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