WINE BASICS ~ Tasting

The most important part of wine tasting is to become more aware of the wine in your glass. First, take a look at the color. This will give you an indication as to whether it might be a light or full bodied red or white. Our noses can differentiate between hundreds of aromas so the first smell will be indicative of the taste. Finally our taste buds can detect many flavors and many people will have a different taste experience with the same wine. There are two different ways of arranging a tasting. A horizontal tasting allows you to sample a range of wines that are alike in all but one way. A group of wines from the same region would be an example. In a vertical tasting you sample the same wine from the same producer made in different years. Neither is better than the other but each allows a person to become more knowledgeable about wines in general.

Just remember, wine tasting need not be stuffy. Get some friends together and follow these guidelines to ensure a fun, knowledgeable experience.

• Find a clear stemmed glass that is easy to hold
• Pour only 1-2 ounces of wine in the glass. This will allow room to swirl without spilling.
• Check the color. A light color usually indicates a younger, lighter bodied wine; a deep color, a mature full bodied wine.
• Swirl the wine and sniff. Swirling allows the release of aromas and sniffing gives you a chance to articulate what you are experiencing.
• Sip the wine. Take a sip and swish it around in your mouth before you swallow it. This will give you a deeper impression of the flavor of the wine.
• Swallow or spit. If you taste just a couple of wines you can swallow and then nibble on a cracker to cleanse your palate between tastings. If you are sampling a wide range of wines it is important to spit because it allows your palate to discern the differences in multiple wines.