The other day Angela and I opened up a bottle of a recently bottled 2011 over dinner (for quality control purposes of course)! One of the immediately apparent characteristics of this new wine was the zesty, salt-lick character, often associated with young albariño from the Salnés Valley (the northern part of our DO where we are located). Where this sensation actually originates from is open to conjecture, and could be the combination of several factors. The gentle Atlantic sea breeze, the natural salts in some of our sandy soils, or perhaps even the particular clone of albariño itself…. whichever is responsible, it’s delicious, and gives our wine one of its unique, cool climate characteristics.

It reminded me of something that I read in the press only a few weeks ago. The story of how one particular French wine had been deliberately stored on the seabed in order to see the effect this would have on its evolution. Of course this is nothing new, and has been tried before, in barrel, bottle and sometimes other specially constructed containers. On many occasions it is done knowingly, by way of experimentation, but on some occasions it has been done by accident as in the case of shipwrecks. Very recently eleven bottles of 200 year-old Champagne were sold at auction for about US$140,000 – they had spent the last couple of centuries at the bottom of the Baltic Sea until they were uncovered in 2010. The well chilled, lightless seabed had apparently preserved the contents perfectly, indeed some tasters actually claimed that the bottles had been improved.

Experiments with red Bordeaux wines stored in barrel under the sea have also noted some interesting changes – not only a loss of alcohol, but also an increased level of sodium, apparently adding a very subtle salty note, that helped to integrate the tannins.

In our albariño we enjoy this zesty, salty note for free, and it’s still perfect with seafood!

The other day Angela and I opened up a bottle of a recently bottled 2011 over dinner (for quality control purposes of course)! One of the immediately apparent characteristics of this new wine was the zesty, salt-lick character, often associated with young albariño from the Salnés Valley (the northern part of our DO where we are located). Where this sensation actually originates from is open to conjecture, and could be the combination of several factors. The gentle Atlantic sea breeze, the natural salts in some of our sandy soils, or perhaps even the particular clone of albariño itself…. whichever is responsible, it’s delicious, and gives our wine one of its unique, cool climate characteristics.

It reminded me of something that I read in the press only a few weeks ago. The story of how one particular French wine had been deliberately stored on the seabed in order to see the effect this would have on its evolution. Of course this is nothing new, and has been tried before, in barrel, bottle and sometimes other specially constructed containers. On many occasions it is done knowingly, by way of experimentation, but on some occasions it has been done by accident as in the case of shipwrecks. Very recently eleven bottles of 200 year-old Champagne were sold at auction for about US$140,000 – they had spent the last couple of centuries at the bottom of the Baltic Sea until they were uncovered in 2010. The well chilled, lightless seabed had apparently preserved the contents perfectly, indeed some tasters actually claimed that the bottles had been improved.

Experiments with red Bordeaux wines stored in barrel under the sea have also noted some interesting changes – not only a loss of alcohol, but also an increased level of sodium, apparently adding a very subtle salty note, that helped to integrate the tannins.

In our albariño we enjoy this zesty, salty note for free, and it’s still perfect with seafood!

A day or two ago I wrote about the ‘perfect’ tasting (as if there is such a thing), and mentioned the importance of having the correct wine glass, or at least a glass that is suitable for tasting. Certainly in recent years there has been a lot of research in the field of wine glass design, so much so that it has become a science in itself, and manufacturers now sell distinctly different designs for almost every conceivable type of wine. It wasn’t that many years ago when more or less the only recommended glass for professionals was the official ISO tasting glass, but this was soon dismissed as being too small and clumsy to do the job effectively. It was soon overtaken by designs made by some top glass producers such as Spiegelau, Schott, Zwiesel, Bormioli, Cristal d’Arques, Dartington and probably the most famous of all, Riedel.

A wine glass is divided into three parts – the bowl, the stem and the foot, and of course the most influential of these as far as taste is concerned, is the bowl. These days the tulip shape is largely preferred to the balloon shape (the latter made famous by the old Paris goblet). The design of the stem and foot are made with more practical issues in mind – that the stem doesn’t break too easily, or that the glass doesn’t topple over too easily when filled. Together however, all three elements should combine to produce a well balanced glass with a nice ‘feel’, not too heavy, and certainly not patterned or coloured.

