A red wine’s color set the wrong expectation

At a Friday tasting at Vine & Cellar in Crown Heights, June Okonkwo expected a dark Portuguese red to taste big and heavy. Instead, she found it bright, fresh and lighter than she had imagined. “I’d braced for a big, serious red, and instead I wanted another sip,” Okonkwo said.

What happened when these drinkers tasted past the color? In four members’ accounts, the mismatch went both ways: Dark reds tasted lighter than expected, while pale reds had more grip.

Walt Brennan could not recall the grape or where he drank his dark red, but he remembered the contrast. “It was such a deep, dark red, I figured it’d be thick and rich. Then I tasted it, and it was light and tart. Shows what I know about wine,” Brennan said. He said he enjoyed its light, tart taste.

At Cedar Table, Miriam Sayegh expected a pale Lebanese Cinsault to be delicate. “It was pale ruby, so I expected something delicate. But it had more tannic grip than the color suggested, with a savory, peppery finish,” Sayegh said. She said some guests, too, expected a light red and were surprised by its grip.

Tomás Reyes had a similar surprise with a pale red he expected to taste light and juicy. He recalled sour cherry and a dry grip, though he could not remember where he drank it. He said he now describes what he tastes at the bar rather than promising a flavor based on color.

The surprises ran both ways: Okonkwo and Brennan found less weight than their dark glasses suggested, while Sayegh and Reyes found more grip than their pale ones promised. Reyes remembered that grip after he swallowed.

“It felt like the inside of my cheeks tightened up after I swallowed, the way strong black tea can do,” Reyes said.