来源: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/dining/wine-school-montsant.html
[1] Tasting a wine for evaluation is something wine professionals are compelled to do. But it’s not the best way to assess a wine. It’s a compromise.
[2] Critics for consumer wine magazines, judges in wine competitions, and sommeliers in restaurants must evaluate dozens of bottles in a sitting, and to actually drink that much wine poses obvious challenges. The solution is to take a sip of wine, taste and swirl, take its measure, then spit it out.
[3] It’s not a perfect system, for many reasons. But tastings are the only way to get a sense of many wines in a sitting without keeling over from alcohol poisoning. It’s the method we use at our wine panel tastings.
[1]品尝葡萄酒进行评估是葡萄酒专业人士不得不做的事情。 但这不是评估葡萄酒的最佳方式。 这是妥协。
[2]对消费者葡萄酒杂志的评论，葡萄酒比赛的评委以及餐馆的侍酒师必须在一次会议中评估几十瓶，实际上喝多少酒会带来明显的挑战。 解决方法是喝一口酒，味道和漩涡，采取措施，然后吐出来。
[3]由于许多原因，它不是一个完美的系统。 但品尝是唯一能让人感觉到许多葡萄酒在没有酒精中毒的情况下坐下来的唯一途径。 这是我们在葡萄酒小组品尝中使用的方法。
[4] Nonetheless, the tasting often fails to give a complete picture of a wine. It eliminates the context that allows a wine to show its best, truest self, often revealed with food and company, and in the spirit of a gathering.
[5] Taking that away places wine in an often unnatural role, as the center of attention. Professionals generally try to make up for that by imagining how a wine would fare in more appropriate circumstances. But that is not always easy, especially when tasting a series of possibly very disparate wines.
[6] In such tastings, the more boisterous, assertive wines often dominate quieter bottles.
[4]尽管如此，品尝往往无法提供完整的葡萄酒图片。 它消除了允许葡萄酒展示其最佳，最真实的自我的背景，通常与食物和公司一起展示，并且本着聚会的精神。
[5]取而代之的是将葡萄酒作为一种常常不自然的角色，作为关注的焦点。 专业人士通常会通过想象葡萄酒在更合适的环境中如何运作来弥补这一点。 但这并不总是那么容易，特别是在品尝一系列可能非常不同的葡萄酒时。
[6]在这样的品尝中，喧闹，自信的葡萄酒往往占据更安静的瓶子。
[7] I was thinking about this as I tasted the wines we have been focusing on in Wine School over the last few weeks. Yes, I know. One of our precepts is that we drink wine, we don’t taste it. And I do drink it, every time.
[8] But I habitually taste the wines, too, before serving them with a meal. The idea is to see how they change over time and as new elements are added.
[9] As usual in Wine School, I recommended three bottles in a particular genre and invited readers to drink them and to share their thoughts in the comments.
[7]我正在思考这个问题，因为我品尝了过去几周我们一直关注的葡萄酒学校的葡萄酒。 是的我知道。 我们的戒律之一是我们喝酒，我们不品尝它。 我每次都喝它。
[8]但我习惯性地品尝葡萄酒，然后再用餐。 我们的想法是看看它们随着时间的推移而变化，以及添加新元素。
[9]和葡萄酒学校一样，我推荐了三种特定类型的瓶子，并邀请读者饮用它们并在评论中分享他们的想法。
[10] The subject over the last month has been the red wines of Montsant, from the Catalonian region of northeastern Spain. It’s an often underrated wine, which tends to be overshadowed by those of Priorat, a neighboring region with wines that are generally bigger and more majestic.
[11] Montsant and Priorat are like Gigondasand Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the southern Rhône valley of France, in that Gigondas is often thought to be a diminutive and cheaper version of the grander Châteauneuf. But though Gigondas and Châteauneuf have much in common, and are made of a similar set of grapes, the grapes are grown in different soils in different places, and so make different wines, each with its role at the table.
[12] Similarly, Montsant and Priorat are Catalonian neighbors. Both are made historically with the garnacha and cariñena grapes, better known in English as grenache and carignan, though nowadays they are often supplemented with international varieties like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and tempranillo.
[10]上个月的主题是来自西班牙东北部加泰罗尼亚地区的Montsant红葡萄酒。这是一种经常被低估的葡萄酒，往往被Priorat的葡萄酒所掩盖，这是一个邻近地区，葡萄酒通常更大，更雄伟。
[11] Montsant和Priorat就像法国南部Rhône山谷的GigondasandChâteauneuf-du-Pape一样，Gigondas通常被认为是较为昂贵且更便宜的Châteauneuf版本。但是，虽然Gigondas和Châteauneuf有许多共同之处，并且由相似的葡萄组成，但葡萄在不同的地方种植在不同的土壤中，因此制作不同的葡萄酒，每种葡萄酒都有其作用。
[12]同样，Montsant和Priorat是加泰罗尼亚的邻居。两者都是历史上用garnacha和cariñena葡萄酿造的，在英语中更为人所知的是歌海娜和胭脂红，尽管如今它们常常补充有赤霞珠，梅鹿辄，西拉和tempranillo等国际品种。
[13] But as the soils and microclimates of Montsant vary from their neighbor, the wines of Montsant are better understood without the reflex comparison. They are very much their own wines and can be excellent.