The bowl should be curved and smooth on the inside to not inhibit swirling, and should preferably taper inward slightly towards the rim keeping the wine’s bouquet focused towards the nose and preventing too much from escaping.  A proper wine glass should be large enough to contain a full serving when only half full (not overfilling a glass is actually sensible, not mean). This provides adequate space for both swirling without spilling and provides the “chimney effect” that concentrates and directs aroma towards the nose. The width and depth of the bowl will differ according to the type of wine it is intended for as it physically determines the distance between your nose and the surface of the liquid. This will alter the way that you perceive the different elements of the wine, such as fruit, spice or perhaps the level of alcohol.

Finally the rim of the bowl will divert your wine towards the different receptors on your tongue – a narrow rim directs wine to the middle of your tongue first, and because acidity receptors are located at the sides, your first taste sensation will be fruit. In the case of a wide rim, wine is diverted directly to the edges of the tongue and acidity is detected first, making wine taste more rounded as the acidity blends with the fruit.

Whichever shape you choose, there is no doubt that fine, crystal glass feels best, even if it might be a bit more prone to breakage. In a similar way, being English, I also believe that my tea tastes better from a fine bone china cup too!

(See video of my old friend Joe Wadsack presenting white wine glasses on our YouTube page)

A day or two ago I wrote about the ‘perfect’ tasting (as if there is such a thing), and mentioned the importance of having the correct wine glass, or at least a glass that is suitable for tasting. Certainly in recent years there has been a lot of research in the field of wine glass design, so much so that it has become a science in itself, and manufacturers now sell distinctly different designs for almost every conceivable type of wine. It wasn’t that many years ago when more or less the only recommended glass for professionals was the official ISO tasting glass, but this was soon dismissed as being too small and clumsy to do the job effectively. It was soon overtaken by designs made by some top glass producers such as Spiegelau, Schott, Zwiesel, Bormioli, Cristal d’Arques, Dartington and probably the most famous of all, Riedel.

A wine glass is divided into three parts – the bowl, the stem and the foot, and of course the most influential of these as far as taste is concerned, is the bowl. These days the tulip shape is largely preferred to the balloon shape (the latter made famous by the old Paris goblet). The design of the stem and foot are made with more practical issues in mind – that the stem doesn’t break too easily, or that the glass doesn’t topple over too easily when filled. Together however, all three elements should combine to produce a well balanced glass with a nice ‘feel’, not too heavy, and certainly not patterned or coloured.

The bowl should be curved and smooth on the inside to not inhibit swirling, and should preferably taper inward slightly towards the rim keeping the wine’s bouquet focused towards the nose and preventing too much from escaping.  A proper wine glass should be large enough to contain a full serving when only half full (not overfilling a glass is actually sensible, not mean). This provides adequate space for both swirling without spilling and provides the “chimney effect” that concentrates and directs aroma towards the nose. The width and depth of the bowl will differ according to the type of wine it is intended for as it physically determines the distance between your nose and the surface of the liquid. This will alter the way that you perceive the different elements of the wine, such as fruit, spice or perhaps the level of alcohol.

Finally the rim of the bowl will divert your wine towards the different receptors on your tongue – a narrow rim directs wine to the middle of your tongue first, and because acidity receptors are located at the sides, your first taste sensation will be fruit. In the case of a wide rim, wine is diverted directly to the edges of the tongue and acidity is detected first, making wine taste more rounded as the acidity blends with the fruit.

Whichever shape you choose, there is no doubt that fine, crystal glass feels best, even if it might be a bit more prone to breakage. In a similar way, being English, I also believe that my tea tastes better from a fine bone china cup too!

(See video of my old friend Joe Wadsack presenting white wine glasses on our YouTube page)

It would be very easy to ‘over think’ the conditions required for a perfect wine tasting, especially when chances are, that your best tasting memories will occur when you are totally relaxed and sharing your bottle in good company.

From a purely professional point of view however, to conduct a more ‘analytical’ tasting (as you might do as a wine buyer or journalist), there are actually a huge number of considerations to take into account, many of which I have written about in the past. To make it a little easier to digest, I will list as many as I can think of (albeit there are so many that I might well miss a few):

Environment

• What is the weather doing? Atmospheric pressure can change your perception of a wine, whilst some will claim that the phase of the moon can do the same.

• Is the room where you are tasting light and airy – not too hot or too cold, with no breezes (that might detract from the smell) and with good natural light so that you can visually examine your glass?

