Wine Tasting 101 (as seen in Vino Magazine, Fall 2011 edition) www.vinopasorobles.com
by Jessica Tubb, C.S.
Whether you are tasting wine for the first time or the thousandth it can be helpful to learn some tips to further examine the wine in your glass. Wine tasting can seem intimidating if it is new to you, but it is important to remember you are the expert of your taste buds. What ever level wine taster you are, paying attention to your individual sense of sight, smell and taste are the most important things you should worry about when wine tasting.
SIGHT:
Pick up your glass and gently tip it on its side to view the wine from above. Looking at the clarity, color and concentration are clues as to how it was made, aged and even how old or young the wine is today. The color of a wine can even tell us what type of grape it is made from. And how slow or fast the wine slides down the side of the glass is helpful in determining how much alcohol it contains.
NOSE:
Resist the temptation to swirl your wine glass at first. Picking up your glass, take a deep breath through your nose, opening your mouth slightly. Dig deep into your memory bank as this will often make it easier to identify certain smells. Do you smell a particular type of fruit, vegetable? Is it earthy or mineral like? What about spices? Now swirl the glass of wine in a circular motion and sniff again. Exposing the wine to some air will release more aromas and help you examine it more in depth. Carefully examining the “nose” of the wine is important because smell enhances our sense of taste.
PALATE:
Take a sip of the wine in your mouth, open your mouth slightly and let some air gently rush over your tongue. This will help to aerate the wine, or open it up exposing more flavors to your palate. Things to examine while the wine is in your mouth are the texture of the wine, amount of dryness or sweetness, alcohol, tannin, acid and finally the finish or aftertaste. Each of these factors help to determine the quality and characteristics of the wine making style, varietals and region of the particular wine.
Most importantly you should ask yourself if you like the wine. As you use these tips to help you taste wine in the future, you may choose to buy a small notebook to record your reactions to the wine which over time
can help you analyze what it is exactly that makes you like each wine you taste so much.
Now you are ready to taste wine like a professional!
by Jessica Tubb, C.S.
Whether you are tasting wine for the first time or the thousandth it can be helpful to learn some tips to further examine the wine in your glass. Wine tasting can seem intimidating if it is new to you, but it is important to remember you are the expert of your taste buds. What ever level wine taster you are, paying attention to your individual sense of sight, smell and taste are the most important things you should worry about when wine tasting.
SIGHT:
Pick up your glass and gently tip it on its side to view the wine from above. Looking at the clarity, color and concentration are clues as to how it was made, aged and even how old or young the wine is today. The color of a wine can even tell us what type of grape it is made from. And how slow or fast the wine slides down the side of the glass is helpful in determining how much alcohol it contains.
NOSE:
Resist the temptation to swirl your wine glass at first. Picking up your glass, take a deep breath through your nose, opening your mouth slightly. Dig deep into your memory bank as this will often make it easier to identify certain smells. Do you smell a particular type of fruit, vegetable? Is it earthy or mineral like? What about spices? Now swirl the glass of wine in a circular motion and sniff again. Exposing the wine to some air will release more aromas and help you examine it more in depth. Carefully examining the “nose” of the wine is important because smell enhances our sense of taste.
PALATE:
Take a sip of the wine in your mouth, open your mouth slightly and let some air gently rush over your tongue. This will help to aerate the wine, or open it up exposing more flavors to your palate. Things to examine while the wine is in your mouth are the texture of the wine, amount of dryness or sweetness, alcohol, tannin, acid and finally the finish or aftertaste. Each of these factors help to determine the quality and characteristics of the wine making style, varietals and region of the particular wine.
Most importantly you should ask yourself if you like the wine. As you use these tips to help you taste wine in the future, you may choose to buy a small notebook to record your reactions to the wine which over time
can help you analyze what it is exactly that makes you like each wine you taste so much.
Now you are ready to taste wine like a professional!
No comments:
Post a Comment