Tasting season is the time to observe the oenophile

Studying the species Consumerus bibulous in action during tasting season is almost as fun as sampling the wines. Cheers to science!

By Chris Sherman, Times Staff Writer
Published January 31, 2008

California researchers recently reported that, given a choice of two identical glasses of wine, consumers prefer the one that they think costs more.

Eureka!

No news here. We've conducted field studies of the species Consumerus bibulous for years at wine tastings and found that the species has numerous irrational behaviors and customs.

When they flock, as they do during the winter tasting season, they are in bright mating plumage, also known as cocktail attire. Sometimes they engage in serious battle for territory or for the status of alpha drinker.

It is a fascinating species to watch, especially when the observer is also tasting of the grape from a safe vantage point. There will be many opportunities to see - or even join - Consumerus bibulous, starting this weekend at the Einstein on Wine event at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa.

No matter how rarefied the setting and expensive the cost, there are common attributes to the breed:

- Herd mentality: Huge lines will form at the best-known vendors, say an Outback booth, for a bit of grilled steak or bloomin' onion the tasters have already tasted but apparently think might taste better now because it's "free."

- Herd mentality II: Other tasters pick up the scent early of the most expensive wine on the floor, say an $80 super Tuscan or a just-released reserve cabernet. They pronounce it fabulous even though wines of this caliber are often tannic and tough right out of the box.

- Braying: Tasters who take a prominent position in front of a booth not to ask a question but to regale vendor and those waiting for a taste with an inventory of their cellar, the last visit they made to France, and their verdict on the wine at hand, which is, of course, not the best they've had.

- Gobbling: Unlike some animals who eat or drink only what they need or enjoy, Consumerus bibulous demands full glasses of anything to get their money's worth, whether they paid $10 or $100 for a ticket. Occasionally such behavior meets defensive or offensive postures from wine pourers who insist on leading tasters through each of 11 bottles on the table or give a geography lesson that would make Bacchus swear off drinking.

Always evolving

With time, observations, careful breeding and evolution may produce an advanced species of Homo oenophilius who rises above the old breed. A wine tasting is a ritual of courtship - also known as a sales pitch. Yet it also can be enjoyable and graceful.

Early lab studies predict a new group of tasters and pourers in development will exhibit prudence and a slower, firmer pace. Among the features science hopes to enhance:

- Tasters who think before they drink. They will scout the hunting ground and fix their targets for the night, say pinot noir, rieslings, the 2005 French vintage, or Italian reds.

- They will not stand in line for wines they know they like, but will take advantage of the chance to try wines they don't know. They will know enough about their own likes to say "I'm a fan of zinfandel" or "I hate dry wines."

- If they drink a variety they will make several circuits: one for whites, one for reds, and finish with dessert wines. Should they stay at a table for several samples they will use the spit bucket.

- They will be astute enough to realize that if a wine is poured at a Florida tasting, that generally means it is sold in Florida. Similarly cognizant pourers will recognize tasters who want advice, a complete tour or just one offering; the advanced will signal prices with written tags.

Above all, the new generation of tasters will spot their prey, move in quickly, get their pour and retreat to a quiet oasis. Reunited with their own small pack they will savor wine and friends.

And observe their fellow wildlife.

Chris Sherman can be reached at csherman@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8585.

Einstein on Wine

At Einstein on Wine on Saturday, tasters can pair their chardonnay with classical science as well as cultural anthropology.

The tasting at the museum spreads more than 200 wines and dozens of food stations through MOSI's three floors. That turns the museum into both wine tasting and science fair, with great observation posts on the balconies for people watching.

Letting adults have hands-on fun with exhibits during the tasting, a fundraiser for the museum, is deliberate. "It's more than just a glass of wine," said MOSI's Shani Jefferson.

While the planetarium and the high-wire bicycle ride above the atrium will be closed (a wise call), adults will have free run of most of the museum.

Tasters can step behind the surgical curtain to watch open-chest surgery or check their heartbeat in "The Amazing You," sail above Earth or stimulate their senses in a tour of "Demystifying India." Those who want to stand in a hurricane tube, feel a tornado or create a flood may find "Disasterville" sobering.

Appropriately, the first floor exhibit of shipwrecks, pirates and treasure hunters will be the VIP section. All tasters, however, can line up for an IMAX showing of Will Smith as the scientist battling to turn back the plague in I Am Legend after the tasting (9:30 and 11:30 p.m., $8.95 to $10.95).

The tasting costs $70 in advance, $80 at the door.

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A sampling of wine tastings

Saturday's Einstein on Wine is the first of a full season of opportunities to partake of the grape. Here are some of the biggest events:

Saturday: Einstein on Wine. A grand tasting and auction amid the exhibits in the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa to benefit MOSI. Details: www.mosi.org, (813) 987-6000.

Feb. 7-8: Napa Valley Vintners. Fifty Napa wineries will pour their latest wines in an outdoor tasting the first night at Bay Street in International Plaza in Tampa followed by a private dinner in St. Petersburg the next night, all to benefit Abilities Foundation. Details: www.abilitiesfoundation.com, (727) 538-7370.

March 8: Abilities Tropicana Tasting. Wine stores and distributors around the area will pour hundreds of wines, showcasing the latest from Washington state, with food prepared by top Tampa Bay area restaurants, all on the diamond at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Details: www.abilitiesfoundation.com, (727) 538-7370.

March 29: International Rum Festival. Distillers, blenders and importers from around the world will pour rum, ron, rhum, Brazilian cachaca and other cane spirits in Ybor City. Details: www.polishedpalate.com.

April 11-14: Bern's Winefest. Tampa's culinary landmark hosts three days of dinners, seminars and grand tastings under big white tents surrounding SideBern's and Bern's wine store. Details: www.bernsfinewines.com, (813) 250-9463.

April 24-27: Sarasota's Florida Winefest & Auction. More than 50 wineries will pour wines during four days of tastings. There also will be chefs' banquets, balls, seminars and an auction, and a sidewalk fair is planned on St. Armands Circle. Details: www.floridawinefest, toll-free 1-800-216-6199.

May 3: SeagrapesWineries and area restaurants host a tasting amid the tanks and displays of the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Details: www.flaquarium.org, (813) 273-4000.

May 15-17: Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival. Southern Wine and Spirits along with Abilities sponsor three days of dinners, tastings, parties and chefs competitions at the Don CeSar Resort and on the sands of St. Pete Beach. Details: www.tampabaywineandfoodfestival.com.

[Last modified January 30, 2008, 12:36:56]