• Is the room free from other distracting smells (some tasters are particularly sensitive to this, myself included)

• Are you in a place where you can concentrate, free from other distractions?

Personal

• Are you fit and healthy? Colds and flu are the wine professionals worst nightmare, and tasting with a hangover just doesn’t work!

• Are you wearing perfume or after shave – these will certainly confuse your sense of smell.

• Is your palate clean – have you been eating garlic, or other strong, lingering foods that could affect your taste? Or have you recently cleaned your teeth or been drinking fruit juice?

Wine

• How many wines are you tasting? Tasters will dispute how many you can reasonably taste to make an effective judgement (possibly depending on your experience as a taster).

• Is your wine at the correct temperature (cellar temperature is not a bad start)? For example, too cold will exaggerate acidity in white wines, and tannins in red, whilst alcohol will dominate if the bottle is too warm.

• To be truly objective a completely blind tasting is much more effective, after all, a quick glimpse of the label is worth at least 20 years tasting experience!

Other 

• Is your wine glass clean, odour free and suitable for a tasting? (This is actually a subject that demands a separate blog post, especially as some wine glass manufacturers invest huge amounts of time and money in researching the perfect glass for every imaginable grape variety).

• Time – What time of day are you tasting? Many will say that the best time of day is around 11.00am or 12.00am, as this is the time when both your palate and your brain are at their most receptive. Certainly before lunch is a good idea, and never just after a meal.

• Time – have you allowed enough time to taste your selection, if necessary going back to re-assess your favourites?

• Notes – make copious tasting notes. Few people have a photographic memory, or perfect recall (although a truly memorable wine will certainly stand out)

Let me know if you think I’ve missed something.

It would be very easy to ‘over think’ the conditions required for a perfect wine tasting, especially when chances are, that your best tasting memories will occur when you are totally relaxed and sharing your bottle in good company.

From a purely professional point of view however, to conduct a more ‘analytical’ tasting (as you might do as a wine buyer or journalist), there are actually a huge number of considerations to take into account, many of which I have written about in the past. To make it a little easier to digest, I will list as many as I can think of (albeit there are so many that I might well miss a few):

Environment

• What is the weather doing? Atmospheric pressure can change your perception of a wine, whilst some will claim that the phase of the moon can do the same.

• Is the room where you are tasting light and airy – not too hot or too cold, with no breezes (that might detract from the smell) and with good natural light so that you can visually examine your glass?

• Is the room free from other distracting smells (some tasters are particularly sensitive to this, myself included)

• Are you in a place where you can concentrate, free from other distractions?

Personal

• Are you fit and healthy? Colds and flu are the wine professionals worst nightmare, and tasting with a hangover just doesn’t work!

• Are you wearing perfume or after shave – these will certainly confuse your sense of smell.

• Is your palate clean – have you been eating garlic, or other strong, lingering foods that could affect your taste? Or have you recently cleaned your teeth or been drinking fruit juice?

Wine

• How many wines are you tasting? Tasters will dispute how many you can reasonably taste to make an effective judgement (possibly depending on your experience as a taster).

• Is your wine at the correct temperature (cellar temperature is not a bad start)? For example, too cold will exaggerate acidity in white wines, and tannins in red, whilst alcohol will dominate if the bottle is too warm.

• To be truly objective a completely blind tasting is much more effective, after all, a quick glimpse of the label is worth at least 20 years tasting experience!

Other 

• Is your wine glass clean, odour free and suitable for a tasting? (This is actually a subject that demands a separate blog post, especially as some wine glass manufacturers invest huge amounts of time and money in researching the perfect glass for every imaginable grape variety).

• Time – What time of day are you tasting? Many will say that the best time of day is around 11.00am or 12.00am, as this is the time when both your palate and your brain are at their most receptive. Certainly before lunch is a good idea, and never just after a meal.

• Time – have you allowed enough time to taste your selection, if necessary going back to re-assess your favourites?

• Notes – make copious tasting notes. Few people have a photographic memory, or perfect recall (although a truly memorable wine will certainly stand out)

Let me know if you think I’ve missed something.

I know that I’ve written fairly recently about the effect that your surroundings can have on how you perceive a particular wine, but this can also include your own personal emotions at the time. For example, are you having a good time, is it a special occasion, are you in good company? These subliminal factors will all play a part in your overall enjoyment and recollection.

