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Tips on Tasting Wine
You can appreciate wine as a refreshing drink together with a great meal. Or you can enhance your drinking experience with these wine tips, and enjoy the complexities and nuances that it has to offer. To developing a skill which recognizes and appreciates the many aspects of wine takes time, effort and passion. It is a multi-sensory experience involving sight, smell and taste.
There are 3 things to look at:
1.Look
2.Smell
3.Taste
:: Look ::
- Observe by pouring the wine into a clean wine glass about 1/3 full.
- Hold the glass by the stem so that you can get a good view of the wine contained in the bowl of the glass.
- 3 important qualities to look for to evaluate are hue, intensity and clarity.
- tilt the glass and loook at the wine through the rim; this is the best way to see the true color/ hue of the wine.
- white wines have very light shades of straw-toned color
- sweeter white wines have a more golden color
- red wines range from pink to varying shades of purple
- the color of a wine provide many revealing and intriguing information about it, even before you take a sip. It can tell the types of grape used, the growing conditions at the vineyard, and even the processing techniques used.
:: Smell::
- the best way to release many possible aromas of the wine is to swirl it.
- after the swirling has stopped, take a good whiff of the wine. It is amazing what aromas there are.
- words used to describe the varying smells range from chocolate, strawberry, cherry and honeysuckle to oakey, smokey, and toasty.
- however, there are many pleasing smells as there are distasteful counterparts. Some wines might smell of vinegar, mold, nail polish, sour milk etc. Such smells indicate that something has gone awry somewhere in the production and life cycle of the wine.
:: Taste::
- Sip first but don't swallow yet.
- slosh the wine in your mouth and let the sensory zones of your tongue come in contact with it.
- a young dry white wine, e.g., may be acidity
- a young red wine may give an astringent sensation
- some varieties have a fruity taste
- the key to the quality of a wine is balance; the harmony of all its elements -- fruit, acid, tannin, alcohol, wood (if any), etc.
- its aftertaste is also another important indicator. If the aftertaste fades quickly (short finish), it's unlikely to be a high-quality wine. A long finish indicates good quality of a wine.
Ever wonder why professional tasters spit the wine out?
That's because they don't have to swallow the wine to know (a little sloshing in the mouth is enough). It is also required to stay sober while tasting many wines.
Here are some great and fun ways of learning about your tastes in wines:
- You can join a wine club. You’ll be able to expose yourself to a great variety of wines by mail on a regular basis through a wine club.
- You can start a monthly wine club of your own too! Rotate houses with your friends, and have a few people bring their favorite bottle to share at each wine-sharing session. Throw in an assortment of cheeses into the mix, and you’ll have great tasty parties!
- Choose a flight of wine with your next meal. It's available at most trendy restaurants. Restaurateurs usually pair amazing wines with each course, so you can experience wine at its best!
- Go wine tasting! Your local wine country is always a good place to start.
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