Wine Tasting: Learning the Basics
Wine tasting is definitely an art and there is a right and wrong way to go about it. Some people might even make it more complicated than it is, while others may overlook the more important points that will allow them to get as much enjoyment as possible. The following are some of the wine tasting basics to help you with the process.
The process of tasting wine is fairly simple. Only a small amount of wine will poured into each glass of wine. The reason being is because all you really need is one sip. Wine tasting can be broken down into four components: swirling the wine around your tongue, smelling the wine, tasting the wine, and spitting it out. When done in this manner, you avoid becoming potentially intoxicated. Also, by not swallowing the wine you will avoid your entire mouth being coated which will affect your taste of the following wines.
To assist with rinse the palette, often times fruit or cheese is also offered at a wine tasting party. One important tip here is to slowly consume the cheese so that each part of your mouth gets cleansed. Thus, you will have a clean palette and now you can go back to tasting other wines.
When tasting wine, three aspects to evaluate are taste, color and clarity, and smell. By swirling the wine in the glass, you can judge whether the colors are lighter or darker, and also how light affects the color. With smell, the initial whiff is important. Try to see if you can tell a difference between the various wines. This may not come easily at first, but the more you do it the better you will get. After awhile, you should be able to detect specific flavors such as vanilla, citrus, or berries.
When examining the wine’s appearance, you want to judge the consistency of the color. To see if there are any traces of other colors, hold it up against a light background and concentrate on the section between the top and the middle of the glass. Any variation could be attributed to oxidation, but it could also mean that it is an issue that will impact the taste.
Most wines will fall under only a few categories when smelling the wine. The wine will either be fruity or floral, or will be bouquet aromas, which come from the process of wine making. Eventually, you should be able to recognize these categories of scents when wine tasting.
What are some wine tasting gift ideas?
Learn about wine tasting invitation cards.
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