Wine Tasting
by karl 8 months ago

Anybody can go Wine tasting! It's a zesty enterprise full of savors for any would-be wine aficionado. Tasting is an exotic adventure of sharing and merriment.

Wine tasting is a special moment that you can share with friends around a glass of wine or two. There are three stages which include sight, smell and taste.

The joys

Tasting is all about enjoyment, meeting people and having a social exchange. This includes, letting people know what you think of the wine and finding what kind of food would accompany it best. A tasting can take a variety of forms, you can taste by region, appellation, grape type or mixture of grape type, producer or you can even taste the same wines of different vintages.

Where does the magic happen?

You can have a get-together at your own home or participate in organized tastings at an estate. Often fine-wine retailers or restauranteurs throw parties themselves. These shindigs are generally not free and you usually have to sign up in advance. Vintners and producer coops put together events that are mostly free to the public.

First step: Behold! The wine!

This step goes quickly, you can see if the wine is clear (as is very often the case today), and you can evaluate its age.

• a red wine that has a purplish tint: young
• a red wine with a brownish color: old
• a white wine with bit of green in it: young
• a more golden white wine: older or sugary

Looking at the "tears" or "legs" that drip down the inside of the glass, you can also make out whether or not the wine is viscous. The more viscous, the more sugared or the higher the alcohol level. This kind of wine will last longer in your cellar.

Step two : Smell the wine

To smell the wine, you put your nose into the glass and think about the aromas you sense. Sometimes they are simple to identify, sometimes you need to use your imagination. You can also rock the glass gently to get at other hints of aroma. For older wines, the first smells that emerge are more "animal," so make sure you aerate these wines.

You can't think of a word to describe the wine? That's just fine. Finding the right description is the hardest part. See "Wine's Subtle Side," for some pointers. Just remember that every person has his own perception, experience and words.

Part three : Tasting

To taste the wine, you must first take a small sip into your mouth and work it around, air it out. Then, you analyze the bouquet (it might be different than what you smelled initially), how it tastes (sweet, acid, sour, salty), ask yourself if it's lightly carbonated (like soda pop), try to feel if the savors last in your mouth or if it's persistent (once you've swallowed it), if it's sour or tannic. With a little bit of practice, you'll be able to evaluate what kind of meal the wine accompanies best or if the wine should be enjoyed young.

Wine's subtle side

Red wines can have aromas that are:

• red fruits: cherry, strawberry, huckleberry, boisenberry
• black fruit: blackberry, black currant, black cherry...
• animal: leather, wet dog, mold
• vegetable: mushroom, humus, licorice
• burned: toasted bread, wood, vanilla, butter, grilled walnut
• empyreumatic oils : chocolate, coffee, rubber

![café][café]

White wines often have other aromas, like:

• flowers: white flower, orange blossom, roses
• seeded fruit: apple, pear...
• pitted fruit: apricot, peach
• exotic fruits: banana, lichi
• dry fruit: hazelnut, walnut, almond

A region or a vine often carries its own particular aromas, (Riesling often has an apple ) flavor but the list can go on and on.

What you'll need

• Tasting glasses: Good thin, transparent wine glasses that are pear shaped and a bit closed at the top. This shape keeps the aromas in the glass and lets you swish the wine around inside the glass
• A notepad and a paper to take notes
• If need be, a spitoon (a vase will do nicely) if there are too many wines and you don't want to swallow all of them
• Maybe cardboard or aluminum cylinders to hide the labels, for a blind test.
• Possibly some water and/or starchy bread to clean your pallet between wines

Keep in mind

• Taste your wine at the right temperature. Sparkling wines should be tried at between 5 and 8°C (41 to 44ºF). Whites, rosés and rich, sweet wines between 7 et 10°C (43 to 47ºF). whites between 14 and 19ºC (57 and 66ºF) if fruity and not very tannic. It's best to serve a wine cooler because it will warm fast.
• Don't taste too many wines. 4 to 8 wines is ideal.
• Serve whites before reds, the rich wines at the end, the simpler wines before the better quality, the light before the strong.
• Avoid tasting in noisy place with many odors.
• You can accompany with hors d'oeuvres that go well with the wine. Your appreciation of the wine is sure to be enhanced.
• The first wine is sometimes disappointing, come back to it once your taste buds have been activated.
• Let the tannic reds breathe, especially the young ones, before you serve them. Open them a few hours before or put them in a decanter.
• Make sure your wines aren't corked before presenting them to your friends or airing them out. A corked wine has a moldy, stuffy smell and has a faded taste.

Anybody can taste, it's just a question of training. It's an exercise sure to provide you with a variety of fabulous sensations.

Glass, Tasting, Aromas