Episode 44: Master of Wine Tim Hanni Explains Why You Like The Wines You Like – Fifty Shades of Wine Science
What does an Altoid mint, a glass of Scotch, and a Brazilian wax have in common? It’s 50 shades of wine science this week. Tim Hanni, MW, author of Why You Like The Wines You Like: Changing the way the world thinks about wine, breaks down the physiological and other reasons why some wines taste – and feel – good to some people and not others. He’s a champion for sweet wine lovers, and Tim calls B.S. on some common ideas that may just take your enjoyment of wine up a notch. This is a refreshing, feel good episode, for sure.
Val: “Welcome Wine-Two-Five listeners! Thank you so much for joining us for Episode 44! I’m Val, and I’m here with Steph.”
Steph: “Hello everyone! Happy National Pizza Day! What!? Do we need a day for that? I eat pizza all the time because I’m a huge lover of pizza pie, with wine of course.”
Val: “I don’t eat as much of it as I’d like to, but adore it. Love it with beer, but oddly enough I reach for a Spanish wine when I do treat myself to it. But …”
Drinking:
Val: “Hey, Wine-Two-Fivers, have you tried any interesting wines this week?” Let us know on FaceBook and Twitter. Here’s our #W25Challenge update:
“Lynn posted a picture of her #W25Challenge input, Le Sabbie dell’Etna DOC Etna Rosso made with Nerello Mascalese & Nerello Cappuccio grown on volcanic slopes around Mt. Etna in Sicily is a great wine for all kinds of food.
“Susan posted #W25Challenge #6 – ‘tried Steph’s recipe for the lavender vodka (muddled lime & bluberries, soda) at a Super Bowl party – my vodka was over infused so also added honey and limoncello to give it a little sweetness. I called it the Bronco Crush!’ I asked her to promise not to combine these awesome things in a can and try to market them with that disturbing monkey puppy diapered creature of my nightmares.
“I had a Teroldego/Lagrein blend from the Dolomites, Trentino. Easy drinking, really brambly red berry fruit – reminds me of the lingonberry crepes I used to get at some breakfast joint (am sure that tasting note wouldn’t fly as a tasting note), but it’s interesting and fun, that’s for sure.”
Steph: “Super Bowl Sunday I opened a 2008 Casas del Bosque Gran Reserva Carignan from Chile ($16). Not something I would usually pick out for myself, and I’m happy to say that Adam at Supermarket Liquors knows what’s good for me. Thanks, Adam, you’re a pal, and I enjoyed this Carignan … Let’s move on to our guest.”
Val: “Yes! – with us today is Tim Hanni, Master of Wine! Tim is an internationally renowned ‘flavor maven.’ A professionally-trained chef, he is one of the first two resident Americans to successfully complet
e the examination and earn the title Master of Wine. He is a Certified Wine Educator accredited by the Society of Wine Educators. He has been involved with wine- and food-related businesses, education and research for over thirty-five years. Tim has a unique perspective on food and wine, providing a modern and innovative approach to the subject. He is also recognized for introducing the concept of the “umami” taste phenomenon to the wine and food community. Tim has lectured in over 27 countries around the world on the topics of flavor balancing, sensory sciences, wine and culinary history.
“Welcome Tim!”
During the podcast Tim talked to us about his book, Why You Like the Wines You Like: Changing the way the world thinks about wine and the message he wanted to get out to wine drinkers, particularly those who love sweet wines. There are physiological and experiential reasons for our different tastes, and it has nothing to do with “having a mature palate.” He strive
s to debunk – with a whole lot of humor – the concepts that many of us, particularly educators, are imparting into our charges that science is proving to be just that – bunk.
He also goes into the particulars of the Vinotype, and you can get your own personal wine Vinotype analysis here: www.myvinotype.com.
As one of the first two resident American MWs Tim also talks to us about his experience with the Master of Wine process, the organization and his place in it, and the professional and/or personal obligations that are assumed once you do become a Master of Wine.
We of course asked him to share an “embarrassing wine story,” as we ask all of our guests, and his stories are all so good that you will not be disappointed. This is, again, more proof that wine is for EVERYONE and EVERYONE should be encouraged to explore the wine world without being made to feel bad about their choices. Honestly, we’ve all gotten the looks from ordering a pink wine or something that the somm wouldn’t have recommended, like, ever. That stuff has to stop; and Tim will be standing by to defend you as an advocate for loving wine, not the “fertilizer” or “BS” that has made wine so intimidating. Bravo, Tim!
Now, listeners, do you want your wine voice heard? Here is the link for the latest wine consumer survey.
You can find more about the book, vinotyping and the survey at http://www.timhanni.com/
Factoid:
Steph: “Is this a factoid or is it on my WinoRadar? Doesn’t matter. I went to the dentist yesterday and my dental hygienist, Neeley, said the color of my teeth looked good despite my wine habit. I laughed, sort of, you know how that goes when you’re laid back in the dentist chair with your mouth stretched open.
“Anyway, she was telling me how some people have worse teeth staining than others just because genetically their enamel is more porous. That’s a bummer. And of course, then I started thinking about our beloved Wine Two Fivers … so I found this cute, but dated, article on line – “7 Tricks to Keep Red Wine from Staining Your Teeth”.
“Some of these tricks are new to me, like eating hard cheese – ‘Eating cheese will cause calcium to build up on your teeth, as well as close the tiny micro-pores on the surface’ or the suggestion NOT to drink white wine before red wine because ‘the acidity of white wine erodes your enamel and basically acts as a primer, making the red wine tannins stick to your teeth more.’
“I’m not going to do any controlled trials at this point, especially since I got an atta-Boy from my dental hygienist, but it would be fun to see if I could eye-ball a difference attempting any of these recommendations.
“Val? Do you have any tricks in your bag?”
Val: “Actually, I was just at the dentist last week as well. The cheese with wine thing was verified by her, as well as a Canadian dentist that was with us on our South Africa wine trip last year. My only other trick is what some view as a disgusting habit, but it’s chewing gum. I used to chew gum during my day when I couldn’t get to a toothbrush, such as after coffee, after eating, and after wine on a girl’s night out. I mentioned to my hygienist that I most certainly spent less time in the chair during my gum chewing days.”
Shoutouts:
Steph: “Justin Vineyards in Paso Robles, CA. We recently did a vertical tasting of their Isosceles 00-07, however we were missing their 2003 and 2004. I think we made up for it by throwing in 2 bottles of the Reserve for comparison.
“Looks like you can buy a vertical experience of their Isosceles “library wines” through their website. Wouldn’t that be an impressive Valentine’s gift for your wine loving squeeze!?”
Val: “Can I just shout out to you and Justin and our wonderful hosts (Chris and Janet) for inviting us participate in that amazing evening?! These were some beautifully well-made wines paired with great conversation, incredible cooking and unparalleled hospitality.”
New Review on iTunes!
Our latest review from “WyoGirl79” on iTunes, entitled, Wine O’clock, made us just so happy this week. “What a great podcast!! These gals are so much fun AND informative!!”
Listen to the episode and Tim’s interview in its entirety: