JH02JLH
Active member
To really enjoy and savour the aromas and flavours of wine, it's really important that you taste it properly!
A measly sip will tell you nothing and without smelling a wine you will only get half the experience. It's a bit like driving a lovely car with the handbrake on!
After pouring your wine (about a third of a glass) have a look at it. Hold it against a white background if possible and make sure it's not cloudy or contains any sediment. The colour can tell you quite a bit about the wine - reds start out almost purple, graduating towards ruby as they reach middle age and turn tawny-brown as they get older. Whites can range from very pale, greeny, light gold or a rich yellow-gold.
After a good look, swirl the wine around in the glass to release those aromas and then stick your nose in and inhale deeply. The best type of glass is one that narrows at the top, thereby concentrating all the aromas. I always close my eyes as I do this and concentrate on what I can smell.
There are no rights or wrongs about what you can detect "on the nose" as we all taste and smell differently. I am certainly no Jilly Goolden and I often find it quite difficult to compare it to something, eg freshly mown grass or wet dog fur.:lol
After you've smelt the wine take a good mouthful and "chew" it around in your mouth making sure it comes into contact with every part of your mouth. If you can, try and gently draw some air in as this will help to expose even more aromas!
(Try not to dribble, though, as I do quite a bit!).
Now you've really tasted the wine you can try and detect certain characteristics - how fruity it is (does it remind you of anything?) whether it's dry or sweet, whether it's tannic (makes your mouth go dry - too much and it's unpleasant), or whether it's very acidic or not. Acidity makes your mouth water slightly - too much and it's very tart, too little and it's flabby!
You can also tell whether it's light and fruity or heavy and full-bodied. Finally there's the length - how long the taste stays with you after you've swallowed.
By tasting this way you should get much more out of a wine than by merely sipping it.
Of course, practice makes perfect and so it's really important that you taste as many as possible!
Happy drinking!
Jane.
PS For more hints and tips on tasting wine, visit this weblink:
www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/taste.htm
A measly sip will tell you nothing and without smelling a wine you will only get half the experience. It's a bit like driving a lovely car with the handbrake on!
After pouring your wine (about a third of a glass) have a look at it. Hold it against a white background if possible and make sure it's not cloudy or contains any sediment. The colour can tell you quite a bit about the wine - reds start out almost purple, graduating towards ruby as they reach middle age and turn tawny-brown as they get older. Whites can range from very pale, greeny, light gold or a rich yellow-gold.
After a good look, swirl the wine around in the glass to release those aromas and then stick your nose in and inhale deeply. The best type of glass is one that narrows at the top, thereby concentrating all the aromas. I always close my eyes as I do this and concentrate on what I can smell.
There are no rights or wrongs about what you can detect "on the nose" as we all taste and smell differently. I am certainly no Jilly Goolden and I often find it quite difficult to compare it to something, eg freshly mown grass or wet dog fur.:lol
After you've smelt the wine take a good mouthful and "chew" it around in your mouth making sure it comes into contact with every part of your mouth. If you can, try and gently draw some air in as this will help to expose even more aromas!
(Try not to dribble, though, as I do quite a bit!).
Now you've really tasted the wine you can try and detect certain characteristics - how fruity it is (does it remind you of anything?) whether it's dry or sweet, whether it's tannic (makes your mouth go dry - too much and it's unpleasant), or whether it's very acidic or not. Acidity makes your mouth water slightly - too much and it's very tart, too little and it's flabby!
You can also tell whether it's light and fruity or heavy and full-bodied. Finally there's the length - how long the taste stays with you after you've swallowed.
By tasting this way you should get much more out of a wine than by merely sipping it.
Of course, practice makes perfect and so it's really important that you taste as many as possible!
Happy drinking!
Jane.
PS For more hints and tips on tasting wine, visit this weblink:
www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/taste.htm