[14] The three bottles I recommended were Orto Vins 2013 Pedra Roja, Celler de Capçanes 2014 Peraj Petita and Venus La Universal’s 2014 Dido.
[15] As I tasted the three wines, one of them, the Peraj Petita, seemed diminished compared with the other two. At first, it seemed a bit tight, with a slightly funky aroma. But with exposure to air, the funkiness disappeared, leaving a meaty, herbal aroma. On the palate, it was earthy with notes of red fruits and flowers, but it still seemed a bit subdued and reticent.
[13]但是，由于Montsant的土壤和微气候与其邻居不同，Montsant的葡萄酒在没有反射比较的情况下可以更好地理解。 他们非常喜欢自己的葡萄酒，非常棒。
[14]我推荐的三瓶是Orto Vins 2013 Pedra Roja，CellerdeCapçanes2014Peraj Petita和Venus La Universal的2014 Dido。
[15]当我品尝三种葡萄酒时，其中一种葡萄酒Peraj Petita与其他葡萄酒相比似乎有所减少。 起初，它似乎有点紧，有一点点时髦的香气。 但随着暴露在空气中，嗜好消失了，留下了肉香，草本香气。 在口感上，它是带有红色水果和鲜花的泥土，但它仍然显得有点柔和和沉默。
[16] The Dido offered some of the same earthy, herbal, floral qualities, but it was more exuberant, with flavors that seemed exotic and juicy. The Pedra Roja, too, was more vibrant, with a stony earthiness, floral notes and ripe, enticing flavors of red fruits.
[17] I liked them all. But had I stopped there, I would have judged the Peraj Petita to be the least of the three wines. With a simple meal, though, of salt-and-pepper sausages with sautéed onions and peppers and a big green salad, the wine came to life.
[18] No longer was it reticent. It was now deliciously complementary. A bite of the sausage, peppers and onions followed by a sip of the wine synthesized into a whole greater than the sum of the parts.
[16] Dido提供了一些相同的泥土，草本和花卉品质，但它更加旺盛，味道似乎充满异国情调和多汁。 Pedra Roja也更有活力，带有石质泥土，花香和成熟诱人的红色水果味道。
[17]我喜欢他们。 但如果我在那里停下来，我会认为Peraj Petita是三种葡萄酒中最少的。 然而，简单的一餐，盐和胡椒香肠，炒洋葱和辣椒以及绿色沙拉，葡萄酒变得生动起来。
[18]不再是沉默寡言。 它现在是美味的补充。 一口香肠，辣椒和洋葱，然后喝一口葡萄酒，合成一个大于各部分总和的整体。
[19] By contrast, the other two wines did not integrate as well with the meal. They were each individually delicious — the Pedra Roja a bit more complete than the Dido — but the Peraj Petita was the better character actor.
[20] Which wine was the best? It’s hard to answer that question in a simple way. The best with this meal? Or the best in some sort of abstract sense?
[21] If these wines were part of a larger mass tasting, and if these were scored, say, on the popular 100-point scale used by so many wine publications, it would be easy to see that the Peraj Petita would not have been the highest rated. Yet with my meal, it gave me the most pleasure.
[19]相比之下，其他两种葡萄酒并没有与膳食融为一体。 它们各自都很美味 - Pedra Roja比Dido更完整 - 但Peraj Petita是更好的角色演员。
[20]哪种葡萄酒最好？ 很难以简单的方式回答这个问题。 这餐最好吃吗？ 或某种抽象意义上最好的？
[21]如果这些葡萄酒是大规模品尝的一部分，如果这些葡萄酒得到了如此多的葡萄酒出版物所使用的流行的100分制，那么很容易看出Peraj Petita不会 评分最高。 然而，在我吃饭的时候，它给了我最大的乐趣。
[22] You can see the paradox. The best-rated wine of a group can turn out to be the worst choice.
[23] This is one of the most fascinating things about wine: It cannot be defined by ratings. There is no such thing as a single “best.” With a bottle that has the potential to age for decades, for example, people often agonize over when to open it, not wanting to miss that moment when it is at its best.
[24] Yet no point in a wine’s arc of evolution can be singled out as the best. It will have many great moments, which will show a particular side of the wine and will appeal to differing tastes, though admittedly some occasions will be better than others.
