Does gender matter when it comes to wine? Two wine experts tackle the question.

Apr. 27--A glass of wine is neither feminine or masculine. It's a beverage that is as open to interpretation as an abstract painting or musical composition.

Wine allows each person, regardless of experience, to find his or her own way into the swirl, sniff and sip. And there is no right or wrong answer to the question, "What do you taste?"

But does it matter whether you're a man or a woman? The notion that we're so different began with the Mars versus Venus theories that says men and women listen differently, learn differently and interact differently.

So, in light of Beaux Arts Wine Tasting on Friday, where there will be more than 250 wines to try, we thought we'd look at the question: Do men and women approach, perceive, experience, taste, become involved with and enjoy wine differently?

To get our answer, we asked two wine experts, a woman and a man to hash it out for us.

-- Scout O'Gara, named after the character in "To Kill a Mockingbird," has a degree in enology (study and science of winemaking) from Fresno State University. She's a former wine broker and distributor in Boise and now teaches wine education at Kandor.

-- Joshua Potter is self taught and had developed a well honed palate. His e-mail address starts with sommelierwannabe. He has been the wine manager at Emilo's at The Grove Hotel, at Andrae's, and now you can find him at Grape Escape.

Disclaimer: This story is written is in fun. It's not scientific or meant to be definitive. There is no political correctness meter, so don't try to measure it.

The upshot

Potter and O'Gara agreed that men and women do approach wine differently.

"It's the way they perceive wine, not necessarily in the way they consume it," O'Gara said. "I think women think about wine as part of their whole food and culture experience. You don't just go out and get drinks. It's appetizer and some wine. It's part of something bigger."

When men get together and drink wine, it's less about the wine and more about the occasion, Potter said.

"Guys want to be sold wine. They want the server to be confident and knowledgeable, and they just don't want to think about it. Guys have other agendas when they're out. If it's a date, then it's the date. If they're out with the guys, then it's the conversation or the business deal, not the wine."

Compare and contrast

The look: Women are more about the label. The bottle should look good, O'Gara said.

"If you're going to spend all this time and effort on the your table, the flowers, your silver and linens, why would you put an ugly bottle on the table? Women want it to look nice. And it needs to be a name you recognize. That boosts their confidence in their decision-making," O'Gara said.

The price: Cost matters more to men, Potter said. They like to go out and buy an expensive bottle of wine. "Men will show off about wine, and it's usually about the price. Oh, this is a $200 bottle of Opus One, blah, blah, blah, which means nothing if you don't know anything about wine," Potter said.

Women can get excited about a really good $14 bottle of wine. They go all over for that, he said.

Red versus white: The old saw was that women drank white and men drank red.

"That's out the window, along with the white wine with fish and the red wine with meat," O'Gara said.

"Way out," Potter agreed. "Everyone drinks red and white now."

That being said, women aren't as drawn to the "big, robust Italian reds. Men love those," O'Gara said.

Potter laughs. "Yea, men go straight to the Tuscans and oh, super Tuscans, for a guy? It knocks stuff over, it's big, it's uber. It's great."

"What's funny is if you use adjectives to describe those wines the adjectives end up being masculine in nature: earthy, tobacco, smoke, leather.

With reds, women are more likely to be drawn to a syrah, petite syrah, zinfandel.

Sniffin' around

The upshot: Women are more about smell; men are more about mouth feel and flavor, O'Gara and Potter agreed.

Genetically, women have a stronger sense of smell, O'Gara said. Because of that "women have a greater ability to appreciate the subtlety of wine, perhaps because they perceive it more clearly though scent," O'Gara said.

At a tasting, O'Gara will smell every glass of wine before she tastes anything, "because once I taste it, it will change the whole experience for me," she said.

Women are more in tune with subtlety, while men just want to be blown away by the big flavor, she said. They want to be thought of as extreme and hardcore, he said.

Wine Traditions

The upshot: Women are more experimental with wine, men are more traditional.

"Men are more likely to buy into the traditions of wine," Potter said. "I'm having a rib-eye so therefore I'm going to have a California cab. Guys are going to be the last ones to accept the new theories on food pairing. It will be my father's generation who will hold out the longest," he said.

Women tend to be less rigid, O'Gara said.

"I wonder if women are generally more flexible in life," she said. "In a way we have to be to balance husbands and careers and kids, and because of that maybe we're more flexible in what we'll try drinking.

"Men are more directed. They do one thing, forward motion and action and tend to be less flexible. I don't know if that's true, but it's interesting to think about."

For example on the question of screw cap versus cork, women are more likely to twist, men prefer to pop.

"Women are much more accepting of screw caps. They want to be assured it's going to be a good bottle of wine and that it's affordable," O'Gara said.

Men want the whole pomp and circumstance of wine service, Potter said: "Personally, I know as a guy, if I'm just just sitting around at home with a bottle, I don't mind a screw cap. If I'm at a restaurant I want the cork. I don't care. If it's not corked, I send it back and I get then next one."

Here's how to taste wine like a pro

Here's what you need to know if you attend a tasting. Don't doubt yourself. You already know what you like. Start with that and then explore from there.

It's best to start with the lightest and move to the more robust. So, plunge in with crisp whites and slowly work your way to the deep rich reds.

Tasting techniques

HOLD IT: Grab the wineglass by the stem. You'll avoid fingerprints on the bowl that can take away from the viewing pleasure. You also want to avoid warming the wine too much with your hand, which changes the character of the wine, especially whites.

SWIRL AND STARE: To check for color and clarity, hold the wine to the light to note its brilliance. You often can predict how light or heavy it will taste by the density of the color.

Next, gently move your wrist in a circle to swirl the wine in the glass. This puts the wine in contact with air, which will release the aromas and bouquet.

SMELL: Aroma means the actual scent of the grape. Bouquet refers to the finished effect of fermentation. The sniff is almost more important than the sip. The scent will whet your palate and give you an idea of the taste you're about to experience. Try to identify as many fragrances as you can: peach or grapefruit, cherry or black cherry, grass or mushroom.

SIP: Take a small amount of wine and allow it to hit all of your tongue. Notice how light or heavy it feels. Is it tart or undefined? Sweet or dry? Do you taste fruit or sugar? Acids provide crispness. Tannins in some red wines impart an astringent, puckering feeling in your mouth.

DON'T BE SHY, SPIT: Moderation is the buzz word. Even the most sophisticated wine drinker spits. The point is to enjoy the sights, smells and flavors of wine, not to over indulge. Buckets will be provided to allow you to spit out the wine and pour out the excess. Don't forget to eat and drink a lot of water so that you won't become dehydrated.

Dana Oland

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Idaho Statesman, Boise

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.