For those who believe that only the rich and snobby can learn how to taste fine wine. Think again. Everyone can learn how to judge the quality of a wine, they just need to learn the steps involved.
The fist thing to learn is that wine tasting may not be the best way to describe the complete process. To really determine the quality of a wine the taster must consider how the wine looks and smells as well.
When looking at a wine it is best to do it in a clear glass and in front of a solid colored, preferably white, background. First swish the wine around in the glass a bit and watch as it runs down the glass. A higher quality wine, one that has been aged longer, will run down the glass more slowly and with fewer rivulets or legs.
Once the wine settles in the glass, take a look at its color. Red wine starts out it's life dark purple. It is only after aging awhile that it takes on the reddish hue. So a good red should be dark red or almost brown. White wines are usually almost clear in their youth and darken with age. A good white should be a rich amber color.
The next step is to smell the wine. Swish it around in the glass again to create more surface area which allows more of the aroma to be released into the air and breathe in deeply through the nose. Do not hesitate to bring the glass right up to the face, with the nose inside of it to ensure a really good whiff. An older, higher quality wine will have a mixture of smells, some of them almost earthy. A young wine will smell pretty much like the fruit it was made of.
After examining and smelling the wine it is finally time to taste it. However, knowing how to taste fine wine requires the taster do more than just swallow a mouthful.
When tasting a wine it is important to pay attention to the complete experience in both the mouth and the nose. In fact, tasters do not refer to the taste of a wine but rather it's palate, a description of the what one experiences while the wine is in the mouth. Be sure to breathe the nose while the wine is in the mouth to get the complete experience.
The last step in the process is to actually swallow the wine. This allows the taster to judge the wines finish, or length of time the taste and smell remain after swallowing. As a rule of thumb, a long finish means an older and thus higher quality wine.
To a novice the next step may seem disgusting or ridiculous but if a person really wants to know how to taste fine wine it must be done. The final step is to spit the wine out before it has a chance to enter the bloodstream. This enables the taster to accurately judge many wines without fear of his judgement becoming impaired. It also means that the taster can spend many years enjoying fine wines without damaging hie liver.
The fist thing to learn is that wine tasting may not be the best way to describe the complete process. To really determine the quality of a wine the taster must consider how the wine looks and smells as well.
When looking at a wine it is best to do it in a clear glass and in front of a solid colored, preferably white, background. First swish the wine around in the glass a bit and watch as it runs down the glass. A higher quality wine, one that has been aged longer, will run down the glass more slowly and with fewer rivulets or legs.
Once the wine settles in the glass, take a look at its color. Red wine starts out it's life dark purple. It is only after aging awhile that it takes on the reddish hue. So a good red should be dark red or almost brown. White wines are usually almost clear in their youth and darken with age. A good white should be a rich amber color.
The next step is to smell the wine. Swish it around in the glass again to create more surface area which allows more of the aroma to be released into the air and breathe in deeply through the nose. Do not hesitate to bring the glass right up to the face, with the nose inside of it to ensure a really good whiff. An older, higher quality wine will have a mixture of smells, some of them almost earthy. A young wine will smell pretty much like the fruit it was made of.
After examining and smelling the wine it is finally time to taste it. However, knowing how to taste fine wine requires the taster do more than just swallow a mouthful.
When tasting a wine it is important to pay attention to the complete experience in both the mouth and the nose. In fact, tasters do not refer to the taste of a wine but rather it's palate, a description of the what one experiences while the wine is in the mouth. Be sure to breathe the nose while the wine is in the mouth to get the complete experience.
The last step in the process is to actually swallow the wine. This allows the taster to judge the wines finish, or length of time the taste and smell remain after swallowing. As a rule of thumb, a long finish means an older and thus higher quality wine.
To a novice the next step may seem disgusting or ridiculous but if a person really wants to know how to taste fine wine it must be done. The final step is to spit the wine out before it has a chance to enter the bloodstream. This enables the taster to accurately judge many wines without fear of his judgement becoming impaired. It also means that the taster can spend many years enjoying fine wines without damaging hie liver.
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