Born in Hong Kong and raised in Australia, Eddie McDougall has become rapidly revered in the wine industry. Not only did he launch his own line of Australian wines, but he has judged multiple international wine competitions, owns The Flying Winemaker wine shop and bar, and is even starring in his wwn TV show on TLC Asia: "The Flying Winemaker," which debuts on Sep 15, 2014. He shares his best tips for tasting and pairing wines with HK Magazine.
Interview with Eddie McDougall
Ahead of the show’s debut on TLC Asia, Eddie tells Priscilla Yu about touring Chinese vineyards and shares some wine pairing advice.
Step One: Sniffing
Eddie's best tip for sniffing wines is to keep it simple. "Keep asking yourself yes or no questions," he says. "Is it fruity? Does it smell like citrus fruit? Or melons? If not, is it savory?" People tend to use too many complicated descriptors, which makes the process confusing. So next time you sniff your wine, ask yourself: is the wine fruity or oaky? Sweet or dry?
Step Two: Tasting
Wine experts have divided areas of your tongue into the front, middle, and back palates—each with its own associated flavors. When most people think about wine, they logically assume that the drink moves from the front of the tongue to the back. However, Eddie explains that this isn't necessarily the case. "Wine has this crazy chemistry inside it that's really out of this world," he says. "Wines can travel through your mouth and stop in some places, and yet have no feeling or expression in certain palates." While most great wines stimulate your mid-palates, low-quality wines will only feature the front of your tongue, creating an intense acidic taste. "The really horrible wines," Eddie grimaces, "only feature the back."
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If the wine hits the front of your palate the taste will be sweet or sour—no so great. If the wine hits the sides of your palate, it'll be salty. Salty things make you salivate, working up your appetite, which is exactly what you want to achieve with your wine. Bitter flavors, in contrast, makes you want to stop drinking. A good balance of these four flavors (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter), structure, and length will make a wine taste delicious.
