Dr. Hildegard Heymann of the University of California, Davis, is the fifth of eight principals in this series about women in wine in the Sacramento area.
Hildegard Heymann (Photo courtesy of the University of California, Davis)
Hildegard Heymann, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor (Enologist), Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis
For 40 years, Hildegard Heymann has studied with intricacy and patience the interplay between people and the aromas and flavors of the things they consume, wine most notably. Her research often punctures the conversational balloons floating over the wine scene.
The popular practice of pairing wine with cheese enhances the flavor of wine, no? No, she found in one startling study. The opposite, in fact, happened, cheese diminishing the sensory intensity of wine.
Much of her research has had more impact than interrupting dining-table chitchat. One of her early studies discovered that 150 degrees Fahrenheit is the best internal cooking temperature to preserve the flavor and juiciness of pork. At the time, 180 degrees was the prevailing advice.
Another changed how Cabernet Sauvignon is grown by showing that the compound in grapes that produces a bell-pepper character that winemakers loathe could be alleviated by opening the leafy canopies over and about clusters of fruit to let in more sunlight.
Today, Dr. Hildegard Heymann is distinguished professor of enology in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis, where she has presided over classroom and lab for the past two decades.
What can consumers do to heighten their appreciation and understanding of wine as they taste?
First, figure out what they like about a wine. It’s different for each person. Buy some wines in a price category where you are comfortable with not having to finish a bottle. Taste it and try to find out what you like about it. If it’s the odor, start to look at the world of odors. Most of us go through life not paying attention to odors. Ask yourself, what is that smell? Follow it to the flower garden, or the spice cabinet. Everyone can get better at it, you just have to start matching odors to words, and then memorize them. But you can absolutely enjoy wine without any of that. Wine gives you pleasure. You can’t pick a wrong wine.
Has your research shown any differences between men and women when it comes to being able to detect and describe nuances in wine?
On average, women are better at detecting, discriminating and describing wine, but when you talk specific man or specific woman, all bets are off. Regardless of gender, if a person wants to be trained, they can be. If they don’t want to, it’s not going to happen. The same is true for age. On average, sensitivity decreases as you get older, but that may be totally different for a specific individual.
Have you developed one overarching guideline when it comes to pairing wine and food?
For me, if you like the wine and you like the food, they will go together. You probably should add to that how you like the company you are with.
So what is your favorite pairing of food and wine?
Sparkling wine with everything, from scrambled eggs to oysters. It makes the world better. If my husband were preparing toast and jam for dinner and asked if I would like sparkling wine with that, my answer would be yes.
To find where my book “The Signature Wines of Superior California” can be found, please visit my website SignatureWines.us.