Have you ever tasted orange juice immediately after brushing your teeth? I mean, holy wow. It is so bitter and awful. But did you know that the same holds true with wine flavors? Everything tastes more bitter after that minty freshness of your favorite toothpaste. And again, toothpaste is not the only thing that can have a significant impact on the way that your wine tastes. 

Our palates are fluid and the foods and drinks, including wine flavor, often don't taste the same each time you have them, even though every single around you you perceive to be exactly the same. And as frustrating as this may seem, in today's episode, we are going to break down many of the common reasons why your wine might taste different on a Tuesday than it does on a Saturday. And most importantly, you're going to learn why this isn't necessarily a bad thing. So stay tuned. 

Welcome to Everyday Sommelier, where we make learning about wine approachable, fun, and something you can actually enjoy. I'm your host Christy Mayfield. Think of me as your small Yay next door here to help you cut through the complexity so you can enjoy every glass with confidence and learn wine your way. 

Last week I popped the cork on one of my favorite bottles of Vermentino. In my opinion, it's the perfect bottle for the meal that I was preparing for dinner that night. And of course I always like to have a of wine in hand while I'm doing my dinner prep. So glass in hand, I set to the task of making dinner. 

But weirdly and oddly, the wine just didn't taste that good. It wasn't singing to me like it normally did. That fruitiness kind of seemed a bit off and the full round body just did not settle right on my palate. It's not that it wasn't good, but it just wasn't great. So I plunked it into the fridge and of course the next day I pulled it back out, poured a glass and again I had that same experience. And I'm like, no way. I love this wine. 

Trying to figure it out, I opened my phone and I took out my trusty WHEN WINE app and sure enough, that day was a root day. And guess what? So was the day before. Not only that, but the entire week was not aligned for me to have maximum wine enjoyment. So I was super excited, super relieved that it wasn't me, it wasn't my wine, it was simply that the planets were not aligned. 

And I know this sounds super, super bizarre, but there are numerous ways for your wine's flavor and experiences to be impacted. We're going to explore them in this episode so you can understand exactly why it can happen and why sometimes it's just the experience, not necessarily the wine that's different. 

As wine enthusiasts, you often encounter that frustration of opening your cherished bottle of wine only to find that it doesn't really taste the same. It's not as exciting, it's not as dynamic or as delightful as you remembered. But remember, I told you this might not be such a bad thing. 

There are several factors that can contribute to this inconsistency, and while there's many others that we're not going to cover, here's a few that we are first of all, the wine's aging process and serving temperature. We've already talked about glassware in episode 11, but we'll touch on it again. 

Storage conditions and even the timing of consumption, as I alluded to according to the biodynamic calendar, can change the way a wine is perceived. Let's get to exploring these aspects so you can enhance your wine tasting experience. 

Have you ever revisited a favorite wine only to find out that this time around it was a little dull, wasn't as charming, and it left you wondering if you'd potentially waited too long to enjoy that bottle. Was it past its peak? Over time, wine undergoes microoxygenation, and this can alter the flavor of a wine. So a bottle that you enjoyed a month ago, several months ago, a year ago, is going to continue to evolve, and that is going to lead to a different taste experience. And it could mean that that experience is going to fall short of your memory of really enjoying that wine. 

Even if it's sealed with a screw cap, wine will continue to morph and mature in the bottle. It's an organic matter. It is a continuously living and changing experience. Those red fruity flavors, green apple, are going to start to transition into maybe ripe or overcooked, even dried fruit flavors. They're going to turn more savory, they're going to turn earthier, and that bright acidity that you might remember is going to become less prominent. So that can leave you disappointed, and rightfully so. 

You looked forward to popping the cork on that for a special occasion or date night at home, only to find out that that wine that you once loved just didn't meet the same expectations. And it leaves you a little bit confused, maybe even a little bit miffed. Not all wines are created equal. 

