| Wine Tasting Component I: Look | | | | with what you see: maybe the wine has a very |
| The first step you have to undertake in wine | | | | full color and the yield has been bad this speaks |
| tasting is visual. | | | | of a good wine-making technique; or maybe the |
| 1. Fill up the glass up to 1/3 of its volume; never | | | | wine is too pale for its age this speaks for |
| fill it more than half; | | | | undeveloped grape or poor wine-making technique. |
| 2. Hold the glass by the stem. Initially you may | | | | Wine Tasting Component II: Smell |
| find this too pretentious but there are good | | | | The second wine tasting component is smelling |
| reasons for it: | | | | and inhaling the wines aroma. |
| ) by doing it this way you can actually observe | | | | Concentrate as much as you can and smell the |
| the wine in it;b) this will keep your fingerprints off | | | | wine, swirl the glass, and smell once again. |
| the bowl; | | | | The stronger the aromas, the stronger the |
| ) the heat from your palm will not change the | | | | impression. Most of the wines, especially the more |
| temperature of the wine. | | | | delicate and the older ones develop their aromas |
| Theres a good saying by one of the greatest | | | | only after being walked around the glass. |
| French wine lovers, Emil Painot: Offer someone a | | | | There is no consensus as to the exact technique |
| glass of wine and you can immediately tell | | | | of whiffing. Some say do two or three quick |
| whether he/she is a connoisseur by the way they | | | | whiffs, others prefer one single deep whiff. |
| hold the glass. Even though you may not think of | | | | The goal of whiffing is to inhale the aroma as |
| yourself as a connoisseur, you could still learn how | | | | deeply as possible so that it gets into contact with |
| to hold the wine glass. | | | | our sensory nerve and hence, with the part of |
| 3. Focus on the color intensity and the | | | | the brain that is responsible for registering, storing, |
| transparency of the liquid.a) the color of the wine, | | | | and deciphering sensations. The spot where that |
| and more specifically its nuances, are best | | | | takes place is extremely sensitive: a cold or an |
| observed on a white background. | | | | allergy might completely block even the most |
| ) the wines intensity is best judged by holding the | | | | intense aromas. With enough practice and |
| glass without slanting it and looking at the liquid | | | | concentration, youll learn how to extract the |
| from above; | | | | maximum from different aromas and how to |
| 4. Next comes the swirling of the glass. This can | | | | interpret them. |
| also seem too pretentious or even dangerous if | | | | The vivid connoisseurs love to concoct different |
| you have a full glass or a white top. But this | | | | aromas. Dark chocolate! says one. No, thats more |
| movement is important since it prepares you for | | | | like pepper, claims another. Tea leaves, tobacco, |
| the next step in wine tasting the Taste. The | | | | and mushrooms, adds third. Are they joking?? |
| easiest way to swirl the glass is to place it on a | | | | Probably we dont quite realize it but nowadays |
| table or other even surface, and to swirl your | | | | we are exposed to so many different smells that |
| hand while holding the glass by the stem. Swirl | | | | we find it difficult to find words to describe all the |
| hard and have the wine almost touch the rim of | | | | complex aromas that a glass of wine can offer. |
| the glass. Then stop. The wine leaves tiny traces | | | | Like color, a wines aroma can tell us a lot about |
| with irregular shapes on the inside of the glass. | | | | its character, origin, and its history. Since our |
| Some experts then read them with as much zeal | | | | sense of taste is limited to only 4 categories |
| as coffee-tellers. The truth is however, that they | | | | (sweet, sour, bitter, and salt), the wines aroma is |
| are just an indicator for the quality of the wine | | | | the most informative part of our sensory |
| the more alcohol a wine has, the more wine | | | | experience. So take your time, sit back and |
| traces it forms. | | | | contemplate the aroma! Like the perfume of a |
| What does the color of the wine tell us? The | | | | loved one or the smell of freshly baked bread, a |
| wines color tells us many things about its | | | | wines aroma can evoke memories of times and |
| character. | | | | places that we cherish. |
| First, the color shows the grape variety. Lets | | | | Wine Tasting Component III: Taste |
| take two popular varieties as examples cabernet | | | | This is the best part of wine-tasting. You might be |
| sauvignon and pinot noir. Cabernets grapes are | | | | enchanted by wines sparkling color or mesmerized |
| smaller, with a thicker and darker skin than those | | | | by its aroma but its actually drinking the wine that |
| of pinot noir. As a result, the color of wines made | | | | the whole thing is about. |
| from cabernet sauvignon is usually described as | | | | Maybe you are thinking that drinking is the easiest |
| violet to dark while the color of wines made from | | | | part after all we start drinking from a glass from |
| pinot noir is associated with ruby. | | | | a very young age and we keep practicing for a |
| Second, the color is influenced by the climatic | | | | lifetime. However, theres a real difference |
| conditions. A hot summer and dry fall result in ripe | | | | between just swallowing liquid and conscious |
| grapes, with a dark, intense color. A cold summer | | | | tasting. Here, just like in all good things in life, the |
| and rainy fall will produce undeveloped grapes with | | | | difference is in the right technique. The |
| a lighter color. | | | | appropriate technique can make sure we get the |
| Third, wine-making practices also have an | | | | best out of the whole experience. |
| influence on the color of wine. For red wine, the | | | | 1. Still under the influence of the aromas youve |
| grapes are fermented with the skin. Since the | | | | inhaled in step II, take a sip of the wine. Dont |
| coloring agents are in the grape skin, and not in | | | | make it too big or too small. You need just |
| the juice, the longer the process of maceration, | | | | enough to walk the wine in your mouth and not |
| i.e. the longer the skin stays with the juice, the | | | | have to swallow it just yet. Let wine uncover its |
| darker the wine color will be. | | | | secrets. For reference, you may keep good wine |
| Fourth, the process of wine aging also has an | | | | in your mouth for 10 15 seconds, sometimes |
| influence on the color of wine. The young red | | | | even more. |
| wines are rich in coloring agents and that makes | | | | 2. Walk the wine very well in your mouth, |
| their color denser and fuller. In the course of time | | | | ensuring it touches each part of it. This is |
| chemical reactions take place in the bottle and a | | | | important because our tongue, palate, the inside |
| sediment is formed at the bottom. The wines | | | | of the mouth and our throat each detect |
| color gets lighter and is often described as brick | | | | different aspects of the wine. |
| or amber. | | | | For many years, it was believed that the tongue |
| Lets go through an example: you pour yourself a | | | | has different areas each of which is sensitive to a |
| glass of red wine and after carefully observing it, | | | | particular taste sweet for the tip of the tongue, |
| you notice a full granite color, good density, and | | | | sour for the sides, bitter for the back and salty |
| not so good transparency. What conclusions can | | | | for the whole tongue. Today we know that all the |
| you draw? | | | | tastes can be felt with the whole tongue, only |
| Well, you can safely say that the wine is: | | | | theres a blind spot in the middle of it which is not |
| - from cabernet sauvignon grapes; | | | | sensitive to any taste. |
| - from a Southern region; | | | | Another important step in wine tasting is being |
| - relatively young; | | | | able to tell ones impressions of the wine. |
| - from a good yield; | | | | Astringent, elegant, fruity, flat, young are only a |
| - that the wine-maker has gone for a good long | | | | few words of the wine vocabulary youll need to |
| maceration. | | | | amass. |
| If you know the wine, compare what you know | | | | |