Wine: Questions of taste

2010 Stoneleigh Rapaura Series Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $26.99. Photo / Supplied

How subjective is wine tasting? Every time that question comes up, the first word to spring to my lips is "totally", but it's quickly followed by: "but it's also quite objective - once you know what you're looking for".

Yes, I'm having a quid each way.

As does the book, Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine (Oxford University Press, $38.99) by Barry C. Smith and Jancis Robinson. This isn't exactly bedtime reading, although the writers are talented wordsmiths and, annoyingly, they also have a quid each way on most questions of taste.

Take Smith's argument that only great wine can give the drinker a great experience. Ordinary wine cannot do this, says Smith, who works at the University of London's Institute of Philosophy.

All this reminds me of two good pinot noirs I tasted last month. Neither is ordinary, but one is, I think, extraordinary.

One was a light Marlborough pinot noir fruit bomb. The other needed air. Lots of it. Its big, brooding flavours needed to sit in a glass, jug or decanter where the air could unlock its soft side.

The wines were both Main Divide pinots, so they were sisters, but, like most siblings, their personalities were nothing alike.

The Tehau Pinot Noir comes from North Canterbury and the Tipinui Pinot Noir comes from Marlborough, but as well as coming from different regions, they also differ in their alcohol content - which can dramatically alter the flavour of a wine; lifting or overwhelming its aromatics, its flavours and its overall taste.

While I was smitten by the multi-layered flavours of the North Canterbury pinot, a pinot noir-drinking visitor instantly preferred the lighter cherry taste and upfront sweetness of the Marlborough.

Wine preferences are subjective, but they can easily be influenced by exposure to a vast range of wines. And the greater the exposure, the more likely your preferences are to adjust towards the styles most often in your glass.

Wines of the week

2008 Main Divide Tehau Reserve Waipara Valley Pinot Noir, $32.95
Big, bold, structured but elegant, this stunning pinot noir from North Canterbury's Waipara sub-region has great flavour, body and length. An impressive wine from Lynnette Hudson and Matt Donaldson. pegasusbay.com

2009 Greywacke Riesling, $29
Riesling is the queen of white wines for me, and here it shines in every sip made by Marlborough wine pioneer and photographer extraordinaire, Kevin Judd, who released his second vintage of Greywacke Wines this year. This outstanding Marlborough riesling has luscious fresh lime flavours. It's made with grapes grown at Ashmore Vineyard in Fairhall, opposite the mouth of the Brancott Valley, on gravelly clay-loam soils. greywacke.com

2010 Stoneleigh Rapaura Series Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $26.99
Marlborough winemaker Jamie Marfell had great grapes and an outstanding vintage in 2010, and has created a fresh, bold white with lively concentration in every sip. stoneleigh.co.nz