We've talked about clear bottles. Those are your drink nows. But a $15 daily drinkable is doubtfully going to improve over time. Most wines especially from the US are really not intended to age at all. They are best within the first year, maximum three years. Bottom line, only 3 to 5% of all wine in the entire world will stand up to aging more than five years. 

If you plan on storing a wine for a while and saving it for a special occasion in the future, do your research. Stay informed about what the optimal drinking windows for maximum profile, notes, and aroma compounds, are for the wines that you purchase. Check your stash and if you have wines that are on that bubble, a good date versus potentially past their prime, just go ahead and pop that cork and take advantage of the timing as it is today. 

One of my pro tips is with any bottle that you don't intend to drink within the next week or the next month month before you put it away in your storage space, your wine refrigerator or wherever you keep them, check the drinkability window. Ask the people at the store where you bought it. Look online to see what that drinking window is. Take out your metallic Sharpie and write those dates right on the bottle. 

And if you use an online inventory tracker such as Seller Tracker, which allows you to search your wines by drinkability date every time you want to pull a bottle from it, search by drinkability and you're never going to guess again. 

Now let's move on. Have you ever poured a highly anticipated bottle, one you'd just been saving for that special occasion, only to be disappointed because the wine's flavors just fell flat? Maybe they were a little bit sharp only to realize that you are serving it at the wrong temperature. Serving wine at an incorrect temperature can either mute flavors or even worse, accentuate und desirable characteristics, altering the intended taste away from the common wine flavors of a cabernet sauvignon, suavignon blanc, pinot noir, or even a sweet wine. 

Experiencing a wine that tastes off due to temperature issues can be frustrating, can be disappointing, but it doesn't have to be. I mean, overlooking the importance of serving temperature can lead to a compromised wine experience. There's very simple guidelines to adhere to when you're talking about lighter, fresh and crisp white wines or or sparkling wines. These are meant to be highly chilled at a cooler temperature. 

Even some light bodied reds are meant to be served at cooler temperature. If you shift gears and move to those fuller body white wines such as an Oak Chardonnay or a Viognier or even that Vermentino I was talking about earlier, these are going to be served a little bit warmer than a fresh and crisp white wine or a sparkling wine. So explore adjustments the temperature to suit your personal preferences. 

While I hate to admit doing anything that makes for an uncomfortable situation, whether I'm out at a bar or a restaurant, I always Ask for my red wine to be slightly chilled if it's served at room temperature, which is typically about 72 degrees. Or even worse if that wine has been stored in or near the kitchen where temperatures could be closer to 80 degrees. It is definitely within your realm to ask for a bucket of ice to take a little bit of that heat off that wine and chill it down to a temperature that's going to make it super enjoyable for you because there's nothing worse than having that packed with a punch big, bold red wine that's served too hot. I mean, do you like drinking stewed prunes? Yuck. It's definitely not a great experience. 

Here's my best tip I can give you. When you're out at a restaurant or even serving wine at home, never pour a full glass on your first pour. Instead, pour just a few ounces to test whether that wine needs to be chilled down further or actually warmed up. And the good news is that either direction, either way is very easy and very possible to do in a short amount of time. 

So by pouring just a few ounces, you're going to be able to tell which direction you need to go or whether that wine is at the perfect temperature to get maximum enjoyment. And if it's not, chill it a little bit or let it warm up a little bit and then have your big pour. In episode 11, we explored all the different elements of the perfect stemware for wine. 

Do you get frustrated when that special bottle doesn't live up to your expectations and you're simply realizing that your stemware or glassware is holding you back from having that best experience? Just as we explored with guest Doug Reed of Riedel, the shape and size of glassware does influence your wine's aroma as well as its flavor perception. And using the wrong glasses can simply diminish your tasting experience. 

