A Guide to Wine Tasting

By: MIKE SELVON

In terms of wine tasting, there are a number of rules to consider in order to get the most out of the experience. Without following some of these rules, the experience you have could end up missing the bar. You should learn a few of the fundamentals and follow them when it comes time to taking part in a wine tasting.

There are essentially three steps in wine tasting: look, smell and taste. It is important to remember these three steps in wine tasting when you get set to participate, as they will influence your entire decision making process and can make you look like a real pro in front of your friends or in front of your date.

You can tell a lot about a wine just by being a spectator. This refers to simply looking at the wine first. As a wine spectator, you can determine many things about the wine. The wine should be poured into a clear glass and placed in front of a light, preferably with a white background so that you can carefully check out the color of the wine.

Colors of wines vary a great deal, even among the same variety of wine. A red wine isn't always just plain old red and a white can contain different color notes that may not be immediately discernable.

There are many aspects to think of when you are looking at the wine. More color in a white wine can mean that is has more flavor and that it is aged more. Most whites are not actually white.

They are, instead, a shade of green or yellow. If the white wine has gone brown, it may mean that it has actually gone bad. In terms of red wines, try looking for a lighter color to the red as when the red wines age they become lighter.

The smell of the wine is important, too. You should start this process by swirling the wine in your glass. Not only will swirling the wine assist you in visually observing the body of the wine, it will also help in releasing the smell to the air.

Take a quick whiff of the wine as it swirls to get a first impression. If you like what you smell, take a second deeper whiff of the wine. You should concentrate on the smell of the win at this point. Resist the temptation to take a giant gulp of the wine and simply contemplate what you have smelled.

Taste is up next, of course. The secret to good wine tasting is knowing your personal preferences. Wine tasting relies on patterns, so learn to follow patterns and consider making personal notes of the wine you have tasted to compare those patterns. Take an initial taste of the wine first and gather your first impressions, much the same way that you did with smelling the wine.

Your taste buds will respond to the sensations in the wine. After this, swirl the wine around again and take in a bit of air with the wine. You will want to practically gulp the next sip. You are looking for a more complex vision of the flavor on your taste buds. Concentrate on aftertaste, too.

Consider the wine on the whole after you complete the wine tasting steps. You should give careful consideration to the food you will be having and think about how the wine stands up to the food.

Send the wine back if it does not match up and ask for a new bottle of something else. As you learn more about wine tasting, you will develop more discerning tastes that will gain you more respect from your peers.

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