Wine Tasting For Beginners

Attending wine tasting events can be a great experience and a lot of fun, although a lot of people choose not to attend out of fear – or not knowing what to do or what to expect. Even though there are no mysteries to wine tasting, there are some things that you should always remember.

Most wineries or tasting events will serve you water between tastings, so you can cleanse your palate and be ready to taste the next wine that is served. When you take the wine, you should always handle the glass by the stem, to avoid heating it with your hands. There will also be crackers and bread on hand as well, to help you cleanse your palate between wine tastings. Astringency and bitterness require up to ninety seconds recovery in order not to influence the flavor of the next wine

Wine tasting is actually a complex proposition involving much more than simply sipping some fermented grape juice. There are many variable factors that affect an individual’s perception of flavor in wine. There are chemical, physical, mechanical, physiological, and psychological variables.

Wine tasting is basically broken down to three components: Color, Smell and Taste.

Color
Color can be an indicator of what the nose and the mouth might expect. Tilting the glass over an opaque white surface and observing the liquid’s edge is the best way to judge hue and clarity. Clues as to the grape varietal identity and the age of wine can be revealed by its hue and transparency or opacity. White varietal wines may appear from very pale greenish and brightly clear (suspect youth and bone dryness) to deep golden brownish and approaching translucence (probably well-aged, possibly nectar-like). Red varietals run from brickish red and nearly transparent (may be older, mellow) to deep opaque bluish-purple (expect young, brash, tannic). Bright pink rosé or blush wines are often youthful, while orangey-bricky ones are usually past their point of prime drinkability.

Although they may appear to be in a range of either red-purples or green-yellows, wine grapes are referred to as black (noir ) or white (blanc ), depending on the color of their skins at ripeness. Ripe Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Mourvedre skins range generally in tones of red to reddish-brown and wines made from these varieties tend towards a garnet or brickish tone. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Barbera are more bluish-black when ripe and can make wines so inky-purple they could refill fountain pens. The hues of the black grapes are consistent but they become nearly transparent when made into rosé or blush-style wines. Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc tend to be green. Semillon and Viognier are generally more yellow. Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris (Grigio ) can have a light tannish-grey cast if allowed to fully ripen before made into wine. Most unnamed varietals fall in between these color ranges.

Smell
The nose can sometimes even beat the eyes in the race for setting up the tasting expectations. An aroma can carry from one room to another, beyond the line of sight. Of the five senses, smell is the most acute, approximately 1,000 times more sensitive than the sense of taste. As a result, what is termed flavor is influenced by roughly 75% smell and 25% taste in healthy individuals. Ever notice how foods seem to taste bland or less distinctive when the nose is blocked by a cold?

When you smell the wine, swirl the glass to open up the bouquet and flavors. Put your nose as far into the glass that is reasonable. Don’t be swirling and sniffing at the same time or you will end up with quite the red nose from that Cabernet! Take in the smells. Close your eyes and let your sense of smell tell you what it is. Some of the sensations in wine tasting are Pears, Apricots, Berries, Smoke, Leather, Flowers and a number of others. Don’t be afraid to say what you smell…I once smelled cooked bacon in a Merlot. There is no wrong answer.

Taste
Taste has historically been one of the least understood sensory mechanisms. Tastes are sensed by nerve receptors called buds and there are about 9,000 of them on the average tongue. Misinterpretations of research conducted in the late 1800s, led to “tongue maps” that suggested that the basic tastes are sensed primarily by specific areas. The tip picks up the sweetness, the center salts, and the sides is where you taste sour.

Take a small sip and feel the viscosity and tannins. Allow the wine to settle in the lower jaw, letting it warm slightly while pursing the lips to breathe in a small amount of air. Continue sucking in air, making a slurping sound as the wine and air mix. This volatilizes the wine and sends it to the back of the nasal cavity, intensifying the smell and flavor experience. After swallowing, notice which flavors and feelings are left and how well they linger.

After swallowing let your taste receptors tell you if its bitter, sour, sweet or tannic. Tannins leaves a puckery, astringent feeling on the tongue, gums, and cheeks and can sometimes also taste bitter. If the wine is high in acid you will notice quickly that you are salivating. The proteins in your saliva are neutralizing the acidity level causing the excess saliva to form.

The body of a wine is felt as light or heavy, thin or full, rich or crisp. Body is one of the most often misunderstood components of wine. The description “full bodied” is frequently applied to wines that are high in either alcohol or tannin or in both, without the actual texture and weight of the wine being “full” at all. Body should be thought of as the relative “thickness” or viscosity of the wine.

Before you attend a wine tasting, you should always learn as much as you can about the many different flavors and varieties of wine. This way, you’ll have a better understanding of what you should look for in both taste and flavor. Even though you may be new to wine tasting, you should never pass up an opportunity to go. You’ll get a great experience in the world of wine tasting and get to experience wines that you may have never heard of before. There is no better way to appreciate all types of wine than to head out to some tasting events.

Salut!