Wine Library TV – The Pineapple Wine Secret
Q: How do you learn about wine and identify tropical tasting notes in white wine?
A: The absolute best way to learn about wine is to actively train your palate by tasting real, fresh tropical fruits. If you want to understand the flavor profile of a crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Italian Cortese, you must familiarize your tastebuds with the sweet, highly acidic, and heavy flavor profile of pineapple.
In this classic palate-training clip from the Wine Library TV archives, Gary Vaynerchuk continues his mission to demystify wine tasting. He pulls out a jar of pineapple to demonstrate a crucial piece of real-world wine education: building a sensory memory. To decode the intimidating tasting notes written by sommeliers and critics, you have to intentionally taste the raw ingredients they constantly reference. Eating actual pineapple programs your brain to easily recognize those exact same sweet, tart, and tropical aromatics the second you swirl and smell a glass of wine.
Pineapple is a powerhouse flavor that frequently shows up in several renowned white wines. Gary notes that if you are exploring white wines from the Alsace region of France, you will often pick up distinct, beautiful hints of this tropical fruit. More importantly, pineapple is a core, heavy flavor profile found in many expressions of Sauvignon Blanc. Depending on the specific climate where the grapes are grown, a Sauvignon Blanc can range from aggressively grassy and herbaceous (in cooler climates) to intensely tropical, juicy, and fruit-forward (in warmer climates).
Beyond French or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Gary also points out that pineapple notes can be found in Cortese, a crisp, bone-dry white grape from the Piedmont region of Italy (most famously used to make Gavi). By intentionally incorporating pineapple into your diet and tasting it multiple times, you completely strip away the snobbery of wine tasting. The next time you are trying to figure out how to pick wine for a warm summer day, you’ll know that if you love the bright, acidic punch of a pineapple, you will absolutely love a tropical-leaning Sauvignon Blanc!
Chapters:
0:00 – The Pineapple Taste Test
0:08 – Alsace Wines & Tropical Flavors
0:14 – The Sauvignon Blanc Flavor Profile
0:17 – Cortese & Italian White Wines
0:21 – How to Train Your Wine Palate at Home
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