A Guide to Wine Tasting

In terms of wine tasting, there are a number ofshould start this process by swirling the wine in
rules to consider in order to get the most out ofyour glass. Not only will swirling the wine assist
the experience. Without following some of theseyou in visually observing the body of the wine, it
rules, the experience you have could end upwill also help in releasing the smell to the air.
missing the bar. You should learn a few of theTake a quick whiff of the wine as it swirls to get
fundamentals and follow them when it comesa first impression. If you like what you smell, take
time to taking part in a wine tasting.a second deeper whiff of the wine. You should
There are essentially three steps in wine tasting:concentrate on the smell of the win at this point.
look, smell and taste. It is important to rememberResist the temptation to take a giant gulp of the
these three steps in wine tasting when you getwine and simply contemplate what you have
set to participate, as they will influence your entiresmelled.
decision making process and can make you lookTaste is up next, of course. The secret to good
like a real pro in front of your friends or in frontwine tasting is knowing your personal preferences.
of your date.Wine tasting relies on patterns, so learn to follow
You can tell a lot about a wine just by being apatterns and consider making personal notes of
spectator. This refers to simply looking at thethe wine you have tasted to compare those
wine first. As a wine spectator, you canpatterns. Take an initial taste of the wine first and
determine many things about the wine. The winegather your first impressions, much the same
should be poured into a clear glass and placed inway that you did with smelling the wine.
front of a light, preferably with a whiteYour taste buds will respond to the sensations in
background so that you can carefully check outthe wine. After this, swirl the wine around again
the color of the wine.and take in a bit of air with the wine. You will
Colors of wines vary a great deal, even amongwant to practically gulp the next sip. You are
the same variety of wine. A red wine isn't alwayslooking for a more complex vision of the flavor
just plain old red and a white can contain differenton your taste buds. Concentrate on aftertaste,
color notes that may not be immediatelytoo.
discernable.Consider the wine on the whole after you
There are many aspects to think of when youcomplete the wine tasting steps. You should give
are looking at the wine. More color in a white winecareful consideration to the food you will be
can mean that is has more flavor and that it ishaving and think about how the wine stands up to
aged more. Most whites are not actually white.the food.
They are, instead, a shade of green or yellow. IfSend the wine back if it does not match up and
the white wine has gone brown, it may meanask for a new bottle of something else. As you
that it has actually gone bad. In terms of redlearn more about wine tasting, you will develop
wines, try looking for a lighter color to the red asmore discerning tastes that will gain you more
when the red wines age they become lighter.respect from your peers.
The smell of the wine is important, too. You