If your glass is too large, light, aromatic white wines, those flavors, those aromas are simply going to poof out, waft out of that big opening at the top and you're not going to get to enjoy them at their fullest because they're simply going to escape. On the flip side, if you have a wine glass that is too small and the opening is too small, those bigger, bolder red wines aren't going to be able to open, open up and you're not going to get the full expression of their flavors and aromas and allow that tannin to fully integrate. You're probably going to get a very one sided flavor and it may not necessarily be the best one. 

So unless you found that perfect universal wine stem using the same glass for all of your wine types and disregarding how that glass shape can actually affect the characteristics of your wine can diminish your experience. I learned so much in episode 11 and so if you have not yet listened to that episode, please go back and revisit it. 

Re-Listen to Doug's tips as he's going to share the key influences a wine glass can have on your wine experience. Now he offered great tips whether you're new to wine and want to find that perfect first glass or glasses, or whether you're ready to invest in appropriate glassware design for every single different type of wine style that you enjoy. 

So experiment with various glasses, but just know how important it is to your overall wine tasting experience. 

Now let's move on to storage conditions, because the way you store your wine or the way the wine was stored before you even purchased it can have a dramatic impact on its flavor and how long it will stay fresh and pure to the winemaker's intentions. Conditions like fluctuating temperatures or sunlight exposure can significantly affect damage your wines. And if your wine is addicted to these suboptimal storage conditions, it can dramatically alter the taste. 

So exposure to heat, to light, significant fluctuations in temperatures can deteriorate the wine's quality. But all of these issues are totally preventable if you are currently storing your wine in unsuitable environments such as kitchens or areas with direct sunlight. This will lead to premature aging and even spoilage. 

If you're planning on holding onto a bottle more than a few days or a week or two, you can absolutely store it upright. We always felt like we had to store our wine bottles on their side, but all of the recent research shows that you can actually store your bottles upright because there is a consistent humidity or consistent percentage of moisture between the wine and the cork in every single bottle, regardless of which way you store it. So that's the good news. 

If you don't think you have room to store your wine on the side, you can now store it upright without fear. By any prayer's chance, you have your wine or your wine rack perched on top of your refrigerator. Please do yourself a favor and remove it right now. Because the vibrations of your refrigerator and the heat that comes from the refrigerator's motor can quickly make a great bottle turn to rot swill. 

And if you've ever lived in a hot climate like we have in Texas, even leaving your wine in a car for an hour or so when you're out running errands at 110 degree heat can significantly damage your wine, leaving it dull and flabby and tasting like cooked fruit. So if you are running errands and need to go pick up your wine, make sure that picking up your wine is the very last errand and get it right into your house. 

Get it right into a temperature controlled environment. Where to store wine in your house varies. All you need to do is store it in a cool, dark place that has consistent temperature and humidity. If considering the investment of a wine refrigerator is beyond your means, you can still find places in your home for optimal storage conditions. 

If your space or your budget don't allow and you just want a simple wine storage solution, follow these two tips because they can make all the difference in the world. 1. Find a space that is dark. Store your wine someplace that is completely out of harm's way from sunlight and even interior lights. A closet, under your bed, even in a cabinet because light shock is real and it will damage your wine over time. 

Secondly, find a place with consistent temperature. Now, temperature fluctuations are one of the most damaging elements to wine. So even if your house is typically kept at 72 degrees Fahrenheit versus a typical wine storage facility which is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, even if you keep it consistent, your wine is going to be better protected even at that higher temperature. Which is the great news. 

But be careful. If that closet or cabinet happens to be on an exterior wall of your home, and if you have a very poorly insulated house and walls like I do, this temperature fluctuation can still occur. My coconut oil in a cabinet on the exterior wall shifts from perfectly solid in the wintertime to perfectly liquid in the summertime. If you have a similar circumstance, rethink that location and find someplace on the interior of your home. 

Now, finally, would you believe me if I told you that the planets, the moon and the stars could be the secret why your wine tastes more vibrant on one day and totally muted and dull on the next? In other words, the timing according to the biodynamic calendar can be off. And yes indeed, this can impact the taste of your wine. 

