Florida International University wine professor Barry Gump has just completed three weeks teaching wine appreciation to English-speaking students in Tianjin, China. Pictured here are some of his students, many of whom adoped Western-style nicknames so their professor wouldn’t have to struggle with their Chinese names. From left, Wang Xiao, Huang Yanan (Fiona), Wang Shuang (Amy), Sha Wei, and Fan Quin (Wendy).
Prof. Gump has been blogging from his Chinese post. This is one of his final entries:
Last evening we had our final exam. It consisted of the students tasting five wines -- all Chinese -- and making comments on them (color, clarity, aroma/bouquet, taste/texture) as a test of what wine terms they have picked up in our short time together. I also asked them to describe any flaws they found, as three of the wines were corked (were spoiled by tainted corks). I had two bottles of Chinese Grace Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, and one was slightly corked.
I was pleased upon grading the exams that many in the class picked up on the cork taint in several wines -- at the least saying the wine smelled terrible, and better describing a moldy, wet newspaper smell. Of those who tasted both bottles of the Cabernet, again, most noted that they were different wines with one having nice fruit and not-to-objectionable tannins, and good balance while the other was lacking fruit, some vegy aspects to the nose, and was way too tannic.
I had a Sauvignon Blanc that was left over from a class last week. I left the cork out and would shake air into the bottle daily to get some oxidative character. Again, a few in the class picked up on the oxidation -- for others it was the best wine presented.
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