The following article is re-printed with copyright permission from Les Kincaid. Les is a cookbook author, and has his own radio talk show Les Kincaids Lifestyles Las Vegas where he discusses food, wine, and entertainment. His guests include celebrity chefs, cookbook authors, sommeliers and vintners from around the world.
THE BEST WAY TO TASTE WINE
By Les Kincaid
1. OBSERVE color and clarity.
Look at the wine by holding the glass up to a white background in a well-lighted room.
Wine color is affected most by:
* The age of the wine.
* The grape variety
* Whether or not the wine spent time in oak
White wines vary from clear to deep golden brown, and gain color as they age. Red wines range from ruby to brick. As they age, they lose color and begin to brown. Also, observe the body of the wine by the way it coats the sides of the glass. If the "legs" trickle down slowly, it has more body. If it falls down in sheets, it has less body.
2. AROMA
What is the very first thing you think of when you smell a wine? Common aromas include different fruits, spices, herbs, floral and vanilla. While different people will smell different things in the same wine, there are characteristic smells generally found in specific varieties. Be sure to smell the wine several times. A wine with great complexity will offer different aromas each time, as well as several scents at one time. There are hundreds of smells in wine!
Note: "Off smells" include:
* Sherry - the wine has oxidized from age or improper storage.
* Vinegar - the wine contains excessive acetic acid.
* Cork/Mustiness - a defective or inferior cork has affected the wine.
* Sulphur - the wine contains excessive sulphur dioxide.
3. TASTE
The overall "taste" of a wine is a combination of smells and flavors, so don't skip the smelling stage to get to the tasting. Different parts of your tongue are designed to taste different things:
* Sweetness-tip of the tongue
* Sour/Acid-sides of the tongue
* Saltiness-front center of the tongue
* Bitter/Alcohol-back of the tongue
Roll the wine across your taste buds, keeping in mind that a balance of the following characteristic is ideal:
* Body - Fullness or thinness. A function of both alcohol and glycerols.
* Acidity - Gives the wine crispness and freshness without which the wine is flat and sour.
* Tannin - The bitterness you taste comes from grape skins and seeds. It is essential to the finish of a wine.
Most obvious in reds.
* Sweetness - Comes from the wine's fruit flavors as well as any fermented grape sugars left in the wine. If there is no perceived sweetness, a wine is "dry".
* Fruitiness - Intensity is a function of the variety, growing conditions and winemaking techniques.
4. EVALUATE THE FINISH
After swallowing, notice the aftertaste:
* Did you like it? Why or why not?
* What did you notice about the body?
* How long did the impression/flavor linger?
* Was it sweet? Acidic? Tannic? Fruity?
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The Best Eay to Taste Wine