Wine tasting tips
Wine offers up all kinds of wonderful aromas characteristic of the grapes, soil, growing conditions and the winemaker’s skill. Swirl the wine a little, and then stick your nose right over the glass and take a good sniff. With your sparkling wine you might detect citrus fruits such as lemon and grapefruit, tree fruits such as apples and pears, perhaps tropical fruits such as melon or pineapple. There could even be an aroma of freshly baked bread or graham crackers. Each exclamation over a new/perceived aroma will solicit agreement or vehement opposition.
Now it’s time to taste. Whereas the nose can detect thousands of aromas, the palate mainly detects sweet, bitter and sour in wines. Take a small mouthful and roll it around the palate before swallowing.
- Does the wine taste like it smells or can you detect new flavours?
- Is it dry or sweet, light or heavy, crisp or creamy?
- Does the taste linger or disappear?
- Is there a food that might go well with the wine or is it a pre-dinner sipper?
- Most importantly, do you like it?
- What score would you give it? Individual taste varies greatly, so one person’s 2 might be another’s 9.
Take another mouthful, taste it again and then spit it into your personal spittoon. The “eureka” moment comes with appreciating the taste of the wine without swallowing. Professional tasters are sometimes faced with 100 wines in a morning, so spitting is essential.
After rinsing, pour the first flight of three white wines. Check out the colour and intensity, compare bouquets and flavours, and marvel at their diversity. Aromas of fruits, flowers, herbs, minerals, perfumes, synthetic substances and vegetables might appear. Take your time evaluating the first flight, then move on to the next. You might detect new aromas with red wines — earth, meat, leather, chocolate, spices and different fruits (fresh, dried or jammy). Pay attention to colour and intensity.
Finally, serve your dessert wine. Evaluate the wine on its own first, then try it with chocolate. Your guests will be delighted and become dessert wine converts!
Looking for more ideas?
There are countless ways to experience wine: blind or regional tastings, vertical tastings of the same varietal (wines made primarily from a single named grape variety), or food matching. Take opportunities to visit wineries and attend wine fairs. And if you want to read about all things oenological, there are books and websites galore. Three to start with:
grapescot.com
jancisrobinson.com
nataliemaclean.com
This article originally appeared in the December 2008/January 2009 issue of More