However, one factor that is not quite so obvious is the price that you pay for your bottle. It’s all to do with the power of suggestion, and how you anticipate the bottle should taste more than how it actually does taste. It’s purely psychological, in the same way that a placebo can trick a patient into believing that he or she is taking a drug that they’re actually not. Now, I am not suggesting for one second that you can serve a glass of water in place of your albariño hoping that no one will notice, but apparently you could make it appear to taste better if you tell your fellow drinkers that it’s a really expensive wine.

A study at Stanford business school proved that some consumers believed a $45 dollar bottle to be better than a $5 bottle, even though it was actually the same wine! To cut a long story short, we trick the brain into believing that the expensive bottle should taste better, and as a result our pleasure receptors apparently become more active.

Perhaps the same is true with the power of marketing, when we believe that our favourite brand really does taste better than the cheaper own label brand – it’s possibly all just a trick of the brain…..

Personally, I have always been a great believer in the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’, and I can honestly assure our customers that our Castro Martin albariños really do represent great value for money. Or perhaps they would they taste twice as good if I doubled the price?

I know that I’ve written fairly recently about the effect that your surroundings can have on how you perceive a particular wine, but this can also include your own personal emotions at the time. For example, are you having a good time, is it a special occasion, are you in good company? These subliminal factors will all play a part in your overall enjoyment and recollection.

However, one factor that is not quite so obvious is the price that you pay for your bottle. It’s all to do with the power of suggestion, and how you anticipate the bottle should taste more than how it actually does taste. It’s purely psychological, in the same way that a placebo can trick a patient into believing that he or she is taking a drug that they’re actually not. Now, I am not suggesting for one second that you can serve a glass of water in place of your albariño hoping that no one will notice, but apparently you could make it appear to taste better if you tell your fellow drinkers that it’s a really expensive wine.

A study at Stanford business school proved that some consumers believed a $45 dollar bottle to be better than a $5 bottle, even though it was actually the same wine! To cut a long story short, we trick the brain into believing that the expensive bottle should taste better, and as a result our pleasure receptors apparently become more active.

Perhaps the same is true with the power of marketing, when we believe that our favourite brand really does taste better than the cheaper own label brand – it’s possibly all just a trick of the brain…..

Personally, I have always been a great believer in the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’, and I can honestly assure our customers that our Castro Martin albariños really do represent great value for money. Or perhaps they would they taste twice as good if I doubled the price?

Quite obviously tasting is a subject very close to my heart, indeed it was my profession for many years before I arrived in Spain. A month or two ago I wrote about how the sense of smell has a huge influence on what we are able to taste (I can attest to this as I tried in vain to taste a wine yesterday, whilst still recovering from yet another winter cold).

Having said that, it’s not only smell that can influence what we taste – there are many other factors, such as colour for example. This might seem ridiculous, but tests have proved that some consumers can have difficulty in distinguishing between red and white wine whilst blindfolded. How often have we heard that we ‘eat with our eyes’, so surely the same must apply to wine. A glass of white wine that has a golden brown colour could be either extremely sweet or extremely oxidised!

I know that I have probably mentioned before, but location and atmosphere can also make a difference. For example, I can guarantee that the cool, refreshing glass of Provence Rosé that you sip on the beach in St Tropez, whilst tucking into your Niçoise Salad, may well not taste the same on a grey, cold, rainy Tuesday in London…..

When buying wines for my previous company I therefore always used to make sure that I tasted all potential purchases on cold, wet Tuesdays in London!

Quite obviously tasting is a subject very close to my heart, indeed it was my profession for many years before I arrived in Spain. A month or two ago I wrote about how the sense of smell has a huge influence on what we are able to taste (I can attest to this as I tried in vain to taste a wine yesterday, whilst still recovering from yet another winter cold).

Having said that, it’s not only smell that can influence what we taste – there are many other factors, such as colour for example. This might seem ridiculous, but tests have proved that some consumers can have difficulty in distinguishing between red and white wine whilst blindfolded. How often have we heard that we ‘eat with our eyes’, so surely the same must apply to wine. A glass of white wine that has a golden brown colour could be either extremely sweet or extremely oxidised!

