Upon Opening, It Gave Off a Nose of “Damp Forest Floor,” But With Some Air It Was “Elderflower” With Just a Hint of “Marzipan”

Posted by Jeff Lipshaw

If like me, you are a fan of, but overwhelmed by, Steve Bainbridge’s knowledge of food and wine, there’s a product for you.  My wife ordered the WSJ Wine starter kit, and I have no idea if this stuff is any good, but it comes with a poster-like “Taste Prompter” that is something like a color wheel.  Tastes are categorized into Vegetal, Chemical, Earth, Animal, Spice, Sweet, Fruit, Wood, Flower, and Fire.  Then there are further subdivisions (e.g., Wood divides into Nuts and Resins; Fruit divides into Tree Fruit, Processed, Tropical, Citrus, and Berry).  Then we get to the tastes themselves.  As an aspiring horseman, I like “sweaty saddle.”  “Honeysuckle” sounds nice, but I can do without “roofing felt.”  Same with “almond” and “pencil-shaving.”  I was disappointed to see there is no “crumbling Northeast Reporter 2d.”