Some people have the impression that wine tasting is a ritual that can only be performed by experts. The fact is that tasting can be done without any special knowledge of wines. Keep in mind that a winery offers wines for tasting so that one can become familiar with the wines, and hopefully enjoy them. The goal of the taster is to discover wines he/she will enjoy. Therefore, wine tasting is most always a relaxing, enjoyable experience.

There are three basic components to evaluating wines: appearance, smell and taste. Start by holding the glass (containing the wine, of course) toward a white background and away from you at an angle. An experienced wine taster will look for three characteristics: color, depth and clarity. In red wines, a brilliant red color usually indicates a wine in it's prime, a purplish hue may indicate a very young wine and a brown hue may indicate that a wine is past it's prime or oxidized. A dry white wine should have a pale straw color while an aged dry wine or a sweet or desert wine should have a yellow-gold hue. The depth of color usually suggests the quality of the grapes and how full-bodied the wine will be. The wine should be completely clear and cloudless, although some older reds may have some harmless sediment.

Next, gently swirl the wine in a way that the wine coats the inside of the glass (without spilling on yourself or your neighbor). The swirling motion intensifies the wines aroma (the fruity smell) and bouquet (the fragrance developed through aging), while the shape of the glass concentrates the aroma within the confined space. Put your nose over the glass and gently inhale. The wine's aroma is a good indicator of the quality and characteristics (such as fruity or flowery) of the wine.

The taste of the wine should confirm its aroma and bouquet. An experienced wine taster may inhale (slurp) some air while sipping to aerate the wine and bring out the wine's more complex flavors. Let the wine stand in your mouth for a moment. The texture and weight of the wine is described as it's body. A full-bodied wine will feel rich and heavy in your mouth, while a thin wine will feel somewhat watery. Generally, wines with less alcohol are light-bodies, while those with higher alcohol are medium to full-bodied. Upon swallowing the wine, notice the finish; the lasting flavors and impression that the wine leaves on your palate. A long, flavorful finish is a sign of a quality wine.

There are hundreds of adjectives that can describe the essence of a wine. A wine's fruit component (aroma and flavor) may be of tropical fruit (melon, pineapple), berries (blackberry, black currant), dried fruit (fig, strawberry jam) or tree fruit (apple, peach). Often a wine will have other characteristics described as nutty (almond, hazelnut), spicy (black pepper, currant), vegetative (green pepper, cut grass), floral (violet, orange blossom) or caramelized (chocolate, butterscotch). In general, a young white wine should taste fresh, fruity and crisp, while red wines will have more complex berry and woody flavors. If you are recording your impressions, use descriptions that have meaning to you & not the "experts."

There are certain properties that can only be evaluated by sense of taste: the amount of sweetness (usually associated with white wines or late harvest reds) as well as acidic or bitter qualities. Tannins, the astringent, puckery sensation usually found in red wines is a primary factor in determining a wine's aging potential and will soften with age. Although wine is alcoholic, an alcohol taste should not be noticeable in a quality wine. The way in which each of these individual wine elements interacts with each other is called the balance. A well-balanced wine will have a harmonious combination of fruit, acid, sugar (in white wines), tannin and alcohol, of which none will overpower another.

Finally, a wine of perfect balance and style that combines multiple aroma and flavor elements in a harmonious relationship is considered complex. Complexity is the quality that most winemakers strive for and separates a great wine from a very good one.

See

Pour about an ounce of wine in a clear, stemmed glass; hold the glass by the stem. Raise your glass in front of a white background and tip it slightly away from you. Check for clarity and brilliance. If the wine is dull and cloudy, something is wrong. Next, note the color and intensity of its hue. These two factors change as wine ages and are often clues to its condition and quality. As white wines age, shades of light straw with hues of yellow change to tones of full straw and gold. As red wines mature, their purple or violet tones first become ruby, then brownish-orange.

Swirl

Grasp the glass firmly by the stem with one hand. Gently swirl the glass so the wine laps up the sides of the glass. Observe how the wine trickles back down. The clear tear-like streams on the side of the glass are called "legs". The thickness of the legs will give you a clue as to how full-bodied the wine is. For the next step, swirl the wine again to get the most concentrated smell of the wine.

Sniff

Now raise the glass to your nose and sniff deeply. Your nose will tell you about 75 per cent of what you want to know about a wine. An experienced taster can detect and distinguish hundreds of smells - and so can you. The majority of these smells are everyday scents. All it takes is practice.

Sip

Take a good sip. The taste of the wine in your mouth should confirm what your nose already told you.

Savor

As you swish the wine through your mouth, your taste buds will note the presence of fruit, acidity, and alcohol. If tannins are present, your cheeks will feel an astringent puckering sensation, as is often the case with red wine. (This is the same way your cheeks feel when you drink a strong cup of tea.) The tip of your tongue will detect the wine's degree of sweetness, something your nose cannot do. Check for a balance of all the tastes you sense. Now swallow and savor the taste. The longer the taste stays in your mouth after swallowing, the higher the quality of the wine. Above all, enjoy !