| Wine tasting can be divided into two realms - | | | | a place. Using your eyes in tasting helps you slow |
| professional wine tasting or leisure wine tasting. | | | | down and focus your attention on the wine. Eyes |
| With professional tasting, the taster needs to | | | | also help to distinguish more about the wine. Take |
| evaluate it thoroughly, addressing things like the | | | | time to see if your drink is clear, dark, light, hazy |
| wine's origin, and discerning whether the wine | | | | or opaque in appearance before you begin to |
| would increase its value with cellaring or whether | | | | taste it. |
| it should be sold and drunk straight off the shelf. | | | | On another level, you might want to try closing |
| If you're leisure wine tasting, you're tasting purely | | | | your eyes while you are wine-tasting. Closing your |
| for pleasure. Wine should be in its most optimum | | | | eyes can help you to block out any distractions |
| condition such as be chilled if it's a white wine. | | | | and concentrate on your wine's taste, helping to |
| Tasting wine for pleasure should also be an | | | | pick up any of the more elusive flavors. |
| educational experience, enhancing your knowledge | | | | Nose |
| and overall tasting experience. | | | | Noses have a large role in wine tasting. In fact, |
| Ensure you consume wine in top conditions | | | | for a large part, the things we think we are |
| Wine tastes its best if it's served in a certain | | | | tasting are actually what we are smelling. Our |
| condition. This condition constitutes temperature, | | | | sense of smell is also much more sensitive than |
| your palate's state and the time of day it's | | | | our sense of taste. |
| consumed. The best temperature to serve wine | | | | Mouth |
| is in the low 20s Celsius. Your palate should be | | | | If you want to get the most out of your wine, |
| clear of any strong flavours. Steer away from | | | | it's a good idea to slow down. When you are |
| cigarettes, chilli and menthol flavors, for example. | | | | wine-tasting it can sometimes be all too easy to |
| Finally, your palate is most attuned during late | | | | only taste through the act of swallowing. Our |
| morning. | | | | tongues are composed of four areas that taste |
| Be in good health | | | | different sensations - sweet, salty, bitter and |
| There's no point tasting wine if you are sick. If | | | | sour. |
| your senses are affected, you won't be tasting | | | | When you are tasting wine it's a good idea to |
| the wine at all or in a heavily distorted manner. If | | | | thoroughly swish it around your mouth to make |
| you really want to enjoy your wine, make sure | | | | sure that the liquid has the opportunity to cover |
| you are in a healthy state. | | | | all four areas, to ensure you taste the full flavor |
| Importance of three senses working together | | | | of the wine. You may also want to pay attention |
| To have an optimal wine-tasting experience you | | | | to the texture. See if your wine is light, heavy, |
| should ensure that your sight, smell and taste are | | | | floury or oily. |
| in great condition and are well tuned to focus on | | | | What to look for |
| how wine impacts upon them. | | | | A good wine has an acidic or sour taste. Often |
| Eyes | | | | this is balanced well with sweetness. You know a |
| It mightn't seem like eyes would play much | | | | wine is off if it strongly smells and tastes of |
| importance in wine tasting, however, it does hold | | | | vinegar. |