An Idiots Guide To Wine Tasting

Have you ever seen those stiff upper-lipped types doing a spot of the old wine tasting malarkey? You know the form ? sip, swill, spit. Yuck! Well this information has been written to help you understand the form should you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to know what to do. And don't go thinking "I'll never have to do any wine-tasting" because you just don't know that for sure and the last thing you want is to be caught unaware.

So, on with the tasting...

Study The Wine

Pick up your glass as elegantly as possible. There are two ways this can be done.

a) For chilled wines ? hold the glass by the stem and don't even touch the bowl.

b) For wine served at room temperature ? pick up the glass by the bowl and hold it cupped in your palm, the stem between your middle two fingers.

Now that you have the glass comfortably in your hand, hold it at a slight angle against something white. If your hostess is worth her salt, she'll have covered the table in white linen specifically for this purpose (although it does look nice, too).

Be careful not to tip the glass too far ? unless you're willing to replace an expensive linen tablecloth, that is. You may also need to adjust the distance from your eyes that the glass is held at. Most find that holding it at almost arm's length is a good starting point although the very short sighted who are also absent minded enough to have left their eye glasses at home may find themselves having to hold the glass almost in front of their noses.

Once you've found the correct position, study the colour and clarity of the wine. Now you may well believe that wine's either red, pink, or white but I'm afraid, if that's the case, you're very much mistaken. Wines can be green, yellow, gold, pink, purple, or even black. Evidently, the colour of the wine will indicate the type of grape it was made from ? like me, you, and Jack on the street are likely to know that!

Clarity indicates age. Young wines are more see through and cloudiness can mean there's something wrong. If that's the case, I'd suggest putting it back on the table and giving your hostess once of those 'down your nose' type looks.

The reason why you're studying the colour and clarity looks has absolutely no bearing on how the wine will taste but a proper connoisseur enjoys the beauty of wine as well as its taste and ...

The Bouquet

No, we're not talking about the bunch of flowers a bride carries with her down the aisle, we're talking the smell of wine. Sometimes, if the people at the wine tasting are really posh, they might call it 'The Nose'.

Still holding your glass in the correct manner, lower your hand somewhat whilst bring your glass to a level position and rotate your wrist so that the wine swirls gently within the bowl. You might want to leave these instructions at this point to go to the kitchen and practise this step with a wineglass half filled with water. After all, it's just as well to know for sure that you aren't going to spill expensive red wine over your hostess's spanking new Axminster.

To swill wine properly, very little wrist movement is actually needed. Just very slight circular movements combined with a right-left movement should do the trick.

The idea behind all this swilling is to bring the wine's aroma out of the wine itself and into the empty part of the bowl thus allowing it to be smelled and savoured. This is why wine glasses are bulbous. The wide bowl has ample room for swilling while the narrow edge 'captures' the bouquet. Clever, eh?

Move your glass to your nose as elegantly as you're able and bring it in slightly beneath the tip. Inhale deeply. Savour for a few moments and then inhale again. It's a good idea to exhale between those two inhalations or you might find yourself going dizzy. Do it too often and you'll faint.

You may now move your glass away from your nose.

At this point, it's appropriate to make some kind of comment. Don't imagine you'll fool anybody into believing you're an expert but at least you can make it sound as if you've actually drunk a glass of decent wine before. Why should the other guests need to know that most of your wine costs £3.99 at the Co-Op?

Something like "mmmm, rich and fruity" or "oooh, lovely and light" will probably do the trick. When talking about red wine, 'rich' is usually a good word to use - if the wine's white, go for 'light'.

The Actual Tasting

You've probably been looking forward to this bit but whatever you do, remember that wine tasting is about taking small sips and not guzzle it down like there's no tomorrow.

This bit's actually trickier than you'd expect so you might want to do some more practising.

Bring your glass to your lips, open them slightly and take a small sip. Now close you mouth and roll the wine around on your tongue for a few seconds before allowing it to slide slowly down your throat AND AT THE SAME TIME EXHALE!

