| A degree in Oenology, the science of | | | | |
| winemaking, is not required in order to | | | | Next you want to try to identify the odour. |
| understand the art of wine tasting. One need | | | | Does the wine have a fruity smell similar to |
| not be confused by the terminology used by | | | | apples, oranges or grapes? Wines such as |
| professional wine tasters such as: clarity, | | | | Merlots or Cabernet Sauvignon evoke the woody |
| bouquet, earthly, open, crisp or nostalgic. | | | | smell of pine or cedar needles. Syrah wines |
| All that is required is to tune your senses | | | | have been known to diffuse a floral or ground |
| and to become familiar with various | | | | black pepper scent; while Chardonnay's that |
| definitions on well-known words. | | | | are aged in oak, can remind one of figs or |
| | | | apples. One can argue that the scent of a |
| Serving Wine | | | | wine is purely subjective, but there is often |
| | | | a wide agreement amongst amateurs and experts |
| When first starting out, it is a good ideal | | | | alike, although impressions differ on some |
| to allow someone who is more knowledgeable to | | | | degree. |
| decide on how to serve the wine. To acquire | | | | |
| the skills of wine serving you will need to | | | | Wine Tasting |
| gain a little more experience and education | | | | |
| to start. White wines in general need to be | | | | The tongue has many different areas that are |
| served chilled, while red wines are usually | | | | attuned to various types of tastes. Some |
| served at room temperature. Serving wine | | | | areas of the tongue are more attuned to salty |
| chilled does not mean frozen; but usually | | | | or sour tastes, while others attuned to sweet |
| starts at 50F and can be adjusted to taste. | | | | tastes. You want to take a sip of the wine |
| Room temperature usually refers to a slightly | | | | and make sure you run it around the tongue to |
| cooler room, approximately 60F. | | | | stimulate the many different kinds of taste |
| | | | buds. Some of the characteristics when |
| Red wine (with the exception of a few brands) | | | | tasting various brands of wines may include: |
| should be allowed to breathe first before | | | | |
| serving. They should sit in an uncorked | | | | - Pinot Noir - from Burgundy may arise a |
| bottle and exposed to air for approximately | | | | violet taste. |
| 15 minutes or more. In general white wine | | | | |
| should be served right away but there are | | | | - Zinfandel - this wine may remind you of |
| also various brands of white wine that don't | | | | berries. |
| adhere to this rule. There are also wines | | | | |
| that require decanting. This is the process | | | | - Gewurztraminer - evokes peaches. |
| of filtering out the sediments before | | | | |
| serving. Wines that have aged considerably | | | | - Chenin Blanc - orange blossom taste. |
| and ports may require decanting before | | | | |
| serving them. | | | | When moving on to tasting another wine you |
| | | | want to make sure to finish or set aside the |
| An ordinary wine glass should be used when | | | | wine you have just tested, and to come back |
| pouring wine as opposed to a heavy cut glass | | | | on another day. Don't try to many or too |
| where visibility can be poor. You want to | | | | much wine at one time. Ideally one brand of |
| make sure to fill it approximately half full. | | | | wine is preferred per day, but this can be a |
| Next you want to swirl the wine a bit to | | | | slow way to learn. You definitely do not |
| generate an additional winey vapour. | | | | want to try any more than three wines in one |
| | | | day. This may hinder your ability to discern |
| The Scent Of A Wine | | | | differences in different types of wine. |
| | | | |
| Examine the color traits of the wine. Is it | | | | On the next day you may want to try different |
| Hazy? Opaque? Clear? Take a short sniff and | | | | red wines. Try to concentrate on sensing |
| waft the wine vapors into the nose rather | | | | that oak storage cask. You will find some |
| then directly holding your nose over the | | | | California reds to have hints and traces of |
| opening of the glass. To help you truly | | | | coffee of chocolate. If you favour stronger |
| experience the wine you may want to close | | | | scents you may want to try a fine Merlot. |
| your eyes to allow you to focus on one or two | | | | They carry a tarry quality. |
| senses at a time such as taste and smell over | | | | |
| the sense of sight. There are even experts | | | | Remember a good fine wine will not hit the |
| who misidentify wines during blind taste | | | | nose over the head, so to speak. Above all |
| testing. | | | | the key is subtlety when tasting wine. |