Tasting Wine
Wine Tasting Component I: Look
The first step you have to undertake in wine tasting is visual.
1. Fill up the glass up to 1/3 of its volume; never fill it more than half;
2. Hold the glass by the stem. Initially you may find this too pretentious but there are good reasons for it:
а) by doing it this way you can actually observe the wine in it;
b) this will keep your fingerprints off the bowl;
в) the heat from your palm will not change the temperature of the wine.
Theres a good saying by one of the greatest French wine lovers, Emil Painot: Offer someone a glass of wine and you can immediately tell whether he/she is a connoisseur by the way they hold the glass. Even though you may not think of yourself as a connoisseur, you could still learn how to hold the wine glass.
3. Focus on the color intensity and the transparency of the liquid.
a) the color of the wine, and more specifically its nuances, are best observed on a white background.
б) the wines intensity is best judged by holding the glass without slanting it and looking at the liquid from above;
4. Next comes the swirling of the glass. This can also seem too pretentious or even dangerous if you have a full glass or a white top. But this movement is important since it prepares you for the next step in wine tasting the Taste. The easiest way to swirl the glass is to place it on a table or other even surface, and to swirl your hand while holding the glass by the stem. Swirl hard and have the wine almost touch the rim of the glass. Then stop. The wine leaves tiny traces with irregular shapes on the inside of the glass. Some experts then read them with as much zeal as coffee-tellers. The truth is however, that they are just an indicator for the quality of the wine the more alcohol a wine has, the more wine traces it forms.
What does the color of the wine tell us? The wines color tells us many things about its character.
First, the color shows the grape variety. Lets take two popular varieties as examples cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. Cabernets grapes are smaller, with a thicker and darker skin than those of pinot noir. As a result, the color of wines made from cabernet sauvignon is usually described as violet to dark while the color of wines made from pinot noir is associated with ruby.
Second, the color is influenced by the climatic conditions. A hot summer and dry fall result in ripe grapes, with a dark, intense color. A cold summer and rainy fall will produce undeveloped grapes with a lighter color.\r Third, wine-making practices also have an influence on the color of wine. For red wine, the grapes are fermented with the skin. Since the coloring agents are in the grape skin, and not in the juice, the longer the process of maceration, i.e. the longer the skin stays with the juice, the darker the wine color will be.
Fourth, the process of wine aging also has an influence on the color of wine. The young red wines are rich in coloring agents and that makes their color denser and fuller. In the course of time chemical reactions take place in the bottle and sediment is formed at the bottom. The wines color gets lighter and is often described as brick or amber.
Lets go through an example: you pour yourself a glass of red wine and after carefully observing it, you notice a full granite color, good density, and not so good transparency. What conclusions can you draw?\r Well, you can safely say that the wine is:
- from cabernet sauvignon grapes;
- from a Southern region;
- relatively young;
- from a good yield;
- that the wine-maker has gone for a good long maceration.
If you know the wine, compare what you know with what you see: maybe the wine has a very full color and the yield has been bad this speaks of a good wine-making technique; or maybe the wine is too pale for its age this speaks for undeveloped grape or poor wine-making technique.
Wine Tasting Tours In Napa - The Best Of California
Napa Valley is renowned around the world for its excellent selection of wine. Wineries in this area produce some of the most popular wines in the worl...
Wine Tasting Tours in Tuscany
There are many areas all over the world that offer wine tasting tours. But if you want to experience the best of the best there is no better place tha...
The Basics of Wine Tasting Tours
Wine is one of the oldest drinks associated traditionally with many festivals and celebrations. Today, it has become a common household item and is fo...
Hosting A Wine Tasting Party
A wine tasting party can be the best way to spend time with your near and dear ones. You not only enjoy the presence of your dear ones, but also get t...
Finding a Great Wine Club
Wine lovers from around the world often form a wine club to discuss their love of wine and learn more about some of their favorites. There are many di...
Wine Cellar Equipment
There are many kinds of equipment that is essential to make a proper wine cellar. These include wine coolers, wine refrigerators, storage systems and ...
Wine Glasses - Hold Them Right, Use Them Right
It is essential to select a particular wine glass for a certain wine style, as the shape of wine glasses can considerably affect the wines perception....
How To Taste Wine Like A Pro
Nobody likes to look like an amateur when doing anything and wine tasting is no exception. By simply following a few guidelines you can look as if you...
The Language of Wine
When you attend a wine tasting party, you might be surprised when people smell their wine and then say things like, "old leather" or "tar on the road....
Wine Tasting Tours
For wine lovers everywhere, wine tasting & tours are the best way to experience the world. They let you really get into the culture, taste all the be...
Defining a Great Wine for You
More than a few books have been written on the art of making the one great wine. Even more have been written and sold on recognizing it when you are t...
How To Taste Wine
Often times, I will be at a wine tasting, or even out with friends, and they say How am I supposed to taste the wine? I suppress the urge to say somet...
Have Fun While Tasting The Wine
To many people the spectacle of a man or woman in a bistro or bar sniffing and swirling a glass of wine before ultimately tasting it and relaying thei...
Table Wine Classification in Europe
Have you ever been invited to a formal dinner in a restaurant? As you sit at the table, the host or a waiter may pour some wine in the wine glass that...
Characteristics of Vintage Wines
While many wines can readily be bought in a wine shop at affordable prices, there are also many wines that are quite expensive. The most expensive one...
Who Needs Napa Valley When You Can Have Mackinaw Valley?
Being that summer is finally here, it is time to put away our gloves, hats and long underwear and embrace the sun shining on our faces! And what bett...
Wine Tasting in Carneros
Because of its proximity to the San Pablo bay, the day time temperature is moderated by wind and fog from this body of water. This makes for excellen...
Dandelion Wine - Made From A Single Weed Petal
Dandelions have long been providing health benefits to humans. The plant has been grown for tea, herbs and food. While the Americans regard them as us...
A Brief Guide To Appreciate And Enjoy Your Wine
Indulging in a choicest wine drink can be a pleasurable experience indeed. It does not matter whether you are a novice in wine drinking or a connoisse...
Having A Wine Tasting Party
The first step to having a wine tasting party is deciding the theme. Will it be a general survey of wines? Will it be a vertical tasting, featuring se...