[22]你可以看到悖论。 一组中评价最高的葡萄酒可能是最糟糕的选择。
[23]这是关于葡萄酒最引人入胜的事情之一：它不能通过评级来定义。 没有一个单一的“最好”的东西。例如，对于一个有可能老化几十年的瓶子，人们经常会为何时打开它而苦恼，不想错过那个时刻的最佳状态。
[24]然而，葡萄酒的进化弧线中的任何一点都不能被认为是最好的。 它将有许多美好的时刻，它们将展示葡萄酒的特定一面，并将吸引不同的口味，但不可否认，有些场合会比其他场合更好。
[25] Similarly, there is no best wine with leg of lamb, pizza, oysters or Peking duck. Many wines will be great.
[26] The point is that while it is important to learn about the characteristics of many wines, how they evolve and pair with various foods, it’s just as important to understand your own tastes, and how they, too, will change and evolve and differ in certain situations.
[27] I find it reassuring that in a world increasingly drawn to simple solutions, so long as they are emphatically stated, wine remains intractable and beautiful in its complexity.
[25]同样，没有最佳的葡萄酒，包括羊腿，披萨，牡蛎或北京烤鸭。 许多葡萄酒都很棒。
[26]关键在于，虽然重要的是要了解许多葡萄酒的特性，它们如何进化并与各种食物配对，但了解自己的口味以及它们如何变化和进化同样重要。 在某些情况下有所不同
[27]我发现令人欣慰的是，在一个越来越多地采用简单解决方案的世界中，只要它们被强调说明，葡萄酒的复杂性仍然难以处理和美观。
[28] Most readers found these wines to be unpretentious and enjoyable. Boris of Seattle called them “playful and happy,” while Dan Barron of New York found them “easygoing and accessible,” and Joseph in France said they were “just plain fun to drink.”
[29] Like me, George Erdle of Charlotte, N.C., noted how a wine behaved differently on its own and with food, though he had an opposite experience. He found the Peraj Petita delicious on its own but lacking when paired with a dish of cannellini beans and ham. And he loved the Pedra Roja with duck confit.
[30] One reader, Miquel Hudin in Priorat, took me to task for choosing entry-level wines, which he believes were simple and did little to indicate the great strides in the region over the last decade. I took his criticism seriously, as Mr. Hudin, formerly a sommelier in California, wrote the book “Vinologue Montsant: A Regional Guide to Enotourism in Catalonia.”
[28]大多数读者发现这些葡萄酒朴实无华，令人愉快。 西雅图的鲍里斯称他们“玩得开心，快乐”，而纽约的丹·巴伦发现他们“随和而且容易接近”，法国的约瑟夫说他们“喝酒很有趣”。
[29]像我一样，北卡罗来纳州夏洛特的乔治·艾尔德（George Erdle）指出，葡萄酒本身和食物的表现方式不同，尽管他有相反的经历。 他发现Peraj Petita本身很美味，但与一盘cannellini豆和火腿搭配时缺乏。 他喜欢带有鸭子味道的Pedra Roja。
[30]一位读者，普里奥拉特的米克尔·胡丁，带我去选择入门级葡萄酒，他认为这种葡萄酒很简单，并没有表明过去十年来该地区取得的巨大进步。 我认真对待他的批评，因为曾经是加利福尼亚州侍酒师的Hudin先生写了“Vinologue Montsant：加泰罗尼亚地区的旅游地区指南”一书。
[31] He was correct: I could have sought out more profound examples from Montsant. But those bottles would have been even harder to find than the three I selected, which were not easy, and they would have been much more expensive.
[32] Price is not the final consideration for Wine School, though it is a factor. More important is that these bottles inspire curiosity. If you liked these wines, perhaps you will seek out even better examples from Montsant.
[33] That is the ultimate goal of Wine School. Dry facts about a wine or a region are widely available, but the spirit of exploration is too often in short supply. If any of the wines we’ve tasted encourage you to dig deeper on your own, you won’t need me to give you extra credit. The satisfaction will be right there in the bottles.
[31]他是对的：我本可以从Montsant那里找到更深刻的例子。 但是那些瓶子比我选择的那些瓶子更难找到，这并不容易，而且它们本来会贵得多。
[32]价格不是葡萄酒学校的最终考虑因素，尽管这是一个因素。 更重要的是，这些瓶子激发了好奇心。 如果您喜欢这些葡萄酒，也许您会从Montsant那里寻找更好的例子。
[33]这是葡萄酒学校的终极目标。 关于葡萄酒或地区的干燥事实广泛可用，但探索精神往往供不应求。 如果我们品尝过的任何葡萄酒都鼓励您自己深入挖掘，那么您就不需要我给您额外的信任。 瓶子里的满足感就在那里。