August 26, 2016

WISTON ESTATE Blanc de Blancs 2010

(South Downs, United Kingdom) $59.99

Britain’s sparkling wine vineyards sit in the same limestone soils, in the same geological strata, from the same era, as do the vineyards of Champagne. No surprise then, that the best UK sparklers are immaculate wines of finesse and precision. The utterly delicious Wiston Estate 2010 Blanc de Blancs has a wonderful “starched” crispness, and aromas reminiscent of seashells and lemon meringue. It’s delicate and pure. It feels like one is drinking snowflakes.

93 points

Available at Union Square Wines

Taste and Flavor are the same thing.

Answer: False.

Although we sometimes use the terms taste and flavor interchangeably, taste is different from flavor. The world of taste encompasses just five concepts: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami. (A possible sixth taste—kokumi—has also been identified.) Wine can possess any of these five tastes, including saltiness, although there’s only a miniscule amount of actual salt—sodium chloride—in wine.

Flavor, as distinguished from taste, is a larger cognitive concept. Flavor is comprised of taste plus aroma, appearance, mouthfeel, and even sound. Certain colors, for example, are associated with certain flavors (it’s well documented that red correlates with sweetness; why else would the can of a famous cola be red?). And sensory scientists attribute some of the flavor of Champagne to its wonderful breathy sound.

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WISTON ESTATE Blanc de Blancs 2010

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