How to Taste Wine

When you are in an area of great wines, the tasting is one of the most interesting experiences you can do. If you want to walk between the rows of vines in a picture postcard and take the grapes with a glass of wine in hand, you must first learn to recognize the delicate beauty of this drink.

Step 1

Look at the wine, especially on the edges. By tilting the glass can more easily see the color change between the center and the outside. Observe the wine on a white background as a towel, a sheet of paper or a tablecloth is another great way to bring out the true color of the wine. Whites tend to become darker with time, while the reds take a brownish tinge, often accompanied by a sediment completely harmless to the bottom of the bottle or the glass. This is the right time to give a first sniff the aroma of wine before doing spin and to seize any odors that indicate that the wine is spoiled (know of cap).

Step 2

Twirls the wine in the glass. By doing so you will make the wine is distributed over a larger area, allowing the smell can be spread in greater quantity and reach your nose; It will also allow the oxygen combines with particles wine revealing flavors.

Step 3

Control the viscosity of the wine (the speed with which descends from the edges of the glass) while it turns. Usually the wines more viscous tend to have a higher alcoholic content. In addition to being a nice gesture has nothing to do with the quality of wine, but it can indicate the structure.

Step 4

Smell the wine. Initially you keep your nose a few centimeters from the glass, get closer progressively to bring him in. What smells can we differentiate?

Step 5

Take a sip of wine without swallowing. The difference between drinking and tasting is that at the end of the process you have to spit. Move the wine in the mouth to make sure that all your taste buds come into action. You will be able to determine if it is sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (the 5th taste - think of it as full bodied or particularly tasty). Focused on the texture and other tactile sensations as an apparent sense of weight or body.

Spitting the wine into a spittoon if you plan to degustarne many others. If I was forced to swallow, intake of alcohol may impair your ability to taste. Also, if you have to drive, you should necessarily use a spittoon.

Step 6

"Aspira" wine. Keep your lips to crack as if I whistle, breathe with your mouth and exhale through the nose. This way you release the aromas of the wine by passing them in the only organ necessary they can be distinguished: the nose. Remember that enzymes and other compounds present in the mouth and saliva may alter some elements aromatic wine. Aspirate the wine will allow you to search for new flavors released by the interaction between wine and your mouth.

Step 7

Take another sip of wine, but this time try to introduce air (especially with red wines). In other words, try to sip it (without making too much noise), trying to identify the different notes of taste and texture.

Step 8

Concentrate on aftertaste. How long it remains in his mouth? Like the taste?

Step 9

Take note of feelings. You can use the language with which you are most comfortable with. The important thing is that you write your thoughts on wine and what you liked. Many wineries provide booklets and pens so that you can take your notes immediately. This way you'll have to pay attention to the characteristics of the wine and you will have written reference of its flavor to help you match it depending on the food or your mood.

Wines have four basic components: taste, tannins, alcohol and acidity. Some also have the sweetness, but it is a character only appropriate for the dessert wines. A good quality wine is balanced in all 4 aspects, but remember that as we age will decrease the tannins (read the section Tips for a more detailed description), the acidity will be reduced over the life of the wine (as it undergoes chemical changes, including the decomposition of the acids); the fruity flavor will increase and then decrease towards the end, while the alcohol will tend to remain stable. All these factors help to understand when to drink / decant a wine.

Here are some of the most common flavors for each of the known varieties (remember that the region of origin, collection strategies and other production decisions have a significant impact on the character of the taste of the wine):

Cabernet - black currant, cherry, other fruits blacks and green spices.

Merlot - plum, red fruits and blacks, green spices, floral.

Zinfandel - blacks fruits (often with a flavor of jam), dark spices.

Syrah (or Shiraz, depending on the location of the vineyard) - fruits blacks, dark spices 
(especially black and white pepper).

Pinot Noir - red fruits, floral, herbaceous.

Chardonnay - cool climate: tropical fruit, lemon in slightly warmer climes and melon in warm 
regions. With a higher proportion of malolactic fermentation, Chardonnay loses the notes of green apple and takes in more substantial: apple, pear and apricot.

Sauvignon Blanc - melon, gooseberry white, lime and melon.

Malolactic fermentation (determined by the presence of natural or artificial specific bacteria) in 

white wines will produce a creamy or buttery taste.

Aging in oak will get a taste of vanilla or nut.

Other elements of taste descriptors are minerality and character.

"Tannins" is a very common term in wine (usually red wine). It refers to the astringent and bitter compounds found in the skins, stems and seeds in grapes as well as in oak barrels where the wine ages. If you want to know the taste, try to taste the grapes of cabernet. In young red wines, tannins have a bitter taste and dry, but with age take on a more delicate flavor.

Step 10

Try to match wines with uncommon ingredients and note how they affect the taste of wine. With red wines try different cheeses, good quality chocolate and berries. With whites can try apples, pears and citrus. Pair wine is a more complicated process than simply say "red with meat and white with fish". Feel free to try the wine you like with any food, but remember that a perfect match is a highly rewarding.

Advice:

Talk to the people working at the estate. They are usually more than happy to share some of their knowledge, especially when it comes to their product.

If you're around, go to a restaurant or a "wine bar" that offers wine tastings. These are excellent opportunities to compare different wines and see how they react to different varieties different treatments. Usually you can taste three different wines without having to open three bottles and a restaurant / wine bar worth their schedule the event based on a thread that will make the experience more interesting and educational than a simple taste of 3 wines at random. Even the largest retailers of wines organize such events during the weekend.

When you are driving for wine-producing areas, try to live it as an adventure. Lose yourself in search of small hidden cellars. The big brands are very good wines, but rarely offer a tasting experience more personal.

If the tannins are too dominant by a little 'time to wine. In fact there are several types of tannins: those of the skins, seeds and those of those of the barrel. They need time to "polymerize" and precipitate in a solution. Anyway, ventilating a wine for some time could do so "open", balancing the aromatic elements that characterize the wine. If you're serving a bottle, pour the wine into a decanter or a carafe for an hour or two before drinking.

Do not worry if your tastes are different from the people who are close to your side. Everyone has their own and the fun part of the tasting is understand what your own.

Use the right glass for each wine. There are many shapes and sizes, but generally the most experienced tasters and connoisseurs drink it from goblets or glasses specific tailor-made for a variety of grapes. For starters you can follow a rule of thumb: the larger glasses for reds and smaller for whites. The Austrian company Riedel is the most noble manufacturer of tasting glasses, but for beginners will be fine even cheaper glasses.

Warnings:

Many wine, once opened, are not kept for more than a few days. Lose freshness and fruitiness, dishes and becoming oxidized. In any case, they will be rare cases where a good wine turn to vinegar (although many believe it is possible, it is a myth).

When you participate in tasting events will meet people with different levels of wine knowledge. Some "wine snob" pontificarsi tend to think they know it all: not all novices are ready to put up with this experience. However, an expert taster to approach respectfully and inclined to share their knowledge can be very informative.

When using a decanter or glass in lead, there is a remote possibility of poisoning, proportional to the time in which the wine it came into contact. If you use a glass of this type, Burn it within 48 hours to avoid taking risks.

As for golf, wine is associated with a status, a lifestyle reserved for the few. If you want to be accepted in a circle of connoisseurs could become a costly experience.