Accumulators of Experiences
Cocktail Magazine edition No. 63, grateful for the opportunity.
It is said that tasters are accumulators of experiences and they are not wrong. We are always looking for new sources of aromas and flavors to gather the most information in our olfactory memory about different products, wines, piscos, or foods: olive oil, coffee, fruits, vegetables, or others. All the colors, smells, and flavors that surround us serve us to perform our job. Many of them bring us memories of the past: childhood, adolescence, moments of play, school, and friends. We relate experiences with aromas or flavors that we perceive in a pisco in order to offer an opinion. You don't have to be an expert to evaluate. If one is attentive, they quickly learn the art of tasting. Practice helps, but it's not everything. Sometimes we stop paying attention to what surrounds us, so we must do daily exercises of attention. Where are we right now? What aromas do we perceive? What does our environment tell us? The judge has to be as fair as possible.
We know that tasting is subjective and hedonistic; although if we gather a group of judges, we can achieve objective appreciations. Some time ago, we did the work of finding the descriptors of the eight pisco grapes. In each session, a group of 20 to 25 tasters gathered. Each one gave their opinion on a sample, and at the end, what was perceived by the majority was marked. If memories of fresh grass were perceived, we considered it as a descriptor. That is how we discovered most of the descriptors of our pisco grapes. Finally, the work was spread among the judges to be used in pisco competitions. The most difficult thing about sensory analysis of a pisco is being able to transmit on paper, with detail and precision, the sensations that it offers us in sight, smell, and taste. As we educate our senses, we learn to express ourselves verbally and in writing. In my opinion, a tasting vocabulary is needed to help us specify our criteria and translate them into values in the correct way.
I remember my tasting methodology teacher asking us, "What do you find in the nose?" You must concentrate and exercise your olfactory memory, search within yourself what the aroma reminds you of, separate everything in your mind, and concentrate. One of the techniques learned in blind tasting exams was the following: write down the first thing you perceive. Before that, you must have references in your olfactory memory for each of the eight pisco grapes. For Quebranta, neutral aromas; Negra Criolla, memories of the countryside and the woody stem of the vine; Italia, intense aromas; Albilla, chamomile. Those are my references regarding those grapes. They are recorded in my olfactory memory. Everyone must find their own. You lift the glass, what is the grape variety? In the second sniff, other aromas definitely appear. The mouth only confirms it. I must insist that if you hesitate, you lose. The important thing is to concentrate and be attentive. Many failed this test because confidence is the basis of everything. I am sure, good times are coming for pisco. Drink responsibly.
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Cocktail Magazine No. 63, april 06, 2023.
Cocktail magazine (spanish) in issuu
Pisco & music
April 2023.
Where pisco is the only protagonist!
#lapiscoteca #piscosour #winelover #pisco #pasionporlacata #bar #elpiscoesdelperu #vino #vinosdelperu #pisco #piscolover #Lima #Peru #Moquegua #Tacna #Arequipa #Ica
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