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They should sit in an uncorked bottle and exposed to air
for approximately 15 minutes or more. In general white wine should be served
right away but there are also various brands of white wine that don’t adhere
to this rule. There are also wines that require decanting. This is the
process of filtering out the sediments before serving. Wines that have aged
considerably and ports may require decanting before serving them.
An ordinary wine glass should be used when pouring wine
as opposed to a heavy cut glass where visibility can be poor. You want to
make sure to fill it approximately half full. Next you want to swirl the
wine a bit to generate an additional winey vapour.
The Scent Of A Wine
Examine the color traits of the wine. Is it Hazy? Opaque?
Clear? Take a short sniff and waft the wine vapors into the nose rather then
directly holding your nose over the opening of the glass. To help you truly
experience the wine you may want to close your eyes to allow you to focus on
one or two senses at a time such as taste and smell over the sense of sight.
There are even experts who misidentify wines during blind taste testing.
Next you want to try to identify the odour. Does the wine
have a fruity smell similar to apples, oranges or grapes? Wines such as
Merlots or Cabernet Sauvignon evoke the woody smell of pine or cedar
needles. Syrah wines have been known to diffuse a floral or ground black
pepper scent; while Chardonnay’s that are aged in oak, can remind one of
figs or apples. One can argue that the scent of a wine is purely subjective,
but there is often a wide agreement amongst amateurs and experts alike,
although impressions differ on some degree.
Wine Tasting
The tongue has
many different areas that are attuned to various types of tastes. Some areas
of the tongue are more attuned to salty or sour tastes, while others attuned
to sweet tastes. You want to take a sip of the wine and make sure you run it
around the tongue to stimulate the many different kinds of taste buds. Some
of the characteristics when tasting various brands of wines may include:
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Pinot Noir – from Burgundy may
arise a violet taste.
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Zinfandel – this wine may
remind you of berries.
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Gewurztraminer – evokes
peaches.
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Chenin Blanc –
orange blossom taste.
When moving on to
tasting another wine you want to make sure to finish or set aside the wine
you have just tested, and to come back on another day. Don’t try to many or
too much wine at one time. Ideally one brand of wine is preferred per day,
but this can be a slow way to learn. You definitely do not want to try any
more than three wines in one day. This may hinder your ability to discern
differences in different types of wine.
On the next day you may want to try different red wines.
Try to concentrate on sensing that oak storage cask. You will find some
California reds to have hints and traces of coffee of chocolate. If you
favour stronger scents you may want to try a fine Merlot. They carry a tarry
quality.
Remember a good fine wine will not hit the nose over the
head, so to speak. Above all the key is subtlety when tasting wine.
About the Author
Joseph Wilson is freelance writer who has written a
number of wine reviews. He has featured a number of guides and tips on:
wine tasting,
wine making
and the
best wine reviews.
Article Source :
www.womenbrands.com
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