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Wine Tasting Tips – Advice on choosing wine
You might find yourself asking the question “What is the purpose of wine tasting?” Well the simple answer to this is that it helps you to discover wines which are suitable to your palate and more importantly one which you’ll thoroughly enjoy. The following tips will give you an insight into the process and lend you a helping hand in evaluating new wines to see whether or not they suit your taste. 1)The first rule of wine tasting is you need to start off with a sparkling clean glass with no residue or smudges on it; this will help ensure the taste is not tainted or the clarity misjudged. In addition to this the glass should be concave, this will help the wine’s aromas 2) If you’re tasting a few wines then a good tip is to start off with the lightest one, working your way through to the heaviest (ex…sparkling wine, rose, light whites, full bodied whites, light reds then full bodied reds). This is the best order to follow as it helps your taste buds work more efficiently in deciphering the different tastes. In order to keep your taste buds working to peak perfection may I suggest you take a sip of water in between tasting each of the wines; this will aid the cleansing of your palate. Now that we’ve discussed the best type of glasses to use and which order the different types of wine should be tasted in we can get started on the fun bit. 3) The next step in wine tasting is to pour a little bit of wine into the glass – preferably about an inch worth. Hold the glass up to the light to view the colour of the wine, each wine will generally have a different colour. The colour of wine can give you an insight into the age of it. Quite usually, as red wines age they lose their vibrant redness and become more of a yellowish brown colour. On the other hand their white counterparts generally become darker in appearance as the months and years pass by. You can use the ‘holding the glass up to the light’ trick just to compare the different appearances and colours each wine has. This comparison is not necessarily essential in the wine tasting process, but does make you aware of how each has its own distinct characteristics. 4) It’s now time to swirl the wine. Holding the glass by its stem begin to swirl in a circular and steady motion – so not to spill any of the contents. This action has two benefits. Firstly, it allows the wine to release its fine sensual vapours and secondly it helps you witness the phenomenon of ‘legs’ or ‘tears’ as the wine trickles back down the sides. In wine tasting what does the term ‘legs’ mean? Some commentators have incorrectly suggested that the appearance and thickness of these legs gives an indication to the quality and sweetness of the wine. However, the truth of the matter is that the formation of legs relates to the alcohol content of the drink and the chemical process of evaporation. The more alcohol the wine contains the faster it will evaporate when it is aired and quite usually the thinner the legs will be and the faster it will trickle down the inside of the glass. Although the legs can be linked to many other things its position and importance in the wine tasting process is some what limited, however it is still quite interesting to see how different wines act under the same conditions. 5) Once you have swirled your wine and checked out its ‘legs’ it’s time use your nose and let the aromas caress your senses. To do this, place your nose right over the rim of the glass and have a good sniff; you’ll notice that wines will have different aroma depending on what kind of grapes were used to make them (Ex…Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay etc). When you have followed this process a few times your senses will improve, giving you more scope in detecting and identifying the different aromas. When sniffing wine how do I describe the different aromas? When you smell the wine what thoughts does it conjure up? If you’re unsure the following table should give you a helping hand. You don’t have to stick to these exact definitions theses a just the ones which are generally uses. The main thing here is to try and relate the smell of the wine to things you’ll find all around you it could smell like wood, vanilla or chocolate keep an open mind and be creative in your description. If you like, why not write down what each wine’s aroma reminds you of. This will help you remember each unique scent. The more experience you gain in tasting wine the more adept you’ll become at describing each which will in turn lead you to coming up with your own wine tasting vocabulary. Instinct will possibly tell you whether or not you’ll like the wine because if the wine is pleasing to your sense of smell then more or likely it will be pleasing to taste. 5Now the fun part of wine tasting has arrived, yes, that’s right. It’s time to let your taste buds do the work. Pick up the glass and take a sip, ensure that’s it’s just a sip and not a whole mouth’s full as this will make it more difficult to sample it properly. Swill the wine around the inside of your mouth and try and detect as many sensations as you possibly can. Some of the things you might notice about the wine are its fruitiness, its acidity, smoothness etc. How I evaluate the taste of the wine? Alcohol content - Depending on the alcohol content of the wine its taste will be different. A weaker wine will have a balanced sweet taste, whereas a stronger one will develop more of a fortified wine flavour similar to that of an acidic port. Usually stronger wines are a bit harsh and a little less palatable than low to medium strength ones, but everybody has different tastes. Acidity content - This is one of the most important aspects of wine tasting. The acidity level of a wine can either make it taste bitter or very watery and flat, but if the right blend is found it can ensure the wine tastes beautifully sharp and crisp. An example can be drawn between water and a lemon, a wine with unreasonably low acidity levels will taste more like the former and likewise too much will resemble the flavour of the latter. Sweetness - The taste of wine generally falls between the two extremes of sweet or dry. If it contains quite a lot of natural sugar then it will taste sweet and quite possibly posses a higher alcohol content, due to the fermentation process. On the other hand wine that is lacking in natural sugar tends to be dryer. When undertaking wine tasting, you should be able to decipher whether it tastes sickeningly sweet, harshly dry or somewhere in between. Tannin - When tasting red wine you may or may not taste its tannin. Tannin is a chemical which is produced from the skin, pips and stalks of red grapes. In some instances it can be quite bitter, tending to be more noticeable in younger wines. This is down to the fact that as reds mature the tannins become more rounded and softer thus blending in more, creating a delightfully weighty full blended wine Checking out the body - The ‘body’ is a piece of wine tasting terminology used to describe the thickness, texture or consistency of the wine. When ‘body’ is used to describe wine it usually suggests that it has a higher alcohol and sugar content. The thicker the wine the more body it has, ranging from light, to medium all the way through to full-bodied. You will notice the texture of the wine as you drink or swill it around your mouth. How does it feel to you? Does it feel light and watery or thick and creamy? Make physical or mental notes on the consistency of each wine. The aftertaste - The aftertaste is used in wine tasting to describe the lingering sensation which is left in your mouth when the drink has left it. At this point you should take special consideration into deciding how the wine mad you feel; did it tick all the right boxes? Does it need to mature before its sufficiently palatable? In addition try to rate it in terms of suitability to different culinary dishes (Ex… is best suited to fish, chicken, beef, pork etc). For some great ideas in complimenting wine to different food why not check out our OPH Good Housekeeping & Homemaking wine guide. That’s it you’re well on your way to becoming a wine tasting connoisseur. You should always remember that trying a wide variety of wines will vastly improve your skills, plus you’ll enjoy yourself while doing so.
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