It Takes One To Know One

Hooker Wine Brand Ambassador Robert Cavanaugh is the quintessential "pitch man." Fascinated by the camaraderie and rich history of the sport, Robert has played rugby - almost exclusively as a hooker - for 22 years. From rugby captain of the American School of the Hague, Holland to teams across the U.S. and Europe, Rob’s passion for the pitch has never waned.

While playing college rugby across Europe in the late ’’80s, Robert discovered a discerning appreciation for fine wines. Making the jump from the "tight five" to Five-Star hotels, Rob began his professional career in top hotels as the Director of Beverage and Sommelier d’Hôtel, working at Ballys Park Place in Atlantic City, The Ritz-Carlton hotels in New York City and Palm Beach. His award-winning wine lists and educational programs landed him in Washington DC as the wine buyer for Total Wine and More Corporate Headquarters and he currently is the Vice President for Washington Wine Academy. Holder of numerous certifications - including The Academie du Vin of Paris and The Court of Master Sommeliers - Robert’s international wine expertise and credentials are unparalleled.

No one knows wine - and rugby - like Robert Cavanaugh. Today, whether he’s playing on the pitch as a hooker in Washington DC tournaments - or as Brand Ambassador pitching Hooker Wines - it takes one to know one. And Robert is one in a million.

Cheers! And welcome to the New Year’s edition of the Rookie's Corner.

How to Taste, Judge and Evaluate Wines
Oh, the mystique, the lore of it all! All the players lean forward in their chairs, expensive entrees forgotten, dates and spouses ignored, breathlessly awaiting the pronouncement of the team’s resident wine expert. He grandly waves the glass under his nose a couple dozen times, pondering the aromatics. He sips, swishing and chewing the wine furiously, rolling his eyes towards the heavens and after what seems like an eternity, slightly nods his approval as a collective sigh of relief is heaved from the rest of the team, just like when the ref missed that last knock-on your team committed during a tight game.

How did this get so complicated? Tasting wine is about using your senses, not a secret ritual taught to a select few individuals in the underground passages of Domaine de la Romanée Conti. Anyone with a working sense of sight, smell and taste can become a wine expert, worthy of offering an opinion every bit as valuable as those from esteemed authors of the voluminous wine texts available in every bookstore. All you need to do is keep a few simple tips and procedures in mind:

Sight & Color:
Holding the glass by the stem, tip the glass slightly and look down into the wine, preferably against a white background. Clarity and color is what you are looking for. Clear, brilliant wine color is good; muddy or opaque coloring is not and hints that the wine may have turned bad while in the bottle.

Aroma & Bouquet:
Swirl the wine in the glass and inhale deeply. What do the aromas remind you of; fruit or herbs, floral or spice, oak or earth? If a white wine smells fruity, ask yourself if they are citrus fruits, tree fruits or stone fruits. What fruits do a red wine remind you of...dark fruits or red fruits? Bing cherry & strawberry, or plum, blackberry and currant?

Taste & Flavor:
Hold a sip of wine in your mouth, and let it touch every part of your tongue. Ask yourself if the aroma and flavors match up with each other. Think about the taste of the wine, and what your palate is telling you about the wine’s character. The tip of the tongue indicates sweetness in a wine, any residual sugar will be noticed there. If no sensation is there, the wine is dry. The sides of the tongue are sensitive to acidity in a wine, helpful when pairing with food. If the middle of the tongue feels like a red wine is drying it out, that astringency is defined as tannin...a natural component of wine derived from the grape skins and oak, allowing the wine to age gracefully. Pairing a tannic wine with a high-protein dish like steak or cheese softens out the tannins, similar to adding milk to tea. Tannins allow the wine to age, and will soften over the years while aging in the bottle.

Balance:
Balance is the harmony between the flavors of the fruit, acidity, tannin and any residual sugar in the wine. One aspect should not dramatically overwhelm the other.

Finish:
This refers to the lingering taste of the wine which is essential for enjoying wine and food together, as you want the flavor of the wine to mingle with the food.

Your Impressions:
The most important aspect of wine - tasting! Learning to trust your own judgment, not the price tag or other ratings of the wine is the key to a lifetime of wine appreciation and enjoyment. Always remember—“If you like it, it’’s a good wine!”