I really hated those assignments.

But maturity brings mellowness, and after many years I've developed a certain affection for the compare-and-contrast technique ... when the topic is wine.

Seriously, I've found almost no better way to sharpen your palate quickly than to put two glasses of wine on the same table for a side-by-side tasting. I find that the process of comparing and contrasting -- consciously taking written notes of the ways in which the wines are alike and in which they're different -- fixes their aromas and flavors and overall style in my memory better than any other technique.

If you're concerned about the extravagance of opening two bottles at a time, consider having friends over to share in the fun; use what's left as cooking wine; or hang on to the leftovers and use them for dinner on the following day. Or as a compromise, have the wines on separate nights -- as I did with the two Barberas below -- but take detailed notes and do your best to hold the first wine in your mind until you get around to the second.

Have you tried this? Write me at wine@wine-lovers-page.com and let me know if you've got any comparative-tasting tips or tricks. And, as always, please don't hesitate to drop us a line if you'd like to comment on our topics and tasting notes, suggest a topic for a future bulletin, or just talk about wine.

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FOOD MATCH: Cantonese shrimp with lobster sauce made a surprisingly good match.

Hogue Cellars 1997 Columbia Valley (Washington) Chenin Blanc ($7.49)
Pale straw color, this disappointing wine shows only the faintest scent of undifferentiated citrus fruit; soft and slight on the palate, it resembles slightly fruity sugar water. I had expected more from Hogue, usually a reliable producer of inexpensive wines of good value. But putting this one up against the South African wine in a compare-and-contrast setting left the winner in no doubt. (April 15, 1999)

FOOD MATCH: A delight with a simple, aromatic Madagascar-style chicken dish, breasts and thighs sauteed with quantities of ginger and garlic.

Boeger 1994 El Dorado (California) Vineyard Select Barbera ($14.99)
Inky dark garnet color. Plummy, almost pruney aromas surround attractive black fruit and spicy oak. Full, juicy fruit flavor, soft on the acid side, but fruit and oak and the warmth of unusually high (14.5%) alcohol hold it together. A rustic wine, the California offspring of Italian immigrant ancestors. (April 3, 1999)

FOOD MATCH: Fine with oven-fried chicken.

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