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Attending a wine tasting, whether at a winery or a friend’s house, is always an enjoyable social event as well as a great way to discover some new wines to enjoy. If you are nervous about attending a wine tasting because you don’t know much about wines and aren’t sure you’ll get much out of it (or are afraid to show you lack of knowledge), keep two things in mind. First, wine tasting is meant to be pleasurable, not a test. Second, you can learn a lot from tastings without having any formal training.
The Three Phases of Wine Tasting
Wine tasting is actually made up of three key elements: observing, smelling and tasting the wine. Each of these contributes to your enjoyment of the wine and will help you learn more about the character of a particular bottle of wine.
Looking at the wine is done immediately after it is poured into the goblet. You should notice three essential features:
• Hue, or the color of the wine. Reds vary from rubies to deep purple-blacks, and some have a tinge of a brown-auburn shading. Whites vary from just a hint of gold to deep yellow-greens. Blush wines can be anything from pale peach to deep, rich pinks tending toward red.
• Intensity or depth of the hue. Is the color deep and intense or relatively light, with lots of light shining through?
• Clarity indicates how clear the wine is. Is there sediment or a cloudiness to the wine?
Generally, darker more intense wines will have a fuller flavor. Clarity can indicate the amount of tannins in the wine as well as the age. At the wine tasting, be sure to ask questions and take notes if you like. It will add to your understanding.
Swirl the wine in the glass. The thin film of liquid sheeting down the inside of the glass is called “tears.” More tears equal a higher alcohol content.
Smelling the wine is essential to any wine tasting. Scent is tied closely to taste, and you will discover that you’ll notice subtle differences in taste that you haven’t noticed before if you take the time to inhale generously first.
Wines will smell either floral, fruity, vegetative or spicy. The difference lies in the type of each of these categories. For instance, fruity reds tend to have darker notes such as blackberry and cherry, while whites tend to have scents reminiscent of green apple and pear.
The finale of any wine tasting is actually taking a generous sip of the wine. The wine tasting should involve holding about one-half ounce of wine in your mouth for about ten to fifteen seconds. Swish it around in your mouth so that it comes into contact with all areas of your tongue so that you taste all elements of the wine – sour, sweet, salt and bitter. Close your eyes and take the time to find the words that describe the flavor at each point.
At wine tastings you’ll often hear words that involve aroma, texture and depth as well as actual flavor to describe the taste of a wine. Some might be fruity, earthy, full-bodied, ripe, creamy, smooth, warm, vibrant, and bright. Don’t give up if at first you can’t distinguish the nuances. As you continue to attend wine tastings, you’ll quickly develop a more discerning palate.
And remember, the most important thing about wine tasting is finding a bottle that you truly enjoy!
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