Wine tasting is about more than simply tilting a glass of vino and swallowing. It’s about finding the kinds of wine you like and then later, sharing a bottle with what you have discovered with family and friends.
And what can make this such a social pastime? There’s something about the shared experience of wine tasting that bonds the tasters together and makes an ordinary meal a special event.
And remember this is not an exact science. So anyone’s response is valid because there’s no right or wrong answers. A wine that tastes good to you is good wine.
And don’t bother sniffing the cork, which you may have seen before on TV or in the movies. There’s so little amount of wine on it you couldn’t smell it. The reason why waiters hand the cork to a customer is so he or she can inspect it to see if any wine has leaked through, causing the wine left behind to go bad.
To begin, you should fill a wine glass about a third of the way full and pick it up by the stem. This way, you can see the color of the wine and the heat from your hand on the glass will not affect the wine’s temperature.
Next, put the wine glass on the table in front of you and gently swirl it. The idea here is to move the wine around to release its aroma, because now you’re going to put your nose into the glass and inhale.
After inhaling, try and recognize the strongest aromas. Researchers claim humans can distinguish between 10,000 different smells. So don’t be surprised if you get a strong whiff of everything from chocolate to smoked meats.
And smells have a way of invoking long-lost memories and emotions. Perhaps you smelled something in the wine that’s similar to a former lover’s aftershave or perfume, or you get the scent of the kind of cookies your mother used to bake.
Now comes the actually tasting. You don’t want to take some much wine into your mouth that you are forced to swallow. Instead, you want just enough to move it around to experience the different tastes.
Once you’ve swallowed, notice the aftertaste. Did it last for several seconds? Or is the taste still on the back of your mouth and throat? Obviously, if you want another sip the wine is a keeper, whereas if the taste at the end was too bitter you won’t be buying that vintage.
Now that you have a very basic understanding of wine tasting, you are on your way to having a lifelong passion to find the combinations of wine and food that you can enjoy and share.
