When I tell people I’m a wine educator, I usually get one of two reactions: either, “Cool, you drink all day?” or the blank stare that says, “Huh? A what-who?” Translation: I’m a wine professional who has conducted hundreds of wine tastings, events, classes, presentations, and produced another couple hundred podcast episodes about wine and spirits.
Another question I’m commonly asked is, “So, are there actually orange blossoms (or choose your aroma) in this wine?” after identifying the note. While the quick answer is no, the more nuanced answer comes with explaining the science behind molecules triggering an association in your brain with that compound.
Keeping it Simple
Stikky wine explains this association in a very simple, super fun way without spewing forth words like terpines or linalool, which, while accounting for the perfumed Gewürztraminer, also induce the instant glazing over of eyeballs. I enthusiastically applaud an engaging, entertaining learning experience which invites active learning! This isn’t a rote memorization approach to aroma families; fun for corkdorks like me who love taking exams, not so much for the average person who really just wants to enjoy their wine and feel like they can relate to it.
Wait … Quizzes?
While there are mini-quizzes in Stikky Wine, they are designed to make the simplified concepts stick (ha!). The graphics helpfully illustrate that, yes, you will perceive notes of strawberry and cherries in red wines, but these are not common in white wines. Boom! What a great place to start your wine tasting journey! You can now say with confidence after sniffing, swirling, and sniffing again your glass of (insert red wine of choice here) that red fruit, berries, cherries, and plums are showing up, and you also know that lemons are not.
What Else?
You will also be able to discern a wine’s components and textures like body, acidity, and tannins, as well as helping the sommelier in a restaurant or retailer in a shop help you choose a wine that you will most likely enjoy. This is one of the most useful skills, as we don’t all have the jingle to throw away on pricey bottles we don’t dig.
And speaking of digging, while not digging a wine is not a great reason to send it back after it’s opened, encountering faulty wine certainly is! Sticky Wine schools you in identifying and dealing with a bottle that has that distinct aroma of “wet dog.”
Bringing it Home
My final comment on Stikky Wine: get together with friends, set up a few small tastings, and learn together. There is a friendly, interactive charm to the mini-exercises in this book that I believe will not only be more fun shared with others on a wine journey similar to yours, but the interaction with others in the process will certainly make the lessons, eh hem, stick.
[I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.]
