Wine Tasting 101

Wine tasting is both an art and a science. Cynics out there do not understand that tasting and drinking wine are two different things. It is much more complex than other beverages. There is more going on in a mouthful of wine as opposed to say, a glass of milk. One reason for this is that most have a lot of different, yet subtle flavors all at the same time which give you multiple sensations when they are in your mouth, such as softness and sharpness together.

When drinking something like soda, you may just gulp it down. But with wine, if it is swallowed quickly, you miss a lot of the different tastes and textures that wine provides. The fundamental rules that apply to wine tasting are to slow down and pay attention. However, the first two steps don't actually involve tasting it. You first look at it and then you smell it.

When smelling wine, it is important to stick your nose in the airspace of the glass where the aromas are captured. It is important not to where perfume or cologne as this will compete with the smell of wine. There are different techniques when it comes to sniffing. Some enjoy taking short, quick sniffs, while others like to inhale a deep whiff of the wine's smell. Even keeping your mouth open slightly will help enhance the smells of the wine.

When observing a wine's appearance, it is a good idea to tilt a half-full glass away from you and look at the color of the wine against a white background such as a white tablecloth or a piece of white paper. Observe the darkness or paleness of the wine, depending on whether it is a white wine or a red wine. Observe any color fadeness from the center of the wine out toward the edge, where it touches the glass. Wines for the most part are clear but sometimes you may observe if the wine is cloudy, clear or brilliant.

After looking at the wine, take a medium-sized sip of it, holding it in your mouth. Once in your mouth, purse your lips, and draw in some air across the your tongue, over the wine. Swish the wine around in your mouth as if you are chewing it and then swallow it. When swishing the wine in your mouth, it gives your brain some time to register the sensation sweetness, acidity, and bitterness all simultaneously. This will allow you to determine whether the wine is heavy, light, smooth, rough, and so on.

These basic fundamentals when it comes to wine tasting will allow you to determine if the wine that you had just tasted is one that you enjoyed. Wine with all its complex vocabulary, in layman's terms is good if you like it enough to drink it. After that, there are some specific sets of values to rate the wine's quality or value such as balance, length, depth, complexity and trueness to type. Despite the complexities that come along with wine tasting, mainly it is important to enjoy the activity of wine tasting, if not the wine itself.

Wine Tasting 101 by Sandy Potts
Sandy has been an internet marketer for over two years and enjoys all aspects of the internet, whether it be designing a new website to surfing the internet for interesting information. Her hobbies include running, pilates, socializing with friends, wine tasting and traveling. Come visit her website over at http://musicalinstrumentsfortoddlers.net which helps people find great information on musical instruments for toddlers and other types of instruments.

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