Wine tasting. Say those words out loud and you may already smell the aroma of ripe grapes, taste the complex aromas and feel the silky texture of a good wine on your tongue. For some, wine tasting is a relaxing weekend getaway, for others it’s a lifelong passion and profession. But what does wine tasting actually mean and how can you learn to master it yourself? That’s what we’re going to find out in this article.
Wine tasting is an art that has its origins in the time-honored traditions of viticulture. It’s a process that engages all your senses: sight, smell, taste, and even the feeling in your mouth. Every aspect of the wine, from the color to the finish, tells a unique story about where the wine comes from and how it was made.
The preparation: How to sharpen your senses
Before diving into the world of wine, it’s important to prepare our senses. After all, wine tasting is a sensory experience, and just like any other skill, it takes practice to refine it.
First of all, make sure you have a neutral environment. In order to perceive the subtle notes and scents in the wine, the room must be free of strong odors, such as perfume, coffee, smoke, or spicy foods. The same goes for your mouth; Avoid strong flavors like coffee, mint, or spicy foods before tasting.
The color of the environment is also important. To properly judge the color of the wine, you need an environment with enough light and a neutral background. A simple white wall or a light-colored tablecloth can work just fine.
Another important aspect of preparation is choosing the right glass. Wine glasses are designed to enhance the aromas of the wine. A standard wine glass has a stem, a large convex bottom and a slightly narrower opening at the top. The stem allows you to hold the wine without heating it up with your hand, while the convex bottom provides a spacious surface for the wine to breathe. The narrower opening at the top catches the aromas and directs them to your nose.
But perhaps the most important aspect of preparation is practice. Developing your senses takes time and constant exposure to different wines. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t recognize all the subtle notes and scents right away. With each wine tasting , you’ll discover new flavors and aromas and refine your palette. So get those bottles out and start tasting!
The techniques of wine tasting
The Art of Looking: Visual Assessment of Wine
Before you even take a sip, wine tasting begins with your eyes. A visual inspection can give you a wealth of information about the wine you’ll be tasting. By paying attention to aspects such as the wine’s color, clarity, and consistency, you’ll get important clues about the wine’s age, quality, and style.
The Importance of Visual Assessment of Wine
Visual assessment is an essential part of wine tasting. It prepares you for what to expect when you smell and taste the wine, and it can also give a first impression of the quality of the wine. While it doesn’t provide the definitive assessment of a wine, it can help you appreciate a wine in its full context.
Color of wine
The color of a wine can tell you a lot about its age and type of grape. White wines darken with age, while red wines become lighter. The hue can also give you clues about the grape variety. For example, Sauvignon Blanc often has a lighter, almost greenish hue, while Chardonnay can have a deeper, golden color.
Clarity of wine
Brightness refers to how much light is reflected by the wine. A wine that is bright and shiny usually indicates good quality. If the wine appears cloudy or dull, it could be a sign of a fault in the wine or a sign that it has not been stored properly.
Consistency of Wine
Consistency, or the viscosity of the wine, can also give you valuable information. If you tilt the glass, some wines will form ‘tears’ or ‘legs’ that slowly run down the sides of the glass. This can tell you something about the alcohol or sugar content of the wine. A wine with a lot of tears usually has a higher alcohol or sugar content.
So looking at wine is much more than just admiring its beautiful color in the glass. It’s a crucial first step in judging a wine and can prepare you for the aromas and flavors to come. So the next time you have a glass of wine in your hands, take a moment to really look before smelling and tasting.
The importance of your nose: smelling wine
When we talk about wine tasting, most people immediately think of taste. But did you know that your nose plays a crucial role in how you judge the complexity and quality of wine?
Why Your Nose Is Important
Your nose is indispensable when tasting wine because most of what we call ‘taste’ is actually ‘aroma’. Without your sense of smell, wine would lose much of its complexity and character. Therefore, the step of smelling wine is just as important, if not more so, than the actual tasting.
How do you smell wine?
When smelling wine, there are a few techniques you can apply:
First nose: Take a quick sniff before swirling the wine. This will give you a first impression of the wine.
Swirl: By swirling the wine in the glass, you allow oxygen in, which helps release the aromas of the wine. Be careful not to overwhirl as this can dilute the aromas.
Second nose: After swirling, smell the wine again. The scents should be more pronounced now.
What do you smell in wine?
In wine, you can discover a huge variety of scents. From fruity aromas such as apple, peach or cherry, to floral notes such as rose or violet, to more complex aromas such as leather, tobacco or even earth.
The ability to identify and describe these aromas is what makes wine tasting so fascinating.
Training your nose to recognize different aromas in wine is an ongoing learning process, but it’s an essential part of becoming a skilled wine taster. So, the next time you have a glass of wine in your hands, don’t forget to take the time to really smell what’s inside your glass.
