The Art of Wine Tasting

Last week we started our series on wines, now it’s time to take it forward and talk about wines in greater detail.  So before we introduce to you the various kinds of wines, let’s see how the wine experts see and classify wines on different merits.  This post is especially useful if you still haven’t tried out wines and your mind is still confused on how to select the right kind of wine when you go to restaurants or order at home.

See (Physical attributes):

Just like diamonds, wines can be classified based on their physical parameters. Most wine experts evaluate the quality of the wine based on intensity, legs, bubbles, deposits, viscosity, color intensity, clarity etc. All these factors will decide how the wine will taste and smell. The glass should be around one-third full and the selected wines are viewed from different angles like side view, tilted view, straight angle view and swirl.

Smell (Aroma):

This is one of the most important attributes of wines and it is this aroma that defines a wines personality and taste.  The way to experience this aroma is to swirl the wine in a glass put your nose at the top of the glass and smell the wine. Ideally the wine should taste smooth and pleasant. Wine has around more than 300 varieties of complex chemical compound and it is these compounds in the right combination that gives it a smooth aroma. Any strong and funny odors are a strict no no.

Taste:

The taste test is done by taking a small tip of wine into your mouth and sucking it as if you are pulling it through a straw. This will help you experience the various attributes that the wine has like firmness, bitterness, weight and how long the taste stays in your mouth even after you have swallowed the drink. It should give a good aftertaste in your mouth. Experienced tasters can also make out if the wine is balanced and matured properly.