The Art Of Wine Tasting

">tasters do however, follow some general
Even though many just assume that wine tastingguidelines and rules that judge how great a wine
is sipping, swishing, and swallowing - many areis.  These techniques can help you bring the most
amazed to find that it’s actually a bitout of your wine, providing you follow them and
more.  Wine tasting is more of an art, an artknow how to bring out the taste.
that is used to distinguish the taste of fineThe first thing to do with wine is to look.  With
wines.  Wine can be a tasty and refreshing drinkwine, you can tell quite a bit about it by looking at
- if the bottle was stored correctly and agedit.  You should always start by pouring the wine
properly. Even though many just assume thatinto a clear glass, then taking a few minutes to
wine tasting is sipping, swishing, and swallowing -look at the color.  As far as the color goes,
many are amazed to find that it’s actuallywhite whines aren’t white, but actually
a bit more.  Wine tasting is more of an art, anyellow, green, or brown.  Red wines on the other
art that is used to distinguish the taste of finehand are normally a pale red or dark brown
wines.  Wine can be a tasty and refreshing drinkcolor.  Red wine gets better with age, while white
- if the bottle was stored correctly and agedwhines get more stale with age.
properly.Next, is the smell of the wine, which you should
Wine tasting begins with the swishing.  Thedo in two steps.  You should start with a brief
reason why wine tasters swish the wine around insmell to get a general idea of the wine, then take
their mouths is to get the taste.  Both the fronta deep, long smell.  This deeper smell should allow
and the back areas of the tongue contain tasteyou take the flavor of the wine in.  The more
buds, although neither one has any distinctexperienced wine tasters prefer to sit back a bit
sensation in taste.  Taste buds can detect foodand think about the smell before they actually
and liquid that is bitter, salty or sweet, without ataste the wine. 
problem.  To get the proper taste from wineLast but not least, is to taste the wine.  To
however, you need to swish it around in yourproperly taste the wine, you should first take a
mouth and allow your taste buds and sense ofsip, swish it around in your mouth, and then
smell to bring out the unique and fine flavors inswallow.  Once you swish the wine around in
the wine.your mouth, you’ll bring out the rich and
When you have a cold however, the wine canbold flavors of the wine.  After swallowing,
taste very different.  When tasting your wine,you’ll be able to distinguish the after taste
your sense of smell has a major impact on theof the wine, and the overall flavor.
taste.  What many fail to realize, is that overOnce you have looked at the wine, smelled it, and
75% of our taste is due to our sense of smell. finally tasted it, you’ll be able to evaluate
When we have a cold, our sense of smell isthe wine from a taster’s standpoint.  This
affected.  Therefore, when eating or tasting wineis the easiest way to determine the quality of the
with a cold, the taste will appear different.  Winewine, and whether or not it has been properly
tasters all over the world will tell you that tastingstored and aged.  As with all things in life - the
wine is more about a sense of smell than themore you taste wine - the better you will get at
actual taste buds.distinguishing the unique flavors.
The art of wine tasting is indeed an art.  Wine