Love the wine you’re with...

There’s something undeniably joyful about a good glass of wine and on Sunday, specially invited guests gathered at Ashley Furniture Homestore to celebrate those sipping joys at the Art of Wine and Design event. Basking in the classic, modern chic, and timeless styles on display, attendees marked the momentous occasion of National Wine Day with an exquisite wine workshop led by the wine lady herself, Debra Taylor-Smith.

She began her introduction by speaking of Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine, noting that this discovery was the turning point for her because there was no greater endorsement than from the man upstairs. “When I heard that, I was convinced even more that yes, I can turn over my life to God. And I knew then that I could fully commit to the indulgence of wine,” she told her attentive audience.

A teacher at heart, Taylor-Smith explained that, much like enjoying a glass of her favourite wine at any hour, she loves demystifying and debunking myths. She is happy to help make the drink approachable, festive, and user-friendly.

When it came to loving the wines they were with, guests were invited to sip on not one, not two, but five exciting wines to honour the occasion: a sparkling welcome wine, a dry white (Pinot Grigio), a sweet white (Moscato), a dry red (Pinot Noir), and a sweet red blend – all courtesy of Select Brands.

Along the journey, attendees learned fun facts from the wine connoisseur and educator, including definitions of terms like fermentation, the process of making wine.

“It is the process that converts sugar to alcohol and CO2, bubbles, which happens through the introduction of yeast,” she further explained.

The year of the wine, she pointed out, usually refers to the year of the harvest.

“There are thousands of grape varieties around the world and every country has their own, especially in Europe. [In fact], Europe [is] what we call [an] old-wine producing [region with] countries [like], France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Portugal, [leading the way]”

Still wines, Taylor-Smith explained, are typically of the red, white and rose variety. They have eight to 15 per cent of alcohol. Then there are the sparkling wines.

“Sparkling wines have these delightful bubbles of carbon dioxide trapped in the bottle,” she shared, adding, “We started our evening with our Torresella Prosecco Rosé, which comes from Italy. So, [Champagne] is from the Champagne region of France. Prosecco is from Italy, while Cava is from Spain.”

Port wines have a higher alcohol content, typically between 19 and 22 percent by volume. They’re known for being fortified wines with a rich history and distinct character.

“Port is an awesome fortified wine. It is quite sweet, but it’s not sickly sweet. There’s an intensity and a depth to it that is really interesting. And when you get aged Ports, so 10, 20 and 30 years, they lose a lot of that intensity of depth, but they develop intensity of flavour. So the flavour profile changes, and it’s a really interesting taste,” she highlighted.

AROMAS

Taylor-Smith also dove into the aromas of the wine, “The aromas or the nose of the wine, is the critical thing in wine tasting, as we are going to experience shortly. Aromas or the nose of the wine are what sets us up for what the wine is going to deliver in terms of taste.”

Once attendees received the wine, a scent test was conducted, then the swirling of the glass followed suit, which instigated another ‘scentsational’ discovery that the smell profiles had changed.

“Every glass of wine has a story to tell,” she said. And guests were sipping on new chapters as they went along.

When one speaks of bitterness in red wine, they are usually referring to the tannins.

“Tannins, found in red wines, are a part of the makeup of the black grape skins. So they are a scientific component in the skins. Many of us would have had red wine, and we go, ‘ [it’s] a little bit bitter’. What you meant to say was, ‘Wow, this wine has really strong tannins, or this wine has really sharp tannins’, never bitter.”

Tannins, she explained, give wine its structure and complexity, making them especially important for red wines you want to cellar and enjoy years later.

Then there are white wine grape varieties like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.

Pinot Grigio is a dry, light-bodied wine with delightful notes that often remind people of green apple, subtle florals, or hints of citrus, such as lemon and lime.

“The acidity tends to be medium to high, and it won’t spend time in oak because if a wine spends time in oak, it’s going to impart some characteristics to the wine that Pinot Grigio will get overshadowed by,” she revealed.

Sauvignon Blanc is also a dry wine. Medium bodied by nature, the citrus notes here of lemon lime. And the acidity tends to be high.

“Then the Chardonnay, also dry, is medium to full-bodied. You get citrus notes, but here you’re getting tangerines and oranges. And remember what we said about the aromas. What we smell becomes what we taste.”

The wine expert shared another sipping nugget: While red wine is generally recommended to be served at room temperature, Jamaica’s warm climate means serving it that way can be too hot.

An inexpensive red wine can often show better if you decant it. Allowing air to pass over the wine can help enhance and open up its flavour profile.

No decanter? Taylor-Smith says no problem– you can use a lemonade jug or pot.

PAIR YOUR WINES WITH...

On a matter of food pairing, red wines, like Merlot, pair well with red meat like oxtail.

“Red blends also work well with oxtail. Once your wine has more sweetness than the dish that you’re having it with, it’s going to work.”

Soldanza was on hand, enchanting taste buds with picked up salt fish served on a bed of its tostones chips, as well as loaded nacho taco tortillaz, inclusive of Holiday Tortillaz chips and toppings such as chicken or beef, vegetables, pineapple, corn and/or cheese.

And, for something sweet, guests indulged in the mouth-watering goodness of bread pudding from The Bread Pudding Factory.

All in all, everyone loved the wines they were with and the valuable lessons that came along with it.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com