Building a wine flight involves selecting wines with a connection to compare flavors. Wines can be chosen by vintage, cellar, wine type, wine style, or a progressive tasting. Horizontal and vertical tastings are also options.
Building a wine flight is a great way to highlight individual profiles and distinctions in a group of wines. The wines chosen for a flight should have some kind of connection so that they can be compared to each other. To choose the best wines for a wine flight, consider using a vintage, cellar, wine type, or wine style as a guide.
A wine’s vintage can tell a lot about its flavor profile. Weather patterns and soil conditions can vary from year to year, imparting subtle flavor variations to the growing grapes. Choosing a selection of wines from the same year, or vintage, is a good way to build a wine flight. Known as horizontal tasting, this type of flight may work best if the wines chosen are all from the same geographic region, since they will all have experienced similar conditions for the year.
A vertical tasting flight is created when wines from the same company are used. Since a winery is distinguished by its cultivation methods, aging and fermentation process, and varietal combinations, it makes sense to construct a flight that analyzes the “philosophy” of a specific company. Since many wineries produce different types of wine, this can also be a good way to build a wine flight for a party with different tastes. It may be preferable to choose wines for vertical flight by visiting the cellar in person, as most carry some “cellar-only” varietals and vintages that won’t be available elsewhere.
An excellent way to choose wines for a flight is to use only one type of wine. By comparing merlot, chardonnay, or pinot grigio from different vineyards and vintages, the characteristics of the wine type are better understood. A single variety wine flight is a good way to better understand the flavors and profile of a particular type of wine. Monovarietal flights are also a good way to indulge a passion for a specific type of wine.
Similar to a single variety tasting, a wine-style flight uses wines that may be different varietals, but have similar characteristics or a common soil type. A dessert wine flight, for example, might use a variety of fortified and sweetened wines, such as port, sherry and ice wine. A sparkling wine flight might include a bottle of Champagne from France, a direct brut, and a sparkling mid-season rose. Another fun way to go on a wine-style flight is to choose wines in a specific price range, such as reds under $15 US Dollars (USD) or sparklers between $30-$50 USD. Wine-style flights can be fun to pair with tapas and small desserts, choosing dishes that help bring out each bottle’s distinct personality.
Those with a little more wine knowledge may want to consider building a progressive tasting. These flights use wine in a specific sequence, to help build a harmonious symphony of flavors that move from one wine to the next. A progressive flight might start with a light-bodied Pinot Noir, move into a medium, jammy Cabernet Sauvignon, and end with a smoky, spiced Zinfandel. Most wine shops employ knowledgeable staff members who can help customers choose good wines for a progressive flight.
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