Comparison Tasting: Why You Should be Tasting Side-by-Side

One of the most important things I learned early on in my journey of wine education was the value of tasting wines side-by-side. It is perhaps the most advantageous trick to building your palate and understanding regional and stylistic differences such as the difference between valley- and mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley or how oak and malolactic conversion influence the end flavor and character of a Chardonnay. Wine is such the sensory experience that it can be hard to remember the exact character and nature of a wine when trying to compare against a different wine at a later date. For most, the flavor impressions of each wine begin to run together to the point that all wines of a certain style begin tasting identical. When opened simultaneously the differences between a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot, while subtle, should be easy to recognize; the cabernet being more red in color and fruit with more grippy, pronounced tannins and the merlot being more purple in color and fruit who’s tannins are more plush and velvety. By no means should you feel that you have to limit yourself to two bottles. Imagine building a digital photograph from scratch. The more pixels you add (bottles tasted), the higher the quality of the final photograph (your understanding) will be. Assuming there is a theme or a goal of the tasting (there should always be a theme or goal!), the more bottles opened and tasted side-by-side, the clearer your understanding of the tasting will be. Sometimes it can be as simple as opening two bottles (typically for stylistic and structure comparisons, or vintage/site comparisons, e.g. 2014 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir ‘Block 10 Massal’ vs. 2015 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir ‘Blok 10 Massal’) or up to as many as twenty bottles or more (typically for large, region-wide tastings, producer verticals, or complex topics like the influence of oak and malolactic conversion on white wines).

An insightful tasting of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon spanning 1984 - 2001. Sonoma, 2015.

You may be wondering about the impracticality of having multiple bottles of wine open, especially when it comes to avoiding spoilage and cost. I have usually keep it to two bottles if it is just myself as I know I can finish both within a few days. I have never opened more than four as consumption can be rushed and the cost becomes prohibitive. This is the reason the tasting group has become such an fundamental part of wine education and any wine professional’s life. Tasting groups allow members to split costs and benefit from the sharing of ideas and experiences. Generally speaking being a member of more than one group is recommended while joining groups larger than ten or that lack focus and leadership should be avoided.

So don’t be afraid of adding to your cork collection. Your palate will thank you and your friends will be impressed with your newfound tasting skills.

Happy Tasting!