Wine is not just like art, wine is an art. It can be subjective in nature, but there are some general “guidelines” by which wine connoisseurs judge a wine.

It is very easy to learn the techniques of wine tasting, and if you already enjoy wine, learning the nuances of wine tasting will simultaneously increase the pleasure you derive from tasting. In wine tasting you don’t simply drink the wine. There are important steps that precede drinking – Visual, Smelling and Tasting
 

Visual Steps

How do you study a wine? What can its appearance tell you?

You can tell much about a wine simply by studying its appearance. The wine should be poured into a clear glass and held in front of a white background (a tablecloth or piece of paper will serve nicely) so that you can examine the colour.

The colour of wine varies tremendously, even within the same type of wine. For example, white wines are not actually white; they range from green to yellow to brown. Paler whites are lighter. More colour usually indicates more flavour and age, although a brown wine may have gone bad. Where as time improves many red wines, it ruins most white wine. Red wines are not just red; they range from a pale red to a deep brown red, usually becoming lighter in colour as they age.

Rim colour: You can guess the age of a red wine by observing its “rim”. Tilt the glass slightly and look at the edge of the wine. A purple tint may indicate youth while orange to brown indicates maturity.

Swirling: Swirling the wine serves many purposes, but visually it allows you to observe the body of the wine. “Good legs” may indicate a thicker body and a higher alcohol content and/or sweetness level.

Smelling Steps

Why is smelling a wine important? What can you derive about a wine from its smell?

Have you ever wondered why wine connoisseurs always swirl a glass of wine before smelling or tasting? Swirling releases molecules in the wine that allow you to smell the aroma, also called the bouquet or nose. There are two main techniques that wine tasters use:

1. Take a quick whiff and formulate an initial impression, then take a second deeper whiff. OR…
2. Take only one deep whiff.

Either way, after you smell the wine, sit back and contemplate the aroma. Don’t try to “taste” the wine yet, concentrate only on what you smell.

What did you smell?

It may be difficult to describe in words when you’re a novice, but after trying many wines you will notice certain similarities and differences. Sometimes a certain smell will be very strong with underlying hints of other smells. Take your time and differentiate by labelling an aroma you will probably remember it better. You may even want to keep a notebook of your impressions of wines, and/or save the labels; next time you see the wine you won’t have to purchase it or open it to know if you like it.

Later, as you taste the wine in your mouth, your sense of smell adds complexity to the taste. Your tongue only recognises four sensations (sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and bitterness), while aroma receptors at the back of the tongue clarify the taste. Your sense of smell can also warn you that a wine smells “off”, or is defective.

Tasting Steps

How should you taste a wine? How can you describe the wine?

The most important quality of a wine is its balance between sweetness and acidity. While our sense of taste would seem to be the most important in exploring a wine, the sense of smell largely determines what we taste. There are aroma receptors on the back of the tongue which help clarify the taste of the wine, and this is why it is important to slosh the wine to all parts of the mouth and draw in some air.

1. Initial taste – (Or first impression) This is where the wine awakens your senses (your taste buds respond to sensations).
2. Taste – Slosh the wine around and draw in some air (even if you do look funny in front of your dinner guests). Examine the body and texture of the wine. Is it light or rich? Smooth or harsh?
3. After taste – The taste that remains in your mouth after you have swallowed the wine. How long did the taste last? Was it pleasant?

After tasting the wine, take a moment to value its overall flavour and balance. Is the taste appropriate for that type of wine? If the wine is very dry, is it supposed to be? Some serious wine connoisseurs assign a point score to a wine to determine its quality. While this method can be useful, it is in no way necessary to determine a quality wine. The more different wines you try, and the more attention you pay to each wine, the better you will become at ascertaining and describing each wine’s characteristics.

COMMON WINE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Taste Dry to sweet
• Body Light to full
• Acidity Low to high (crisp)
• Tannins Weak to strong

Corked wine refers to a wine that has gone bad because the cork has become mouldy. It usually smells musty, like wet socks or clothes and has an extremely unpleasant taste. This can occur through contamination by another mouldy cork or by improper sterilisation (either too much or too little). If you receive a bottle of corked wine, send it back without a fuss.