How to Act like a Professional when Attending a Wine Tasting Event
The human tongue contains more than 10,000 individual taste buds, which enable a person to detect the different tastes of food and drink. We have tons of adjectives that we use to describe these flavors and yet, truth be told, there are only four basic flavors. These are sweet, sour, salty and bitter. With this in mind you may wonder where the wonderful experience in wine tasting comes from. Well, the nose also plays a very important part in wine tasting. In fact, the sense of smell is actually more important than the sense of taste. So, wine tasting begins with smelling the aroma. Here is a look at the pleasurable experience of wine tasting.
The first thing that a person should do is hold your glass of wine half an arm’s length away and against a white or lightly colored background. Take a moment to notice how the light shines through the wine. High quality wine should let the light brightly shine through it without a cloudy haze or any particles floating around. Sparkling wine should have fine bubbles and a delicate mist rising from the surface. A wine that looks brown or tinted has been oxidized. If you are sampling a white wine you will be able to tell what flavors it contains simply by looking at it. If the white wine is light or pale in color the wine will be light and crisp with flavors that are citrus or herbal in nature. Darker white wines will have an oak or vanilla taste. Red wine’s color will tell you what kinds of grapes are used.
Once you have taken some time to look at the wine you should swirl it around in the glass then hold it to your nose and give it a nice long sniff. The first thing that you will smell is the esters, which give the wine a fruity smell, and the alcohol. You will also be able to tell if the wine is spoiled at this point. Some words that you can use to describe what you smell includes: herbal, grassy, fresh fruit, dried fruit, oak, floral, vanilla, citrus, madeirised (oxidized), sulphur and chemical. If the wine has been aging for a while it may also develop an earthy smell. You should not be too concerned about the exact description that you use. What is important is that you compare it to flavors that you can remember for when you want to make comparisons in the future.
Now it is finally time for you to take a sip of the wine. Hold the wine in your mouth for a moment without swallowing it. This will help you to quickly see if the wine is sweet or sour. Breathe out of your nose while the wine is still in your mouth and the full flavor of the wine will be released. Now you can swallow the wine and you will be able to see if there is any bitterness. It will also allow you to truly enjoy the wine’s lingering affects.
As you go through this process you will be amazed at how different your perception of the wine will be. You will now be able to tell what the excellent points of the wine are and what wines are exceptional in taste. These are the wines that will leave you yearning for more. However, these are just the basics of wine tasting. Over years of wine sampling you can become an expert when it comes to tasting wine.
