An Idiot's Guide To Wine Tasting

Have you ever seen those stiff upper-lippedis actually needed. Just very slight circular
types doing a spot of the old wine tastingmovements combined with a right-left movement
malarkey? You know the form - sip, swill, spit.should do the trick.
Yuck! Well this information has been written toThe idea behind all this swilling is to bring the
help you understand the form should you everwine's aroma out of the wine itself and into the
find yourself in a situation where you need toempty part of the bowl thus allowing it to be
know what to do. And don't go thinking "I'll neversmelled and savoured. This is why wine glasses
have to do any wine tasting" because you justare bulbous. The wide bowl has ample room for
don't know that for sure and the last thing youswilling while the narrow edge 'captures' the
want is to be caught unaware.bouquet. Clever, eh? Do this right and you'll look
So, on with the wine tasting...like a real wine tasting expert.
Study The WineMove your glass to your nose as elegantly as
Pick up your glass as elegantly as possible. Thereyou're able and bring it in slightly beneath the tip.
are two ways this can be done.a) For chilled winesInhale deeply. Savour for a few moments and
- hold the glass by the stem and don't even touchthen inhale again. It's a good idea to exhale
the bowl.b) For wine served at room temperaturebetween those two inhalations or you might find
- pick up the glass by the bowl and hold it cuppedyourself going dizzy. Do it too often and you'll
in your palm, the stem between your middle twofaint.
fingers.You may now move your glass away from your
Now that you have the wine glass comfortably innose.
your hand, hold it at a slight angle againstAt this point, it's appropriate to make some kind
something white. If your hostess knows anythingof comment. Ok, so maybe you won't really be
about wine tasting, she'll have covered the table inable to fool anybody into believing you're a proper
white linen specifically for this purpose.wine tasting expert but at least you can make it
Be careful not to tip the glass too far - unlesssound as if you've actually drunk a glass of
you're willing to replace an expensive linendecent wine before. Why should the other guests
tablecloth, that is. You may also need to adjustneed to know that most of your wine costs
the distance from your eyes that the glass is held£3.99 at the local Co-Op?
at. Most find that holding it at almost arm's lengthSomething like "mmmm, rich and fruity" or "oooh,
is a good starting point when wine tasting althoughlovely and light" will probably do the trick. When
the very short sighted who are also absenttalking about red wine, 'rich' is usually a good word
minded enough to have left their eye glasses atto use - if the wine's white, go for 'light'. This is
home may find themselves having to hold thealso a handy way of impressing dates when doing
glass almost in front of their noses.a spot of wine tasting at the table in a restaurant.
Once you've found the correct position, study theThe Actual Wine Tasting
colour and clarity of the wine. Now you may wellYou've probably been looking forward to this bit
believe that wine's either red, pink, or white butbut whatever you do, remember that wine
I'm afraid, if that's the case, you're very muchtasting is about taking small sips and not guzzle it
mistaken. Wines can be green, yellow, gold, pink,down like there's no tomorrow.
purple, or even black. Evidently, the colour of theThis bit's actually trickier than you'd expect so
wine will indicate the type of grape it was madeyou might want to do some more practising.
from - as if me, you, and Jack on the street areBring your glass to your lips, open them slightly
likely to know about that! Still, you're presumablyand take a small sip. Now close you mouth and roll
there for the actual wine tasting rather thanthe wine around on your tongue for a few
grape education.seconds before allowing it to slide slowly down
Clarity indicates age. Young wines are more seeyour throat AND AT THE SAME TIME EXHALE!
through and cloudiness can mean there'sThe trouble with exhaling whilst swallowing is that
something wrong. If that's the case, I'd suggestsome of the liquid might come shooting through
putting it back on the table and giving youryour nostrils. Not a pretty sight and, again, think
hostess once of those 'down your nose' typeof the Axminster! Make a mess at this stage and
looks. That way, she'll think you actually know ayou'll probably never be invited to a wine tasting
thing or two about the business of wine tasting.party again.
The reason why you're studying the colour andIf you fancy, you can always take a second sip
clarity looks has absolutely no bearing on how theat this point but never a third. No matter how
wine will taste but a proper connoisseur enjoysgood that one particular wine is, it's time to move
the beauty of wine as well as its taste and ...on to the next.
The BouquetOther Stuff Worth Knowing
No, we're not talking about the bunch of flowersApart from bottles and glasses, the wine tasting
a bride carries with her down the aisle, we'retable will probably hold plates of cheese or,
talking the smell of wine. Sometimes, if the peopleoccasionally, sherbet. They're not there to snack
at the wine tasting are really posh, they might callon; they're used between wines to clean out the
it 'The Nose'.taste of the last wine you tasted. Just a little at a
Still holding your glass in the correct manner,time is all that's needed. Do like a mouse and
lower your hand somewhat whilst bring your glassnibble!
to a level position and rotate your wrist so thatWear something comfortable and preferably
the wine swirls gently within the bowl. You mightsomething that doesn't carry a designer label.
want to leave these instructions at this point toAfter all, if you spill red wine down the front of
go to the kitchen and practise this step with ayour best frock, you're not going to be happy,
wine glass half filled with water. After all, if you'reare you?
serious about attending a wine tasting party, it'sThat's it. You're now clued up enough to pop along
just as well to know for sure that you aren'tto your very first wine tasting party without
going to spill expensive red wine over yourmaking a complete idiot of yourself.
hostess's spanking new Axminster.Enjoy!
To swill wine properly, very little wrist movement