Honestly, ask yourself: have you sniffed taint recently? I mean really sniffed taint? Rigorously. Methodically. Intensively.

Do you know how to rectify your taint after you’ve sniffed it? Are you certain?

Did you know that not all taints are foul smelling? Some folks think some taints smell pleasant. It really depends on the person.

There is so much to learn about taints, in fact, that UC Davis has put together a 2-day taint symposium. There you can go and sniff taints – uninterrupted – with your peers. It’s really quite exciting.

I’ll be going. Will I perchance see you there as well dear reader? I hope I do!

Here’s the full itinerary of taints:

Wine production is all about flavor: getting it in the vineyard, enhancing it during processing, retaining it in the bottle and marketing it to the consumer. We are pleased to announce the creation of a new series of programs focused on all aspects of flavor development called “Wine Flavor 101”. Our goal is to expand the knowledge and recognition of wine flavor attributes, the specific impact compounds and their interactions and the mechanisms by which flavor can be manipulated or modified. A combination of commercial wines, spiked wines and wines deliberately made using different processing techniques will all be featured in the sensory recognition portion of these programs. The programs for December, 2009 include:

Wine Flavor 101A: Identifying and Reducing Flavor Negatives: Dec. 7, 2009 This seminar will include both lectures and sensory evaluation of these taint characters: 1) Green characters from the vineyard 2) Sulfur taints 3) Brettanomyces taints and 4) winery taints: the musty family. Each lecture will go into the nature of each of the taints and what can be done to avoid them, or recify them, if necessary. Following the lecture, attendees will be tasting wines that have either been spiked with the offensive compounds and/or research or commercial wines that clearly display the taint characters.

Wine Flavor 101B: Identifying and Reducing Flavor Negatives: Dec. 8, 2009 The second seminar in this series will cover the following taint characters in both lecture and sensory evaluation formats: 1) Oxidative taints 2) Lactic taints 3) Rose and floral taints and 4) Earthy and smoky taints

TO REGISTER FOR ONE OR BOTH SESSIONS, GO TO: http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=4278

MAP: The Wine Flavor 101A & B will be held in the Activities and Recreation Center on the UCDavis campus, on LaRue Road, just off Russell Blvd. Map and directions can be found at the ARC site here: http://campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu/cms/internal.aspx?uid=0ebe886d-4128-4f81-8922-66301b508950

THE PROGRAM

Wine Flavor 101A: Identifying and Reducing Flavor Negatives: Dec. 7, 2009
8:00-9:00: Registration, Coffee and Welcome: David Block
9:00-9:30: Overview of Wine Taints for this Session: Linda Bisson
9:30-10:15: Green Characters from the Vineyard: Susan Ebeler
10:30-11:15: Sensory Evaluation of Green-Taint Characters: Susan Ebeler
11:15-12:00: The Sulfur Taints: Linda Bisson
12:00-1:00: LUNCH
1:00-1:30: Sensory Evaluation of Sulfur-Taint Characters: Linda Bisson
1:30-2:15: The Brettanomyces Taints: Lucy Joseph
2:30-3:00: Recognizing Brett Taints: Lucy Joseph, Linda Bisson
3:00-3:30: Winery Taints: The Musty Family: Paula Mara
3:45-4:15: Sensory Evaluation of “Musties”: Paula Mara, Linda Bisson
4:15-4:30: Discussion/Questions: Linda Bisson

Wine Flavor 101B: Identifying and Reducing Flavor Negatives: Dec. 8, 2009
8:00-9:00: Registration, Coffee and Welcome: David Block
9:00-9:45: Overview of Wine Taints for this Session: Linda Bisson
9:45-10:30: Oxidative Taints: Linda Bisson
10:45-11:15: Sensory Evaluation of Oxidative-Taint Aromas: Linda Bisson
11:15-12:00: The Lactic Taints: Lucy Joseph
12:00-1:00: LUNCH
1:00-1:30: Sensory Evaluation of Lactic Taint Aromas: Lucy Joseph, Linda Bisson
1:30-2:15: Rose and Floral Taints: Linda Bisson
2:30-3:00: Sensory Evaluation of Floral-Taint Aromas: Linda Bisson
3:00-3:30: Earthy and Smoky Taints: Linda Bisson
3:45-4:15: Sensory Evaluation of Earthy and Smoky Taints: Linda Bisson
4:15-4:30: Discussion/Questions: Linda Bisson

If you have any questions, please either email me at klbogart@ucdavis.edu or call me at 530-754-9876.

And here’s the link to register. Cost is $400.00 for both taint-filled days.