Wine tasting is not just like art, it
is an art. While wine tasting can be subjective in
nature, wine connoisseurs follow some general
"guidelines" when judging a wine. It is very easy to
learn the techniques of wine tasting, and if you already
enjoy wine, learning the nuances will increase the
pleasure you derive from tasting.
Don’t forget that the enjoyment of
wine is a very personal thing. We hope these tips will
increase your enjoyment and understanding of
wine.
The three steps in wine tasting are:
Look, Smell, and Taste.
Look
You can tell much about a wine simply
by studying its appearance. The wine should be poured
into a clear glass and held in front of a white
background (a tablecloth or piece of paper will serve
nicely) so that you can examine the
color.
The color of wine varies tremendously,
even within the same type of wine. For example, white
wines are not actually white; they range from green to
yellow to brown. More color in a white wine usually
indicates more flavor and age, although a brown wine may
have gone bad. While time improves many red wines, it
ruins most white wines. Red wines are not just red; they
range from a pale red to a deep brown red, usually
becoming lighter in color as they
age.
Rim Color: You can guess the age of a
red wine by observing its "rim." Tilt the glass slightly
and look at the edge of the wine. A purple tint may
indicate youth while orange to brown indicates
maturity.
Swirling: Swirling the wine serves
many purposes, but visually it allows you to observe the
body of the wine. "Good legs" may indicate a thicker
body and a higher alcohol content and/or sweetness
level.
Smell
The point of swirling is to introduce
oxygen in the wine to help release the aroma, also
called the bouquet or nose. The two main techniques that
wine tasters use are:
1.) Take a quick whiff and formulate
an initial impression, then take a second deeper whiff
or
2.) Take only one deep
whiff.
Either way, after you smell the wine,
sit back and contemplate the aroma. Don't try to "taste"
the wine yet, concentrate only on what you
smell.
It may be difficult to describe in
words when you're a novice, but after trying many wines
you will notice similarities and differences. Sometimes
a certain aroma will be very strong with underlying
hints of other smells. Take your time. By labeling an
aroma you will probably remember it better. You may even
want to keep a notebook of your impressions of wines,
and save the labels; next time you see the wine you
won't have to purchase it to know if you like it . . .
or you don't!
Taste
The most important quality of a wine
is its balance between sweetness and acidity. To get the
full taste of a wine follow the following three
steps:
1. Initial taste (or first
impression): This is where the wine awakens your senses
(your taste buds respond to sensations).
2. Taste: Swish the wine around in
your mouth and draw in some air (even if you do look
funny in front of your dinner guests). The key to the
swish is to distribute the flavor of the wine to every
part of your mouth. Examine the body and texture of the
wine. Is it light or rich? Smooth or
harsh?
3. Aftertaste: The taste that remains
in your mouth after you have swallowed the wine. How
long did the taste last? Was it
pleasant?
After tasting the wine, take a moment
to value its overall flavor and balance. Is the taste
appropriate for that type of wine? If the wine is very
dry, is it supposed to be?
Swallow or Spit
When tasting a number of wines,
spitting into a cup or bucket is always a good idea.
This may be unsightly and occasionally sloppy (good
spitting, like swirling, is an acquired skill), but it
will preserve your capacity to consider wine rationally
for as long as the afternoon or evening dictates. Save
the drinking for dinner.
Some serious wine connoisseurs assign
a point score to a wine to determine its quality. While
this method can be useful, it is in no way necessary to
determine a quality wine. The more different wines you
try, and the more attention you pay to each wine, the
better you will become at ascertaining and describing
each wine's characteristics.
Most importantly have fun and enjoy
the
tasting!
