| Do you know that some wine tasters are able to | | | | Testing with your sense of smell |
| tell what kind of grape was used to make a | | | | Once you've poured your wine in a glass, give it a |
| wine? What about the regions that it comes | | | | swirl to release the aroma and then stick your |
| from? Yes, professional wine tasters would be | | | | nose into the glass, but away from the liquid. |
| able to tell you these things and more just by | | | | Smell steadily and gently as if you were smelling a |
| tasting the wine. | | | | flower. The more you smell wine for testing the |
| Even if such extreme knowledge about wine | | | | better you will develop a smell memory bank. |
| seems to be far fetch for you, you can learn | | | | Soon you will be able to recognize a wine from its |
| how to taste wine and impress your guests. | | | | smell. |
| Tasting wine is learning and discovering about this | | | | Tasting with your taste buds |
| particular wine. The first element that will help you | | | | Now it's time to taste the wine in your mouth. It |
| to know more about it is the label. Knowing how | | | | might be news to you, but the tongue is not the |
| to read the label is essential to start with. | | | | best testing instrument in your mouth. The real |
| The label | | | | testing happens at the very back of the mouth. |
| Labels will usually tell you a great deal about the | | | | This is why you might have seen wine tasters |
| content of the bottle. The label should feature the | | | | gargle the wine for a few seconds before spitting |
| year of the harvest, the grape kind used, the | | | | it out. Professional tasters do have to spit the |
| region where it comes from, it's classification, the | | | | wine they are testing in order to remain sober all |
| name and address of the producer, its alcohol | | | | through the day. As for you, if you are testing |
| level and if it's a dry or sweet wine. | | | | just a single bottle, you might want to just |
| The label is the best information you can get | | | | swallow. |
| about a wine before tasting it. | | | | You can also literally chew on the wine as if it |
| Tasting with your eyes | | | | was a piece of food and letting it coat your |
| Wine is best drunk from a tulip shape glass which | | | | tongue. This will give you all the aroma of the |
| helps concentrate the aromas. Pour a small half of | | | | wine; its acidity, its body, its sweetness and so on. |
| a glass and tilt it gently to have a good look at | | | | Testing wine may start as a fun game, but as |
| the liquid. You should see a clear wine free of any | | | | you get better at it, you might become expert at |
| kind of deposits or dust. Whatever its color, white | | | | it. |
| or red, a good wine should always be clear. | | | | |