Wine tasting, or wine sampling, is the organized process of smelling and evaluating wines systematically. The grape harvest from specific bunches can produce several different types of wine depending on how it is fermented. In other words, two wines made from different grapes harvested at the same time will taste different if they are fermented differently. The “taste” we perceive depends not only on properties inherent in each variety of grape and the wines produced from them – such as having previously been exposed – but also environmental factors: what time of day it was picked and even where it was grown. In addition, ripening conditions have an impact on the concoction’s overall scent profile or bouquet.
It is important to remember that wines are not judged on their color.
The tasting process can be divided into four components that are at the heart of detecting the wine’s qualities:
Smell or olfaction is something that can help identify specific aromas in wine. The sense of smell is linked with regions inside the human brain involved in memory and emotion. Some people have a much keener sense of smell than others, but everyone has it. However, some may not fully appreciate its powers! And you don’t even need any special training to develop your smelling skills, just practice!
There are two basic steps for evaluating a wine – smelling it and then tasting it. For many connoisseurs, smelling comes first, as this is when you can discover the most subtle aromas and recognize their origins.
Besides fruit, wines can present various other smells, such as flowers (violets, roses), herbs (fennel, basil), or aromatic spices (cloves, cinnamon). You might also find woody (cedarwood), earthy (humus), volatile acidity (vinegar), or sulfur compounds. All of which are typical characteristics of certain grape varieties.
Smelling a wine involves first pouring some into your glass to aerate it briefly. It’s actually during this short time that the wine starts to “breathe,” giving off its aromas more intensely. Then place your nose deep into the glass and take several slow sniffs – don’t be afraid always to have a bit of wine left in the mirror when you start smelling it. Try to detect different aromas and keep an open mind. It can take a few years before you develop your olfactory senses!
Tasting comes next, but to do that, you need to decant the wine into a decanter or carefully pour from the bottle into another clean, empty glass. If it’s undamaged, tasting also allows you to study the wine’s color at length without any distractions or any other colors blending with it. When looking at wine through natural light – which is generally best – our eyes work together with our sense of smell in detecting its various attributes! Tasting involves taking small amounts of wine into your mouth, swishing it around, and then spitting it out without swallowing.
Where to buy good wine?
Nowadays, it’s easier to buy wine thanks to the Internet and stores like ListLux ; make sure you buy it from a reputable source. Also, be aware that supermarkets don’t always offer great wines. And if you’re purchasing on the other side of the world, transport costs are likely to have an impact on the balance of quality and price!
What are the best practices?
Wines should be sampled in a clean glass, and every attempt made to ensure that it is free of foreign flavors and aromas. If the wine is too astringent, add a few drops of water. Hold the glass by its stem to prevent heat from your hand warming up the wine; also, remember not to hold it too close or too far away from your nose. When tasting, use only your mouth (not your nose) for this process because by diluting saliva, you can help release flavor molecules at different tasting phases. Another method often used is the “slurp” – sometimes referred to as “sucking” or “glugging.” This involves putting your tongue over the of the glass before pouring the
The tasting allows you to determine the wines’ most apparent characteristics, either good or not so good. It can be done by taking small amounts of wine into your mouth, swishing it around before spitting it out – but for experienced tasters, this is not always necessary. You can also spit the wine back into its glass after tasting to observe its remaining qualities on the palate better.
It’s important to remember that taste is influenced by our sense of smell too. This means you should expect a certain amount of “smelling through” when tasting a new wine! For the inexperienced taster, however, this process may take some time to master.
It’s also important not to swallow the wine in one gulp but instead to allow it to remain in the mouth before swallowing gradually. This way, it will be exposed to your complete taste experience, and all of its components will be able to interact with each other.
When assessing a wine’s quality level, you should always picture yourself drinking it at home or in a restaurant – which will help you better judge what characteristics are essential for this particular grape variety. For example, is it light, refreshing, and easy to drink? Or would you prefer something more robust, more complex, and ‘filling’?
Something else that may affect how you perceive a wine is the temperature at which you drink it. Generally speaking, though, most wines should be served at around 18°C (64 °F).