I know that I have probably mentioned before, but location and atmosphere can also make a difference. For example, I can guarantee that the cool, refreshing glass of Provence Rosé that you sip on the beach in St Tropez, whilst tucking into your Niçoise Salad, may well not taste the same on a grey, cold, rainy Tuesday in London…..

When buying wines for my previous company I therefore always used to make sure that I tasted all potential purchases on cold, wet Tuesdays in London!

A dog’s sense of smell is said to be a thousand times more sensitive than that of humans. In fact, a dog has more than 220 million olfactory receptors in its nose, while humans have only 5 million. Also, I think it’s true to say that the human sense of smell is probably one of the most underutilised and underdeveloped senses that we have, but that over time, it can be trained…….

Certainly, after years in the wine business, and years as a buyer, using my own sense of smell extensively on a daily basis, I am pretty confident that mine is more evolved and sensitive than it was when I was younger – or perhaps it’s just because I’m much more conscious of using it? But then one of the most difficult things when tasting a wine for example, is quite simply converting what you taste and smell into words – but that’s another story.

Singularly the most significant fact is that probably 90% of what we perceive as taste is actually smell, and without smell the job of a wine buyer would be pretty tough. I can clearly recall that getting a cold or a touch of flu at any time of year was a complete disaster for me and rendered me almost useless (albeit that my colleagues might say that I was fairly useless anyway!) For this reason I was always well stocked up on cold remedies and vitamin-C.

The reason that I chose to write about this now is because of an incident that happened to me yesterday. I go running by the sea every day, and as I left the house at 7.30am I caught a sudden whiff of cigarette smoke. About 100 metres down the road an employee of a local hotel had slipped outside (in the open air) to have a quick nicotine fix, and my nose had picked it up from some distance. However, this asset can also be a curse as it can easily detect foul smells as well as attractive ones!

A dog’s sense of smell is said to be a thousand times more sensitive than that of humans. In fact, a dog has more than 220 million olfactory receptors in its nose, while humans have only 5 million. Also, I think it’s true to say that the human sense of smell is probably one of the most underutilised and underdeveloped senses that we have, but that over time, it can be trained…….

Certainly, after years in the wine business, and years as a buyer, using my own sense of smell extensively on a daily basis, I am pretty confident that mine is more evolved and sensitive than it was when I was younger – or perhaps it’s just because I’m much more conscious of using it? But then one of the most difficult things when tasting a wine for example, is quite simply converting what you taste and smell into words – but that’s another story.

Singularly the most significant fact is that probably 90% of what we perceive as taste is actually smell, and without smell the job of a wine buyer would be pretty tough. I can clearly recall that getting a cold or a touch of flu at any time of year was a complete disaster for me and rendered me almost useless (albeit that my colleagues might say that I was fairly useless anyway!) For this reason I was always well stocked up on cold remedies and vitamin-C.

The reason that I chose to write about this now is because of an incident that happened to me yesterday. I go running by the sea every day, and as I left the house at 7.30am I caught a sudden whiff of cigarette smoke. About 100 metres down the road an employee of a local hotel had slipped outside (in the open air) to have a quick nicotine fix, and my nose had picked it up from some distance. However, this asset can also be a curse as it can easily detect foul smells as well as attractive ones!

There is always an element of showmanship (or “cinema” as the French would call it), involved when a professional sommelier opens a bottle of wine at your table – and long may it continue, is my own opinion. It would appear that, over time, we are becoming more and more impatient, and want everything to happen in an instant, but I’m afraid to admit that the screwcap just doesn’t do it for me, especially in a restaurant scenario. If I’m paying decent money for a decent bottle then I want to savour the experience, and the opening ‘ceremony’ forms an integral part of the whole performance. Perhaps I am just old-fashioned?

Anyway, that is not the reason for my story……

It appears that scientists at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona have now developed a kind of robo-sommelier, or electronic tongue, which can distinguish between different Cavas. Well, actually, only three to be precise – brut nature, brut and medium dry. As a human being is capable of detecting over 10,000 different scents and aromas, as well as being able to distinguish between sweet, sour, bitter, acidic and savoury flavours, my guess is that sommeliers won’t exactly be rushing to the job centres just yet. Besides, they would still need to develop a further machine to pull the cork and serve!

Other wine related electronic noses have already been developed in France and Sweden, but all have very limited capabilities, so far.

