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The act of Wine Degustation didn't get its start at high
society dinner tables as a way to see what was good with lamb, and what is
better with beef. Wine Degustation came into being as a method of deciding
what was safe to drink and what might be poisonous due to bad storage or
aging processes. While today these tasting methods are less defensive, since
modern methods of wine making produce safer wines, some wines you may get to
embrace were bottled 100 years ago, or even 200.
Some red wines are so dark you will be lucky to see
anything through them, but we still want to take a look. Some of the more
obvious signs we want to look for are brown, muddy, orange or other non-winelike
colors. It is not uncommon to see bits of cork floating in a glass of wine,
just try to make sure that it is cork.
After our eyes are satisfied, we try our nose. Recall
that taste is more or less an olfactory sense. With practice we can tell a
great deal about a wine from its perfume. A good whiff at the very least
will give you an impression, or preview of what to expect from the wine when
we taste it. The obvious impressions to look out for are: does it smell like
wine? Is the overall fragrance fresh or foul? Anything strange about it?
Our next step, the swirl, enhances our ability to
evaluate the first two steps once more. The swirl is to get some of the wine
onto the surface of the inside of the glass. Wines are generally not oily or
syrupy. The liquid should slide off the side in an expected manner. Also
with the wine spread out on the surface, it should be easier to get a better
sample of the fragrance it presents. Which is what we do now, but this time
we inhale it slowly. No quick sniffs. We bring the fragrance into our nose
with a smooth steady inhale, letting our mind go through the stages of the
bouquet with a more examining course.
If our nose is still interested then we move on to taking
a small sip. Just enough to get a taste on our tongue. You will notice here
a bit more of the cautionary tactics in the wine tasting steps, but there is
a bit more benefit really than just making sure that we didn't miss
something painful in the previous steps before we commit to a good mouthful.
Taking in just a taste allows our mouth to get a quick preview and some
expectations. There is also the fact that many concoctions, not just wine,
taste a bit different when taken in small sips rather than mouthfuls.
So we are still interested, and by this time we are sure
whether or not we want to commit to a real taste, so we take in a mouthful.
Not only do we take it in, we swish it around like it was mouthwash, letting
the liquid coat every part of our mouths and gums. Allowing the wine to be
heated up by our body temperature. Some tasters even gargle a bit with the
wine, because our taste buds are everywhere in our mouths.
The last step is spit or swallow. Not much to say about
that, but it is a choice to be sure. If this is the only wine or one of two
or three you are going to be tasting tonight, swallowing might be an
appropriate option. But if you are at a winery and going through 6 or 7
wines, spitting is probably your best option. Otherwise every wine is going
to start tasting "swell" and you might as well just have a few glasses
rather than try to go through the steps.
What are we really looking for through all of this? There
are many aspects of wine, and each vintage and type has its nuances. There
are some over all basics though we can start out with.
Oakiness - Some wines have a 'oak' flavor. There really
isn't another way to describe it. You have to taste it, but once you do you
can pick it out. The flavor is generlly from either from the Aging barrel or
oak chips
Sweetness - The process of some wines allows a greater
amount of the natural sugars from the grapes (Or fruit) to remain without
being processes into alcohol. So a sweetness, and sometimes a fruity taste
remains from the amount of residual sugar
Tannin - A wine stressing tannins would be described most
of the time as dry. Tannin is the bitterness from seed and skin of the grape
and is effected by carbonic maceration and Maceration
Above all, the real test is Did you like it. Your tastes
are just as valid as anyone else's and life is too short for wine you don't
like. Enjoy.
Jerry Powell is the Owner of a Popular site Know as . As you can see from our name, we are here in the
business to help you learn more about different kinds of Gourmet Food and
Wines, from all around the world.
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