Snobby to Simple on How to Taste a Wine
Wine doesn’t intimidate people; people intimidate people. As you could guess, we take a simple approach to tasting wine. There is a reason people get very caught up in the experience of tasting wine. When you take a few minutes to appreciate a wine and taste it properly, you access more of your senses and therefore enjoy the wine even more.
The first rule of wine tasting is to remember it is your experience so enjoy it. There are different approaches to tasting wine. I suggest you find the best approach for you. I will outline the basics and give you some tips on etiquette (i.e. how not to make yourself look a bit silly).
The hardest part is not tasting the wine right away. Just about every time I open a wine and pour it in a glass I am ready to chug. You need to tame the urge and invest a few minutes in the experience.
Rob’s Rules to Wine Tasting:
1) Have fun
2) Learn something about your taste and wine every chance you get
3) See rule 1 often
The four Ss of simple wine tasting (See, Swirl, Smell, Sample)
Start by pouring a small amount of wine in your glass. About a couple ounces (the last thing you want to do is waste the wine if you don’t like it. Some call that alcohol abuse). The proper way to hold a wine glass is by the stem as to not warm the wine.
1) See the color: Tilt your glass downward and hold it over a something that is solid white (i.e. place mat, countertop).
a. What colors do you see?
b. How does the color change toward the edge?
2) Swirl: While holding the glass by the stem give it a little swirl (i.e. move the wine around in the glass).
3) Smell the wine: Get your nose right in there in the glass. Take a nice healthy sniff and try to smell the different aromas (e.g. flowers, chocolate, fruit, etc.). Don’t get frustrated if you don’t smell anything at first. It can take some time to get in touch what you smell. The good news is there is no wrong answer.
4) Sample the taste: Take a little sip slowly. Then pull some air over your tongue. Yes, this will sound much like a slurp, because well, it is a slurp. Feel free to make some noise. The slurping allows air to interact with the wine and bring out the characteristics of the wine.
Phases of taste:
|
Snobby |
Simple |
|
The attack |
Initial taste on top of your tongue |
|
The Mid-palate or Evolution |
Taste while on middle of tongue |
|
The Finish |
After taste (How the wine flavor lasts or not after you swallow) |
Finally you will want to Simplify a Description. Practice describing what you taste. This will also take some time. Take time to write down what you experience and taste. How sweet or bitter is it? Is it smooth or does it give you that feeling as if you just tasted a piece of lemon? Develop a rating (e.g.: 1- 5) for yourself to keep track of what you like and what you don’t.
In future we will have more information on Simple Strategies to describe what you taste. Most importantly learn and enjoy.
