21 Apr The art of tasting wine!
Some of the most intimidating portion of ordering wine at a restaurant or attending a tasting at a local winery is that event when the world goes quiet and all eyes are staring at you waiting for your verdict on the wine you have just put in your mouth. What do you say? How do you know if it is a good wine or not? What are you considering?
Our friends at winefolly.com are here to show us exactly how to taste like a pro!
The following wine tasting tips are practiced by sommeliers to refine their palates and sharpen their ability to recall wines. Even though this method is used by pros, it’s quite simple to understand and can help anyone to improve their wine palate. Anyone can taste wine; all you need is a glass of wine and your brain.
Effective ways to Taste Wine
1. Look
Check out the opacity, color and viscosity (wine legs). You don’t need to spend more than 5 seconds on this step.
2. Smell
Select around two flavors and take your time recognizing them. There are three types of wine aromas:
– Primary Aromas come from grapes and include flower, fruit, and herb notes
– Secondary Aromas emerge from agitation and yeast aromas.
– Tertiary Bouquets come from oak, aging and oxidation namely baking spices, nutty aromas, and vanilla.
3. Taste
Two elements makeup taste: flavor and structure.
– Flavors such as lemon, raspberry or coconut.
– Structure including the level of sweetness, body, acidity, alcohol, and tannin.
– Profile The taste of wine is also time-based; there is a beginning, middle (mid-palate) and end (finish).
4. Conclude
Did the wine taste balance or out of balance? Did you like the wine? Was this wine unmemorable or unique? Were there any characteristics that shined through and impressed you?
Useful Wine Tasting Tips
Getting pass the ‘wine’ smell: the vinous flavor can be hard to move pass. A good technique is to alternate between small short sniffs and slow long sniffs.
Learn to Swirl: The act of swirling wine increases the number of aroma compounds that release into the air. Watch a short video on how to swirl a wine.
Find more flavors when you taste: Try coating your mouth with a larger sip of wine followed by several smaller sips so that you can isolate and pick out flavors. Focus on one flavor at a time.
Boost your tasting skills faster: Comparing different wines in the same setting will help you improve your palate faster, and it also makes wine aromas more obvious. Get a flight of ‘tastes’ at your local wine bar, join a local tasting group or gather some friends to taste several wines at once.
Overloaded with aromas? Neutralize your nose by sniffing your forearm.
For a more detailed explanation of each of these steps click here. If you and your friends would like to put your new found knowledge to take a trip and use to visit some of the local hotpots for great wine, call us today and let us help you put a trip together!
One of the most intimidating parts of ordering wine at a restaurant or attending a tasting at a local winery is that moment when the world goes quiet and all eyes are staring at you waiting for your verdict on the wine you have just put in your mouth. How do you know if it is a good wine or not?
The following wine tasting tips are practiced by sommeliers to refine their palates and sharpen their ability to recall wines. Even though this method is used by pros, it’s quite simple to understand and can help anyone to improve their wine palate. Did the wine taste balance or out of balance?