 40.8mg/l | Potassium 5.3 mg/l | Calcium 39.2 mg/l
Evian- they are French and do not need to put anything on ze bottle
Southern Sky- glass bottle | Sodium 41mg/l | Magnesium 3 mg/l | Potassium 23mg/l | Calcium 40mg/l | pH 8
Tap water- don’t think I want to know
So for more information on water tasting- maybe check out the International Water Tasting Competition- the best part is that the website is 2 camels, ha! http://www.2camels.com/international-water-tasting-contest.php
