August 17, 2018

WALT “Savoy Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2015

(Anderson Valley, California) $75

Long, supple, earthy and spicy. The famous Savoy vineyard is known for exquisitely silky pinots.

93 points KM

You should rinse your glass with water between wines at a tasting.

Answer: False.

Although it may be tempting to rinse your glass with water between wines when you are at a wine tasting, doing so is actually counterproductive. Even a little leftover water in the glass will dilute a wine, making it taste unbalanced and discombobulated. If you think the next wine will be influenced by the previous wine, the best bet is to rinse your glass with a few drops of the wine to come. Interestingly, in Italy they don’t consider a washed glass prepared to even receive wine until they (as I like to think of the ritual) “baptize” it with rinse wine, a process known as avvinare i bicchieri (ah-vee-NAH-reh ee bee-kee-AIR-reh). There is one big exception to the “rinsing with wine” idea. If a wine is flawed, it’s best to abandon that glass altogether and proceed with a new, fresh glass for the next wine.

I feel that wine is the most intimate and profound thing. You can share it with friends, or sit alone and contemplate it. It represents a sustainable cycle. And it can be kind of fun, too.

–Tim Carl, Huge Bear Winery, Sonoma County

WALT “Savoy Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2015

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