My Little Black Book

I started writing tasting notes right before I started blogging & sort of, but not quite, a few years ago. One year La got me The Unoffical Guide To Wine & I started writing the name of each bottle we purchased & where it was from. No tasting notes or whether or not we liked the bottle, just the basic info. The few blank pages at the end of the book filled up rather quickly. Looking back I am glad I did this. When I read some of the names I could remember the occasion & hazy details of enjoying the wine. This marked my unofficial genesis of becoming a wine geek.

The picture is of my current & second 'little black book'. My first one was half was filled with caffeine fueled coffee roasting notes & then, the vinous words of my new wine obsession took over & the rest of the pages are now filled with tasting notes & purple stains.

Why take notes?

Well, I do it for many reasons. Blogging about wine being one. Another reason is, I feel it helps to hone my palate & figure out what I really enjoy about certain wines. I tend to ponder the flavor & nuances of the wine more when taking notes. I start to wonder about the process of how the wine was made, why certain flavors are stronger or more subdued. It raises my awareness of what I am drinking in a sense.

Of course I can delve that deeply into a glass of wine without taking notes, but I like having a reminder on paper, so I can remember all the details. For instance, I was thinking the other day about a wine I recently tried, that reminded me of an orange creamsicle & I couldn't remember the name or variety of wine at all, but I could taste vividly it in my mind. After thumbing through a few pages, I saw where I had noted those flavors under my notes for a 2005 Epiphany Grenache Rosé. It was very good rosé, but I also noted how it was huge for a rosé too. This bad boy came in at 14.5% alcohol too. Too much for a 95º+ day outside in the sprinkler.

My notes are not strictly for record keeping either. My notebooks are like a scrap book of fond wine memories & some bad ones too. Taking tasting notes or at least noting the bottles you drink is something I would recommend to anyone who enjoys wine & doesn't mind looking like a total wine geek.