Part of the process of wine tasting is actually looking at the wine itself. Remember, the words wine tasting actually referred to the entire experience, not just the actual taste of the liquid. You will learn a lot about the wine just from looking at it. Always drink your wine in a clear glass. To see the true colour in it, hold it up, against a white background. Look at the colour. What do you see?
The wines colour will often have a strong influence on the taste of the wine. You will soon become to appreciate that white and red wines come in a myriad of different shades. It is this difference in colour that can tell us a lot about the wine. The general rule of thumb with red wine is that longer age and sweetness is denoted by more colour. With white wine by contrast too much colour is not a good thing. The aging process does not have a positive impact on white wine, in contrast to red wines which tend to improve with age. There is also a difference in the way white and reds change in colour with age. Red wines tend to lighten with age whereas whites tend to darken
To discern the age of a wine with reference to its colour, you should tilt the wine glass partially to one side. It will then be possible to get a clear view of the edge which is referred to as the rim colour. If you observe a purple tint this shows that the wine is quite young. Should you observe a brown or orange tint this indicates that the wine is mature. You should also give the wine a swirl which allows you to observe the body of the wine. If it appears thicker, this donates higher alcohol content along with a sweeter flavour. It is clear then that you can discern much about a wine merely by observing it
Smelling your wine is just as important as tasting it. However, in the context of full wine taste, you do need to be able to smell the wine correctly. The smell of the wine can be a strong determinant as to weather or not you will enjoy it. It is often the case that someone will take a quick sniff of the wine. This is not the correct approach
In wine tasting circles, you’ll hear the aroma referred to as the nose or the bouquet of the wine. You may hear numerous bouquets referred to but the majority are from the following: floral, spices, wood, fruit, herbs, or earthy. These varying aromas can have their own distinctive tastes
To smell wine correctly, firstly give the glass a swirl. This will help to release the wine molecules prior to taking a quick sniff. Now its time to take a deep inhale of the aroma. Now you should be able to smell the difference. Which one of the different bouquets comes to mind?
