Wine reviews can sometimes be a bit... annoying. Once in a while, the flavors described in a review will actually come through in the wine, but more often than not the "crisp" flavor and "pineapple notes" are nowhere to be seen. Or, at least, they cannot be identified by the average wine drinker.
To actually get some use out of the reviews, we've come up with a game to play the next time you have some friends over. Print out a copy of the review and pour each of your friends a glass of the wine. As they sample it, get them to try and guess how the reviewer described it. They almost always involve a fruit or a wood, so that's a good one to guess, but you can get creative. Here's a review to get you started:
Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay (2004) is reviewed by Bevmo: "Creamy and pear-like in the aromas and perky and citrusy on the palate, the finely balanced '04 Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay finishes bright and lively."
Could you guess that it is "creamy" or has fruits like "pear" and "citrus"? And did you notice that it was "lively"? Interestingly, you can beat the game because there are terms that reviewers love to use, like multi-layered, complex, blackberries and smoky. Use them as your fallback guesses.
And trust me when I say that the game gets more fun as you sample more wines.
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