We’re getting more snow here in Boston.  This is ridiculous.  I’m throwing in the towel, Mother Nature wins.

Here’s what you should do.

Invite a bunch of friends over, order our special of the week 6 wines-$69.99, at 20% off (some higher priced wines, together only $11.67 a bottle),  have it brought to you in the Drizly crate for no delivery fee, and have yourselves a wine tasting. Easy.

Before we dive into the Seven S’s and descriptions it is worth taking a second to talk about pricing.  Generally speaking, most people assume that the higher the $$$ the better the wine–this doesnt always hold true.  A beginning wine drinker is going to have a hard time identifying why a wine is so valuable, often times spending the extra money just doesn’t add up.  In our opinion, there are some great wines from $10-$18.  So we recommend for those of you out there looking to learn more about wine and develop a palate to enjoy the more complex ones to stay below $20 for now.

In Part 1 we talked about some of the basics of serving and tasting wine, and introduced this week’s grape.  Part 2 explains how to go about tasting, and what to look for in each of the 6 wines.

The Seven (or six, if you’re like me) S’s

• SEE the wine: the color, the clarity, and intensity.

Each grape is going to have different colors, equating to different densities. Hold the glass up against something white and take note of what you see.  Can you see through the glass?  Most Cabs are dense and will not be translucent.  What colors does the wine take on at the edges?  You’ll find that with these 6 wines there is a deeper, maroon, color to the wine, even as it’s brought up to light.  This initial visual, check will give you a sense of what the wine will taste like.  The darker and less translucent the “bigger” the grape, and you should expect a heavier wine.

• SWIRL the glass to release the aromas.

The swirl can be done on the table or raised, with the glass up towards light for more “Seeing”.  Note-If you’re like me, or you’re on bottles 4-6, make sure the glass is on the table when you swirl, or it will end up on you.  Don’t be gentle with this.  The wine has been sitting in a bottle for years, it’s important that it swirls, so move the glass around and don’t be afraid to make a mini-whirlpool.  Doing this correctly will help with the next step.

• SMELL the wine.

This begins your tasting experience; smell plays such a large role in what you taste.  So get your nose in the glass, and look for the qualities and aromas of the wine like spicy, nutty, fruity, floral, or anything else you can use to describe what you smell. There is no right or wrong answer, but we’ve given you some aroma notes with each wine so you can get your bearings.

• SIP the wine.

Take a small amount of the wine in your mouth along with a small bit of air, almost slurping the wine in – this will aerate the wine further and bring out more flavor as the wine hits your taste buds. Remember, a small amount, for your first sip, don’t gulp it.

• SAVOR the wine. Swish the wine around, hitting every part of your mouth.

While you’re swishing it around you may look a bit ridiculous, but if there are 6-10 of you at once it’s actually pretty funny.  Taking a small sip will mitigate how ridiculous you look too. This part, while being a bit awkward at first, is one of the most important parts.   Here’s where you really focus on the tastes. The wine, and tannins, will hit different parts of your mouth (tongue, gums, cheeks…) and each part will react differently. Focus on what you taste, again, using the descriptions below as a starting point, how the tannins taste and the different levels between each wine—but know that there’s no right or wrong taste.

• SPIT/SWALLOW the wine.

You don’t HAVE to drink the wine, especially if you are doing a tasting and driving from winery to winery.  But since you’ve most likely had this delivered, drink away.

• SCORE the wine.

I said “six, if you’re like me”, because this part is optional, but it is recommended.  Keeping track of what you liked, certain characteristics, particular regions, etc. will all help when selecting wine in the future.

It is also good to note that some people like to smell and sip once before they swirl, and its something I recommend doing with a couple of these wines. Take a smell and small sip once before opening up the wine with the swirling, and then notice the before and after—many of these wines will take on a whole new characteristic, and swirling won’t just be for show.

The Wines

Villa des Anges- This Bordeaux hails from the south of France, where the climate is warm and the wines are dry.  After swirling see if you can pick up subtle hints of medium (as opposed to dark) fruits, and when you drink this wine look for black cherries and spices (mainly pepper).

Cucao Cabernet Sauvignon- Cucao is the only South American wine on the list; Chile is a great value region, great wines with big flavors at great prices and this bottle is no exception. Look for darker fruits when you are smelling this Cab, and the tannins after you taste should be fresh and not terribly dry—the fruits, cherries/black raspberries will also be there when you taste.

C&B Reserve Cabernet– From Sonoma, California, C&B is going to have all the characteristics of a great Alexander Valley California Cabernet. The spice and dark fruits will be there when you smell the wine, but there will also be an earthiness to it (a flavor found in the middle of your tongue and gums) that is only found in Alexander Valley. The tannins in this wine will be light and supple, the dryness is balanced well.

Midnight Cabernet-Midnight is a great Cab made in Pasa Robles, California.  This wine is “California with a personality” and is really fun to drink. It has big, great, tastes with tons of flavors. It will be a bit more acidic than some of the other wines, as opposed to dry, because of the colder nights in Pasa Robles. You’ll want to look for earthy notes and cherries when you smell it, and tons of complex fruit and silkiness, as you taste it. This wine is our favorite on the list.

Conte Loredan Gasparini Cabernet Sauvignon-An Italian?! On a Cab list!?…I know, blasphemous right? (Wine joke, ha.) You won’t find many Italian wineries putting out Cabernets, but this is a great example of how lots of Italian regions are experimenting with international varietals—a trend that is growing quickly in Italian winemaking. This is a big, open wine. Notice the differences between this and the California wines, same grape, but halfway around the world. The Loredan is a classic Montello wine aged for a year in oak barrels, so you’ll get great oak flavors with the traditional Cab fruits and spices.

Semonlon Cabernet Sauvignon- This Bordeaux rounds out our six wines.  This winery is on the boarder of the prestigious St. Julien region—a very appealing and exclusive area of Bordeaux. Look for wonderful flavors of currants and dark fruit, which make this wine really smooth and pleasant to drink. The tannins here are soft and the wine takes on an almost elegant, supple flavor.  They are petitioning to join the St. Julien region, and if they are accepted (which we’ve heard will happen) this wine will go from the high teens to the low 40’s–definitely the best value on this list.

Questions? Didn’t understand? Comments? Shoot me an email- Nick@Drizly.com

Images: Wine Bottles Villa des Anges Semonlon