There is always an element of showmanship (or “cinema” as the French would call it), involved when a professional sommelier opens a bottle of wine at your table – and long may it continue, is my own opinion. It would appear that, over time, we are becoming more and more impatient, and want everything to happen in an instant, but I’m afraid to admit that the screwcap just doesn’t do it for me, especially in a restaurant scenario. If I’m paying decent money for a decent bottle then I want to savour the experience, and the opening ‘ceremony’ forms an integral part of the whole performance. Perhaps I am just old-fashioned?

Anyway, that is not the reason for my story……

It appears that scientists at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona have now developed a kind of robo-sommelier, or electronic tongue, which can distinguish between different Cavas. Well, actually, only three to be precise – brut nature, brut and medium dry. As a human being is capable of detecting over 10,000 different scents and aromas, as well as being able to distinguish between sweet, sour, bitter, acidic and savoury flavours, my guess is that sommeliers won’t exactly be rushing to the job centres just yet. Besides, they would still need to develop a further machine to pull the cork and serve!

Other wine related electronic noses have already been developed in France and Sweden, but all have very limited capabilities, so far.

I very rarely eat grapes, probably because we making a living out of growing them. (I guess it’s like the people who work in chocolate factories that eventually give up eating chocolate).

The other day, for some unknown reason, I bought a few grapes and popped them in the bottom of my fridge. When I tasted them later I remember thinking to myself that they were a bit acid – I left the remainder of the bunch on my kitchen counter. A little later I picked at a few more, but this time they tasted somewhat sweeter and generally more flavourful. One simple but important difference – they were warmer!

Of course this one of the fundamentals of wine tasting too – how your perception of wine is altered by the temperature at which you drink it.

Obviously I’m not suggesting that you should drink your albariño warm (albeit that this is the best way to expose many potential faults), but conversely, if you drink it too cold, not only will it exaggerate the acidity, but will also help to mask the true character of your wine.

If you find yourself being offered a tooth-shatteringly cold white wine in a restaurant, then cup the bowl of the glass in your two hands, and gently swirl it around until the temperature recovers a little – then, and only then, should you taste and pass your judgement.

Most red wine is served at ‘room temperature’, which to be honest is a little vague. So if your room is a little too warm, your red wine might also be adversely affected. An over heated bottle will throw all the alcohol to the forefront, perhaps giving your glass a bit of alcoholic ‘burn’ – not literally, but just a sensation of heat in the back of your throat. This, quite naturally, is more exaggerated in heavy, alcoholic red wines, and is quite easily remedied by chilling the bottle just a little – but not too much!
If you chill a red wine too much, this will simply exaggerate the tannins and could make your wine taste hard, harsh and maybe even a bit metallic.

As you will gather, temperature can make a big difference to your enjoyment of any wine.

I very rarely eat grapes, probably because we making a living out of growing them. (I guess it’s like the people who work in chocolate factories that eventually give up eating chocolate).

The other day, for some unknown reason, I bought a few grapes and popped them in the bottom of my fridge. When I tasted them later I remember thinking to myself that they were a bit acid – I left the remainder of the bunch on my kitchen counter. A little later I picked at a few more, but this time they tasted somewhat sweeter and generally more flavourful. One simple but important difference – they were warmer!

Of course this one of the fundamentals of wine tasting too – how your perception of wine is altered by the temperature at which you drink it.

Obviously I’m not suggesting that you should drink your albariño warm (albeit that this is the best way to expose many potential faults), but conversely, if you drink it too cold, not only will it exaggerate the acidity, but will also help to mask the true character of your wine.

If you find yourself being offered a tooth-shatteringly cold white wine in a restaurant, then cup the bowl of the glass in your two hands, and gently swirl it around until the temperature recovers a little – then, and only then, should you taste and pass your judgement.

Most red wine is served at ‘room temperature’, which to be honest is a little vague. So if your room is a little too warm, your red wine might also be adversely affected. An over heated bottle will throw all the alcohol to the forefront, perhaps giving your glass a bit of alcoholic ‘burn’ – not literally, but just a sensation of heat in the back of your throat. This, quite naturally, is more exaggerated in heavy, alcoholic red wines, and is quite easily remedied by chilling the bottle just a little – but not too much!
If you chill a red wine too much, this will simply exaggerate the tannins and could make your wine taste hard, harsh and maybe even a bit metallic.

As you will gather, temperature can make a big difference to your enjoyment of any wine.