To those who love to taste wine, wine tasting is simply referred to as ‘tasting’. Wine tasting consists of analyzing different kinds of wine using his or her senses. It has become very popular today and even has special terminologies and can be termed as a profession. Most people in the business will agree that wine tasting is an art that allows participants to gain a greater appreciation for the various wines and winemakers as well.
Wine tasters limit the art of tasting to four main tastes. There are four primary tastes according to wine tasters: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. They all agree that wine can be either one of those or a combination of two or more. Wine tasting is defined by not just the effect of tasting, but also the smell of the wine as well.
How Wine Tasting Is Done
Tasting is a fairly easy art and can be done at home or at a wine tasting party. The most important aspects to consider during the wine tasting process are the clarity and color of the wine, the smell and the taste. To determine the color and clarity of the wine, simply pour a glass of wine and hold it up in front of a white background and examine the wine. This should be done mainly from the edge of the glass to the middle.
If it is a red wine, tasters look for traces of brown, maroon, purple or brick. If it is a white wine, the colors to look for are yellow, green, amber, brown or gold. In addition, professionals check for traces of sediments in this stage by tilting and swirling the wine glass.
During the wine tasting process, smell is very important. The correct way to smell wine is by swirling the glass in order to eradicate some of the alcohol smell. It is important to smell the wine in a whiff in order to get the aroma that first strikes out. After that, the tasters then take a deep breath with their nose a few inches inside the glass in an effort to recognize any distinct aromas like berries, flowers, citrus or vanilla.
The real wine tasting process has to incorporate tasting the wine. What is known as the ‘attack phase’ involves sipping the wine and using your tongue to roll it around. Here, the first impression of the wine is registered.
The following phase of the process is what’s known a the evolution phase. This involves the discernment of the wine’s flavor profile. The final stage is called the finish and this is calculated by how long the taste of the wine will be retained in the mouth after swallowing. Wine tasting enables a person know whether they want more of the wine or if it was too strong or bitter for their liking.
See Also: Wine Tasting Invitation
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This post was written by wine on April 16, 2010
