Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Using shorthand for tasting descriptions.


Graphix

Recommended Posts

Looking over my notes from a tasting i realized i need to work out a better shorthand system for taking notes. Who wants to share their system? I would love to see what a page of Daniel's notes look like, its always interesting to see how someone with so much experience approaches their craft.

thanks

Brendan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shorthand systems for making wine notes are always idiosyncratic to the person making those notes. More that, they develop over a span of years.

Best bet is to start off making a short list of what I call top-line factual items that you consider essential to your review (e.g. color, body, tannins, acidity, etc), assigning each of those a number and then making up a sublist of possibilities:

e.g. Color = 1. Light ruby = a; Medium ruby = b; and on and on to ruby towards garnet; garnet towards royal purple, etc, etc.

Body Light = a; light-medium= b; medium= c etc....

Also top of the line might be: overall balance, structure

Then go to bottom line items among which might be fruit flavors, herbal flavors, mineral flavors(Some might require sub-headings such as earthy-minerals, flinty minerals, etc) other flavors, length

A final shorthand comment might look much like:

1A, 2C+,3H, 4B/5D, 4E-

None of which exempts one from writing at least a few key words to add to one's memory afterwards, those keywords being critical to the overall evaluation.

After having devised such a listing, print it out and take the printout to tastings with you. Use those guidelines, refining them to your own need as required. And, I promise (scout's honor), after a while the codes become internalized and what at first seems like a chore becomes a gift from heaven.

Hope that helps more than it confused

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...