Wine tasting is more than just a pastime for connoisseurs. It explores flavors and aromas that can help you learn more about wine regions, styles, and grape varieties.
To start, observe the wine’s color and clarity. Then, gently swirl the wine to aerate it and release its bouquet of aromas.
Color
A wine’s color is its first impression, like the Covenant Wines offering initial clues about the style, age, and intensity of a wine. To get the best read, observe a wine’s hue in natural light against a white background (like a piece of paper or a blank wall).
The type of wine will also influence the color; for example, white wines that are lighter in hue and more transparent will have a more lightweight body than those with greater depth and opaqueness. You can also observe the wine’s viscosity by swirling it gently and looking for the “legs,” or tears, that appear on the side of the glass.
Please deeply sniff the wine and identify its aromas, which can be fruity, floral, herbal, or earthy. As you inhale, consider the wine and associate its scents with familiar ones. Then, swish the wine around in your mouth and notice how it affects the texture of your tongue and the flavors that come into play.
Smell
Smelling is one of the more critical aspects of wine tasting, as it can give clues to several different characteristics. A wine’s aroma can be floral, citrus, fruity, earthy, or a combination of familiar scents, depending on the grape variety, the winemaking process, and the wine’s storage conditions.
You can also pick up tertiary smells, like wood ash, cloves, or fennel. These are the less apparent smells reminiscent of food or other objects, which can tell you what a wine was exposed to during its fermentation or aging.
Smelling a wine can help you spot faults. A corked wine will often smell like a wet dog, while the aromas of bandaid or barnyard can indicate brettanomyces (another fungus). You can even detect a wine’s acidity level by its smell. A high-acidity wine usually has a sharp or sour odor, while a low-acidity wine has a creamy or lemony aroma.
Taste
When tasting a wine, it is essential to remember the effervescence, sweetness, acidity, tannin levels, and the length of time that the flavor lingers on the palate. While it may seem complicated, this information can help determine how the wine will pair with different dishes and enhance the overall experience.
Once you have a handle on the olfactory study, it is time to taste the wine! You should take small sips and avoid gulping or swallowing immediately. This will allow the wine to reach all parts of your tongue; noticing its sweetness on the front and sides of your mouth, the acidity at the back of your tongue, and the dryness from the tannins in the center.
Building your vocabulary by knowing terms like blackcurrant jam, floral, and forest floor. Creating a list of these words can help you to identify wines, even when the wine is labeled blind.
Finish
Whether you are an experienced wine connoisseur or a casual drinker, this beginner’s guide is designed to help you enhance your appreciation of the world of wines. By observing the wine through the five basic steps of see, swirl, sniff, sip, and savor, you can better understand the unique characteristics that make each bottle of wine special.
During the aroma stage, inhale deeply and focus on what you can smell. The aroma of a wine can reveal clues about the grape variety, the climate it was grown in, and the type of barrel used for aging.
Then, it is time to taste the wine. Take a small sip and savor it, evaluating its flavors and mouthfeel. Consider its acidity, tannins, and sweetness. You can also use your vocabulary to describe the wine’s finish or length – smooth, soft, spicy, sharp, etc. The important thing is to be honest with yourself and trust your personal preferences.