Hamilton and I were set on having a 60% / 40% wine blend. The 60% of the white wine we used for the blend was fermented with juice only and the 40% was the white fermented with the skins. We came to a consensus that the white fermented with the skins was overly acidic and being that the dish we were assigned was a light body dish, we decided to steer clear of having an overly acidic wine. Another reason why we didn’t want an acidic wine is because the tomatoes in our dish added an acidic component. The 60% of the orthodox wine we used for the blend was very balanced and added a subtle finish with stone fruit notes.
After trying the 60/40 blend, Hamilton and I decided that we could possibly cut the acidity further by changing the formula. The second trial we decided to do 65/35. This blend we found to still be acidic and immediately knew that we needed to drop the Unorthodox blend further. We then tried 75/25 and we found this was perfectly balanced. The acidic was subtle and far less overbearing than the first trial. The finish we found, would greatly complement the baked fish and ideally creamy mushrooms. The blend was light bodied on the palate. There was little to no viscosity. The color was a pale yellow with green tint. There was little to no oak on the palate and the wine was properly dry. We found that the wine would greatly complement the dish.
Unfortunately while we were blind tasting, we found that not only was our wine not what we tasted earlier, we got no votes on our wine. At first sip the wine was way too acidic. Hamilton and I were so caught by surprise by how different the wine tasted during the blind tasting, that we almost figured we gave the wrong recipe. Overall, we are proud of our work and findings.
Note taking is so important during the scientific process and palate fatigue can be exhausting. So, it is possible that you presented the wrong blend but it is also possible that after tasting so much wine that your palate was playing tricks on you. Either way, you conducted the process with academic integrity and teamwork. Well done.
Massiah, I would like to ask your permission to add this post to my portfolio. Will you please have a discussion with Hamilton about his consent as well? I think the reflection is honest and shows deep learning.