There are three levels of a wine’s aroma that you will hear a wine specialist refer to.  The first is its primary, or varietal, aroma, the smell of the variety of grape used to make the wine.  And then its secondary, or vinous, aroma, which is developed during the pre-fermentation and fermentation processes and is a by-products of the yeast activities.

Then, finally, you will hear specialists speak to the bouquet of the wine, or its tertiary aroma.  This is the most complex of the smell of the wine, taking time—sometimes years—to fully develop.   In essence, the bouquet of the wine comes from the aging process.  For example, if a vintner uses oak barrels, that may contribute to the spicy, smoky, or vanilla scent of a wine.

When evaluating wine by the smell, you should first give the glass a vigorous swirl in order to allow oxygen to enter the wine.  This will cause the wine to release its scents.  Put your nose near the rim of the glass, using care to hover just over the top of the rim.  Don’t inhale deeply but rather take a series of quick, short sniffs.  It helps to keep your mouth slightly open.  After breathing in the aroma of the wine, take a moment to process what you smell.

First, were there any off-aromas?  Did you smell musty wet newspaper?  The smell of burnt matches?  Vinegar?  Did the wine reek of sweat?  Anything off-smelling could indicate spoilage, volatile acids, too much sulfur dioxide, or other flaws that deem the wine unpalatable or not fit for consumption.

After determining there are no flaws, smell for the aroma of fruit.  As your nose becomes more trained you will be able to detect a spectrum of possible fruit scents that will help you to identify the growing conditions of the vineyard—in other words, were the grapes grown in a mostly cool climate, a moderate climate, or a very warm climate?  It is also possible to determine the terrain of the vineyard by the varietal aroma of the wine.

Some of the complex tertiary smells you may encounter are the more complex scents of flowers, grass, earth/mineral/rocks, tack-room leather, smoke, vanilla, chocolate, espresso, or roasted nuts.  Remember, these bouquets are a remnant of the aging process of the wine itself, and they are the elements that give the wine its valued complexity.

There are different aromas associated with white wines than with their red counterparts, but regardless of the color of the wine, the fruit should smell clean and fresh.  While earth and mineral smells are considered complex, dirt in the fruit is not a desirable trait.

Putting words to the wine aromas will help you to focus, understand, and retain your impression of different wines.  Your memory is a good means for determining wine smells and what they mean, and learning some of the language of vintners and wine specialists will certainly take you far.  But the list is vast and can be confusing, especially when you are first learning.   A great resource is the Davis Wine Aroma Wheel, designed to help you learn to describe the complex flavors of wine.

In reality, there is no right or wrong way to nose a wine.  There are tips to get you started and tips to help you progress in your knowledge, but in the end, do what works for you to evaluate by aroma.  It’s not rocket science, but rather just a tool to help you fully enjoy your wine-drinking experience!  Cheers!

The post What’s Your Wine? Evaluating with the Nose appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Prepare your cake

1. Leveling – You can use a cake leveler if you have one handy, but a serrated knife will also work. Place the cake on a flat surface then “saw” back and forth to remove the crown. Keep the knife as level as possible.
2. Fill the cake, if desired – Fill a decorating bag with medium-consistency icing. Using a wide round tip (1M) create a circle of icing around the outside border of the cake (the circle should be just inside the outside edge of the cake, about ¾” high. Fill the center with whichever filling you prefer—icing, fruit, or pudding work well. Place the next leveled layer on top
3. Icing the cake – Keeping crumbs out of your icing is easy if you don’t allow the spatula to contact the surface of the cake. Use a large amount of thin consistency icing.
   Spread the icing across the top, working from the middle to the edges. Smooth using the edge of the spatula. Cover the sides with icing and smooth by holding the spatula upright with the edge. (Using a turntable will make this an easier task.) Rotate the cake slightly and repeat from new starting point. Continue with the same series of steps until the cake is covered and smooth.

Decorate your cake

1. After removing the ring from the coupler base, drop the base, narrow end first, into the bag and push it in as far as it can go. Cut an opening in the bag at the coupler.
   Push the coupler base down through the opening (one thread should be showing). Choose a decorating tip and place it over the base that is extended from the bag
   Put the ring over the tip and twist it on.
2. Fill your decorating bag
   Hold the bag at the small opening while forming a cuff with the larger opening (the cuff should fold down over your hand)
   Fill the bag with about ½ cup of icing using an angled spatula (do not overfill)
   Close the bag by unfolding the cuff and twisting the bag closed
   Release any air trapped in the bag by squeezing some icing out

Buttercream techniques (a few ideas to get you started)

There are a few basic when concocting icing to use with decorating bags and tips.  Most important of these may be the consistency of the frosting you will be working with.  Remember these tips before selecting your techniques:

• Stiff icing works best on flowers with upright petals
• Medium icing is used for stars, borders, and flowers with flat petals
• Thin icing is great for frosting the base layer of your cake.  It also works best for writing and for piping vines and leaves

After you understand consistency, you can dive in to making shapes.  Be sure to practice how to apply pressure; it is an important part of how your shapes turn out!
Star: This basic design is easily achieved using medium consistency frosting and any star decorating tip. Holding the bag at 90°, about ¼” above the surface, squeeze to form a star. Increasing or decreasing the pressure will determine its size. Stop pressure then pull straight away to give you a perfect star shape.

Swirl drop flowers: Use a drop flower decorating tip (2D, 3). Turn your hand ¼ turn so the back of your hand is away from you. Slowly squeeze out the icing while turning your hand until the back returns to its natural position. Stop squeezing and lift the tip straight up. Decorate the flower center with a different color, using a small round tip to create a dot in the center of the drop flower.Flower icing should be medium consistency, centers should be thin.

Shell: Possibly the most popular method for borders, use a star tip with a wider opening (21) and medium consistency icing. Squeeze hard and let the icing fan out. It will force the tip up. Gradually relax pressure and lower the tip, pulling the bag toward you until the tip again reaches the surface of the cake. Pull the tip along the surface to form a point, relaxing pressure as you do so. Continue the process to form a chain if you are creating a border.

Vines: Using thin consistency icing and a round tip (3), hold the bag at a 45° angle. Gently touch the tip to the surface and squeeze the bag, moving it up and down to form a wavy line. Add stems as desired, placing tip into the main vine, applying light pressure, and gently pulling away.

Zig Zag: Use medium consistency frosting and an open star tip (16) to create a zig zag pattern. Squeeze and glide the tip in an up/down motion until you get to an end point the stop pressure and pull the tip away. You can elongate the up/down as you wish, and you the amount of pressure you use will determine the width of the line.

Swirl: For a wide swirl that is easy and fun, use light to medium consistency icing with a wide open star tip (1M). At a 90° angle, hold the tip about ½” above a cupcake and squeeze out the icing to form a star. Without releasing pressure, slightly raise the tip and circle the star in a tight spiral. Then move the tip toward the center and make a second spiral around the inside of the first. Release pressure to end.

Grass: Use a multi-opening tip (233) and medium consistency icing to create grass or fur. Holding the decorating bag at a 90° angle, about 1/8” above the surface, squeeze while pulling up and away. Stop pressure then pull away to end. Pull away left and right for a more natural look. Repeat, keeping clusters close together—no cake should show through.

Start easy and practice, practice, practice.  You’ll find that it gets easier over time, and you can tackle more difficult tasks as your skills develop.  For ideas and inspiration, take a look at the Houston’s Pinterest board, where you can find cake decorating ideas and other Tips of the Trade.

The post Decorated Baked Goods? I Can Do That! appeared first on Houston's Blog.