Wine tasting is not just a simple act of drinking, but an art that integrates vision, smell, taste and even emotion. The following are comprehensive tasting tips from sight to taste to help you better master the art of wine tasting.
1. Visual Tasting
Observe the environment
Choose a quiet, clean, and bright environment for tasting, which will help you focus and more accurately observe the color and texture of the wine.
Choose the right container
Use colorless, clear wine glasses, such as goblets or Bordeaux glasses, which better showcase the color and shine of the wine.
Observe the color
Tilt the wine glass 45°, choose a white background (such as white paper or tablecloth), and observe the color of the wine. Different types of wine have different color ranges. For example, red wine may be ruby ??red, carmine red, brown red, etc.; white wine may be nearly colorless, straw yellow, amber, etc.
Pay attention to the clarity and gloss of the wine. High-quality wine is usually clear and translucent, without suspended matter and sediment.
Analyze color changes
For red wines, more purple tones may indicate younger wine; more yellow tones may indicate older wine. For white wine, on the other hand, greener tones may indicate younger wines; more orange or brown tones may indicate older wines.
2. Smell Tasting
still wine
After pouring it into the glass, do not shake the glass first, and smell the aroma directly while the wine is still. The aroma smelled at this time is called “first-class aroma”, which mainly comes from the grape variety itself.
Shake the cup and smell the aroma
Gently shake the wine glass to allow the wine to fully swirl in the glass and release deeper aromas. The aroma smelled at this time is called “secondary aroma”, which mainly comes from the aroma produced during the grape fermentation process.
Smell deeply
Put your nose close to the mouth of the wine glass, take a deep breath, and let the aroma fully enter your nasal cavity. Pay attention to distinguishing different aroma types, such as fruity aroma, floral aroma, plant aroma, animal aroma, etc.
Destructive scent
If you find that there are unpleasant smells in the wine, such as vinegar, soy sauce, etc., you can seal the mouth of the wine glass with your palm and shake the glass vigorously to let the bad smell out. But this method is generally not commonly used.
3. Taste Appreciation
Preparation before tasting
Rinse your mouth with water to keep your mouth clean and prevent food residue from affecting your taste.
Taste the wine
Put an appropriate amount of wine into your mouth and let it stay in your mouth for a moment (at least 12 seconds is recommended) to fully appreciate its flavor.
Distributed awareness
Use the taste sensitivity in different areas of your tongue to distinguish different flavors. Generally speaking, the tip of the tongue is sensitive to sweet taste, the sides of the tongue are sensitive to sour taste, and the base of the tongue is sensitive to bitter taste. Meanwhile, spiciness is actually a touch, not a taste, and it brings about a burning sensation in the nerves.
Overview
The quality of the wine is comprehensively evaluated by combining sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and other flavors as well as the taste of the wine (such as tannins, aftertaste, etc.). A good wine usually achieves balance and harmony in these aspects.
4. Emotion and Art
Feel the culture
Wine tasting is not only the appreciation of the wine itself, but also an experience and feeling of the culture and terroir behind the wine. Knowing the history, origin, brewing process and other information of the wine can help you understand and appreciate the wine more deeply.
Share and communicate
Wine tasting is also a social activity. Tasting wine with friends or family and sharing each other’s feelings and insights can not only enhance mutual understanding and friendship, but also improve your wine tasting level and appreciation ability.
