4 Easy Steps to Wine Tasting

-- End Ad Box --->There's no consensus about the proper sniffing
Legend has it that Cleopatra once promised Marctechnique. Some advocate two or three quick
Anthony she would "drink the value of a province"inhalations; others prefer one deep, sharp sniff.
in one cup of wine, after which she drank anI've seen tasters close one nostril, sniff, then
expensive pearl with a cup of wine. Marilynclose the other and sniff again. It really doesn't
Monroe is rumored to have bathed in a bathtubmatter how you do it as long as you get a good
of champagne. The lure of wine is cross-culturalsniff in. With practice, and keen attention, you'll
and going strong. Enjoying wine, once surroundedlearn how to maximize your perception of
by pomp and circumstance, is now somethingaromas, and then how to decipher them.
that many of us do on a daily basis to enjoyThe world of smell is vast and bewildering. First of
food, friends, and family. There is no reason eachall, our olfactory equipment is incredibly sensitive;
experience shouldn't be as exceptional as taking awe can distinguish aromas in quantities so small
bath in Champagne. Knowing a few simple tipsthat laboratory equipment can scarcely measure
about tasting wine can enhance your winethem. Second, our analytic capacity is
experience by leaps and bounds and easilyextraordinary; estimates of the number of
transition you from a wine lover to a wine expert.different smells humans can identify range up to
STEP 1 - LOOKING10,000!
Fill the glass about one-third full, never more thanAs with color, wine's aromas offer insights into
half-full. Pick it up by the stem. This may feelcharacter, origin and history. Because our actual
awkward at first, but there are good reasons:sense of taste is limited to four simple categories
Holding the glass by its bowl hides the liquid from(the well-known sweet, sour, bitter and salt),
view; fingerprints blur its color; the heat of youraroma is the most revealing aspect of our
hand alters the wine's temperature. Wine expertsexamination. But don't simply sniff for clues. Revel
can usually tell right away how much a personin the sensation. Scientists say smells have direct
knows about wine by looking at the way theyaccess to the brain, connecting immediately to
hold their glass.memory and emotion. Like a lover's perfume, or
Focus on the hue, intensity and clarity of the winethe scent of cookies from childhood, wine's
color. The true color, or hue, of the wine is bestaromas can evoke a specific place and time with
judged by tilting the glass and looking at the wineuncanny power.
through the rim, to see the variation from theSTEP 4 - TASTING
deepest part of the liquid to its edges. IntensityWith the aromas still reverberating through your
can best be gauged looking straight down throughsenses, put the glass to your lips and take some
the wine from above. Clarity-whether the wine isliquid in. How much? You need to have enough
brilliant, or cloudy with particles-is most evidentvolume to work it all around your tasting
when light is shining sideways through the glass.apparatus, but not so much that you're forced to
STEP 2 - SWIRLINGswallow right away.
Next comes the swirling. This too can feelBecause you don't want to swallow, not just yet.
unnatural, even dangerous if your glass it too fullIt takes time and effort to force the wine to
and your carpet or clothing is new. But besidesdivulge its secrets. I keep a pleasant wine in my
stirring up the full range of colors, it lets the winemouth for 10 to 15 seconds, sometimes more.
breathe a little and releases some of the aromaRoll the wine all around your mouth, bringing it into
for examination. The easiest way to swirl is tocontact with every part, because each decodes a
rest the base of the glass on a table, hold thedifferent aspect of the liquid. Wine provokes
stem between thumb and forefinger, and gentlysensations, too: The astringency of tannins is
rotate the wrist. Right-handers will find amost perceptible on the inner cheeks; the heat of
counter-clockwise motion easiest, left-handers thethe alcohol burns in the back of the throat.
reverse.First, as you hold the wine in your mouth, purse
Move the glass until the wine is dancing, climbingyour lips and inhale gently through them. This
nearly to the rim. Then stop. As the liquid settlescreates a bubbling noise children find immensely
back into the bottom of the glass, a transparentamusing. It also accelerates vaporization,
film will appear on the inside of the bowl, knownintensifying the aromas. Second, chew the wine
as the wine's "tears" or "legs." You will often hearvigorously, sloshing it around in your mouth, to
people pondering about the legs or showing themdraw every last nuance of flavor from the wine.
off, "Hey look at the legs on this wine!", but inDon't forget the finish. After you swallow, exhale
truth they're simply an indication of the amount ofgently and slowly through both your nose and
alcohol in the wine: the more alcohol, the moremouth. The retro-nasal passage, which connects
tears or legs.the throat and the nose, is another avenue for
STEP 3 - SMELLINGaromas, which can linger long after the wine is
When you stop swirling, and the legs are falling, it'sfinally swallowed. You'll find that the better the
time to take the next step: smelling. Swirling thewine, the more complex, profound and long-lasting
wine vaporizes it, and the thin sheet of liquid onthese residual aromas can be. With great wines,
the sides of the glass evaporates rapidly; thesensitive tasters and minimal distractions, the
result is an intensification of the aromas. I'm surefinish can last a minute or more. It's a moment of
you've seen wine snobs do this and you havemeditation and communion that no other
laughed at them, but stick your nose right into thebeverage can create.
bowl and inhale.