The trouble with exhaling whilst swallowing is that some of the liquid might come shooting through your nostrils. Not a pretty sight and, again, think of the Axminster!

If you fancy, you can always take a second sip at this point but never a third. No matter how good that one particular wine is, it's time to move on to the next.

Other Stuff Worth Knowing

Apart from bottles and glasses, the table will probably hold plates of cheese or, occasionally, sherbet. They're not there to snack on; they're used between wines to clean out the taste of the last wine you tasted. Just a little at a time is all that's needed. Do like a mouse and nibble!

Wear something comfortable and preferably something that doesn't carry a designer label. After all, if you spill red wine down the front of your best frock, you're not going to be happy, are you?

That's it. You're now clued up enough to pop along to your very first wine tasting party without making a complete idiot of yourself.

Enjoy!

~~+~~+~~

Sharon Jacobsen is a freelance writing living in South Cheshire, England. She's knocked back a good few bottles of wine in her time as well as participated in the odd wine tasting party. To contact Sharon, please visit her website at http://www.sharon-jacobsen.co.uk

---

The Truth About Red Wine and Heart Disease

Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining... Read More

Enjoy Your Favorite Wine - But With Some Rules

The mere mention of etiquette brings to mind various images,... Read More

Using Cooking Wine

Cooking wine is sort of a holdover from prohibition. People... Read More

Wine and Your Health

During the 1990s, a physician voiced on a national TV... Read More

France Car Hire

Here is a quick summary of the different French wine... Read More

Rare Varietals Cure Wine Boredom

The future of the Australian wine industry will be shaped... Read More

Hosting A Wine Tasting Party

As your love and knowledge of wine grows, it is... Read More

Alchoholism, A Major Diesease?

Alcoholism can be given a lot of definitions and all... Read More

Who Made the First Wine Anyway?

Although details are understandably sketchy, it is believed that, around... Read More

What is Corked Wine?

Keeping a wine bottle sealed is probably the most important... Read More

How To Open Champagne

I manage a highly regarded web community for corporate flight... Read More

Ideal Wine Temperature

The ideal temperature to store wines is between 55ºF and... Read More

Choosing that Perfect Wine for a Dinner Party

So, you find yourself having been invited to a dinner... Read More

Riesling Wine

The most famous cool climates for Riesling wine are in... Read More

Build Your Own Wine Rack (In An Afternoon)

A good drink is what even Gods enjoy and to... Read More

The Mystery of Decanting

Decanting is a strange word to many people. Some do... Read More

How Sparkling Wine is Made

There are three methods that may be used to make... Read More

Wine, Wine, Wine

What in the world is up!Was there a full moon... Read More

Wine Tasting -- The Traditional Way

Wine tasting is properly known as 'Wine Degustation'. It is... Read More

The Harmony Between Food and Wine

Wine is a social drink which should be enjoyed in... Read More

Red Wine Compound May Extend Life

Good news! A recent study suggested that resveratrol, a red... Read More

The Harmony between Wine and Food

Wine is a social drink which should be enjoyed in... Read More

An Idiots Guide To Wine Tasting

Have you ever seen those stiff upper-lipped types doing a... Read More

The Ten Most Important Wine Label Terms

For the average wine consumer, there is a plethora of... Read More

Guide To Tasting Wine

The basics of tasting wine are relatively simple to learn.... Read More

Pairing Beer With Food

Pairing beer with the fine cuisine has recently come to... Read More

Bordeaux Wine

Bordeaux is a region in France that produces some of... Read More

Gewurztraminer Wine

Gewurztraminer is an excellent and unique grape variety that is... Read More

White Zinfandel Wine

White Zinfandel wine is a blush wine made in California... Read More

Sauvignon Blanc Wine

Sauvignon Blanc wine is crisp, high in acidity and light-... Read More

Champagne

Champagne is without question the finest sparkling wine made in... Read More

Overcoming Red Wine Spills

Red wine spills can be a disaster whether they occur... Read More

Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting Component I: LookThe first step you have to... Read More