By Lou Phillips ·
Christa Finn and Dean Schaecher at The Pour House ·
A wine flight can be defined as enjoying multiple, taste-sized pours of wine that are served together. Another meaning can be that a path to wine knowledge can be seen as a soaring journey. I like both as metaphors, so here we go.
Wine flighting (invented phrase) is obviously going to be fun as we taste multiple wines in the beautiful Tahoe region. We also are going to get an education in wine varietals, regions and tasting.
Have a plan
Let’s pick a theme to follow for each adventure. This will allow us to compare appearances, aromas, flavors and anything else that springs to mind. For starters, we might explore Aromatic Whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc (Vouvray or South Africa are good choices), and Gewurtztraminer (from Mendocino or Alsace, France, these regions rock the Gewurz). Another good starting point could be Medium Body Reds such as Beaujolais, Pinot Noir and Dolcetto.
Once we start thinking of themes and experiencing the flights, more ideas will come easily. Aromatic Whites may lead to side roads such as White Wines of Italy or Southern Hemisphere Chardonnays. The foray into Medium Body Reds may morph into Pinot Noirs from Five Continents. You get the picture.
Many wine bars have pre-set flight options based on wine themes that servers can explain.
Have a destination
Part of the fun of any journey comes from atmosphere and a knowledgeable guide, and our local wine bars have both in spades. The Pour House in Truckee (thepourhousetruckee.com) or any of the Uncorked/Petra locations (teloswine.com) or Bite in Incline Village (bitetahoe.com) are good places to start. They have a variety of wines, wine-loving staffs and are already set up to serve flights.
Take flight(s)
For this step, we can go solo or grab a friend or three and spread your wings. Some of my most fun-filled Flight Nights have come to life when I started by taking myself out on a date.
Learn
On second thought. don’t worry about step four. When we enjoy the first three steps, step four will take care of itself.
Lou Phillips is a Level 3 (Advanced) Sommelier and Wine Educator specializing in advising private collectors, businesses and just-plain folks. He may be reached at (775) 544-3435 or wineguru123@gmail.com.