The biodynamic calendar suggests that wine may actually taste different depending upon whether it's consumed on a fruit or flower day or a leaf or root day. You may be surprised, and you may be surprised skeptical about what I'm about to tell you. 

But I am a true believer in the biodynamic relationship of wine and the universe. In fact, I was having a glass of wine with a winemaker who has more than thirty 100 point wines. And even he pulled out his WHEN WINE app because the wine we were drinking that night didn't quite taste correct to him. So if you want to disregard the potential impact of the lunar cycles on your wine tasting, you might be missing out on identifying some of the optimal times to experience wine. 

By utilizing apps like the one I keep mentioning, winwine, you can identify fruit and flower days which are considered optimal for wine tasting experiences, and root and leaf days are suboptimal. So experiment with these. Taste the same wine on two different days and see for yourself. Observe any variations to determine what your own personal preferences are. And for a bonus, what you're eating can also influence how your wine tastes. 

In an upcoming series, we're actually going to explore how salt, acid, sugar, spice, umami impact the way your wine tastes. And you're going to walk away with everything. You need to simplify each and every food and wine pairing, making it one magical and memorable episode you're not going to want to miss. Sadly, not every bottle is going to be immune to faults, even in the world of high technology, high end wines, ideal winemaking, ideal storage, ideal transportation conditions, and all of the new technical insights how to prevent and at least minimize the occurrence of wine faults altogether. 

And a faulty wine is a faulty wine. You cannot reverse it, and you definitely cannot convince your palate that that fault doesn't exist. By understanding and addressing each of the factors that we've talked about, from wine storage to wine glasses, even to the biodynamic calendar, you are now equipped with the tools you need to enhance your wine tasting experiences and reduce the chances of disappointment when you revisit that favorite bottle. To ensure that every single bottle of wine brings you joy instead of disappointment, embrace wine's natural evolution. 

Start by noting when you first enjoyed the wine and consider its aging potential by either asking where you purchased it or doing your research. Wine will change over time. Just like your tastes change, so can the wine. And it can be as simple as writing that drinkability window on each bottle with a Sharpie, serving it at the ideal temperature, chilling your whites and chilling your reds to that perfect temperature and allowing them to breathe once you've popped that cork or twisted off that screw cap can enhance their flavor. 

We've talked several times about investing in the right stemware and of course, storing your bottles in the perfect conditions by treating wine as a journey and not a static product. It's meant to surprise, it's meant to evolve, and occasionally it's meant to teach you something new. And the more intentional you are with your approach, the more consistently satisfying your pores are going to be. 

While focusing on each and every one of these actions can improve your wine experience, the most important recommendation I have is to embrace the differences, embrace the nuances, and get excited and revel in the fact that this is not a staid, boring, rinse and repeat experience. Again, this is not the Coors Light Silver Bullet or your absolute vodka drink. Wine is alive and by its very nature it is going to morph and change every single day. 

Think of it this way. The fact that you actually noticed it isn't the same means you're more of a wine expert than you thought you were. Kudos to you, my wine loving friend, because that alone is huge. So thank you for enjoying this episode of Everyday Sommelier and because you like this show, please share this episode with your fellow wine loving friends. 

And if you can relate to what we've talked about today, take a moment, follow the podcast, scroll down and leave us a review and let us know other topics that you would like us to discuss on Everyday Sommelier. Definitely make sure you're following on Facebook and Instagram. @KristiEverydaySommelier, that's K R I S T I Everyday Sommelier. 

If you want to take that next step, head on over to my website and make sure you're on the Insider list where I send emails out to share wine events, stories, tips and you can join today at www.WINE-WIZE.com, wine-w I z e.com now in the next episode we are going to be diving deeper into biodynamics with industry expert William Davis of Wilson Daniels Wine Importers. 

And if you think this is all hocus pocus, it's definitely an episode you're not going to want to miss. Until then, sip confidently and keep on learning wine your way.