“A glass or two of wine a day will not only lengthen life, but may also enhance intellectual power during the extra years provided.â€Â
-Dr. Thomas Stuttaford, London 1999
Whether you are a novice or a wine connoisseur, every YBP should know the basics of wine testing. Knowing how to taste wine properly will help you appreciate the drink more and it’s also a good conversation piece for cocktail parties. I recently visited Vinopolis, a wine tasting attracting in London that offers a self-guided tour about the world’s wine producing regions. The tour included a session on “How to Taste Wine†so I thought I’d pass along the info.
Appearance- Fill your glass one-third full, pick up by the stem (so as not to warm the wine), look at the color- hue, depth- intensity, and clarity- limpidity. Judge hue (true color) by tilting glass looking through rim, intensity by looking straight down through wine and clarity by looking sideways with light shining through. Next, swirl the wine, ‘tears’ or ‘legs’ appear irregularly on the side, the more prominent, the higher the alcohol content.
Smell- The most sensitive, revealing phase, connecting the wine to memories and emotions that provide the associations. Swirl the wine to intensify aromas. Put your nose into the glass and inhale deeply. Your description should focus on freshness, intensity, persistence, and associations. Herbal, fruity, floral, vegetal, spicy, earthy, animal and human traits are associations often used.
Taste- While the aromas are still fresh, take a drink but don’t swallow. Roll it completely round your mouth for 10 to 15 seconds. Focus on the balance of acid, alcohol, fruit, tannins and sweetness. Also, taste for body- fullness on palate- and weight in combination with alcohol and tannin. For white wines, give special consideration to the sweetness of the wine- very dry, dry, medium, sweet, or very sweet. As in the aroma, consider intensity, persistence and harmony. Look for fruit, herbal, spice and other associations. Is taste consistent with aroma? Is there aftertaste? Good wines linger longer.






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Rhonda J
I truly love wine! I have been exploring wine for a few years now and it is a true learning process! I now do several wine tastings on my own as well as just educating. I do feel as if wine intimidates those who can be intimidated, but realistically….Wine is just a fermented grape. Some people may even look at it as uppity and expensive, but it is not. Wine does take time, but all in all…I enjoy it daily with a meal or just after work to winedown!
Cheers!
WINEDOWNFLAVA
http://www.winedownflava.com/
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