Having “ Taste ” is much lauded , yet left to the long road of experience to develop . In the worlds of wine , and art , here are a few “ road signs ” to speed up the process .
Chefs know that we eat with our eyes first . Once we understand that taste happens in our brain before our mouth , we begin to develop personal taste .
Taste makes a poor audience but a fantastic student . Well-asked engages more deeply than well-heard .
Of wines that make a noise , tasty sparkling wine is made by the Argyle winery in Oregon . Their “ Non- Vintage Brut ” ($ 24 . - argylewinery . com ) defies the taste of Francophiles by creating a dry , flavorful , effervescent , fruit-driven white wine — to ramp it up , try Argyle ’ s “ Extended Tirage ” ($ 80 .)
Musicians know that we feel music before we know it . Taste is also more feeling than thought , more like melody than lyric . Like resonance or attraction , taste is not always collapsible to reason . In Latin , the saying goes : “ De gustibus non est disputandum ,” roughly — “ There is no arguing with taste .”
Tolerance for novelty is a part of taste . A high tolerance is wishy-washy ; low tolerance is blind .
The “ Raconteur White Blend ” from Washington State is made of two left-field varieties — Chenin Blanc and Grüner Veltliner ($ 21 . - wtvintners . com ) Despite their lack of fame , they make up for it with a spicy , dry and refreshing blend that surprises the palate with honeydew melon , peppery green apples and chamomile impressions . This is the paisley of white wine .
Visual artists say that balance can be color or line , font or exposure . Winemakers talk about balance as the interaction of alcohol , acid , fruit , sweetness and tannin . On that note , preferring sweeter wine is a matter of taste — not of quality . Being able to describe a preferred balance of elements offers clues to finding more of anything that is to one ’ s personal taste .
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