Wine has a spirit that when imbibed enters your soul. Wine is but a drink, and it should be as simple as knowing if it tastes wonderful, or if it tastes like barnyard manure when you swallow it. However, wine is more than a beverage; wine has charms that make the receiver of its flavors fall in love with it. Each bottle, each glass, has a personality of its own. On your wine tasting journey, you will find some wines you hate, some you like, and finally; you will find that exceptional wine you fall in love with. When that special wine is found, it awakens the taste buds, makes you say ahhh, and you have found the wine with a soul that matches your own.
To taste wine properly is an art. We are going to explore the basics of wine tasting in this article. The beauty of this art is you will always be discovering and unearthing new opinions about the color, the aroma, the taste, the heritage, and the philosophy of the wine maker. Tasting wine is about your feelings, not your brain. Learn to follow your feelings and let your heart not your head guide you through the journey of wine tasting.
A misconception people often have when beginning the wine tasting process is that the more costly the wine, the better it should be. That is not always true; there are some very high-priced wines that do not please the palate. What does seem to be true is that a very cut price wine will rarely be good. It is beneficial to learn the differences between good and bad wines by having three glasses to try…starting with a very inexpensive wine; progress to a median priced wine, and end with an expensive wine. Take the time to recognize the variance between the cheap, mid-priced and expensive wine. Shut your eyes; linger with the wine, be in the moment as each wine brings its personality to your heart.
Step one: Friends and music
It is more fun and enjoyable to have a wine tasting with friends. The different opinions, the lively conversation, and the sharing with friends are all a big part of the soul of the wine. Music is also a nice touch to your wine tasting event. It is as important to pair music with wine as it is food with wine. Music by Donnie Record, Diana Krall or Michael Bublé adds a relaxed yet fun atmosphere to your wine tasting.
For more information on how to pick music for a wine tasting, please refer to the link below:
How to Pick Music for a Wine-Tasting Party | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4392899_pick-music-wine-tasting-party.html#ixzz2NABwRR1H
Step two: Storing the wine
In all phases of wine tasting, how the wine is stored is yet another art form. The bottles should be stored on their sides. This keeps the corks from drying out. The reason to keep the cork moist is if it becomes dry it may shrink. If it shrinks, it allows air to come into contact with the wine and will spoil it or change the taste of it. It is best to store your wine in a dark cool spot. A consistent temperature is very important as wine flavors suffer with inconsistent temperatures.
Step three: Items needed for a wine tasting
• Corkscrew: The kind of corkscrew is important. It must have a curved end because a corkscrew with a straight end is more likely to cause damage to the cork when pulling it out and result in little pieces of cork to fall into the bottle.
• One wine glass per person
• Two plastic cups per person….one to spit the wine in and one for water: The reason to spit out the wine during the wine tasting is so you don’t consume so much wine your judgment is impaired.
• Notebooks and pencils
• Bread or cheese
Step four: The Glasses
The glass is very important to the overall accuracy in which you can truly taste the soul of the wine. The glass should be clear. Yes, we all like the beautiful designs on wine glasses but a clear glass allows you the ability to see the wine clearly. The glass should also have a stem that is long enough that the taster can hold the glass without touching the bowl of the glass. You can buy specifically designed wine glasses for tasting known as INAO glasses. To view an INAO glass go to, http://www.aoweb.com/glassnc.html
The glass should be carefully washed and dried before the tasting. The connoisseur should smell the empty glass before wine is poured. If it smells like detergent or water the host should replace, wipe, or rewash the glass.
Step five: Tasting the wine
Tasting the wine is art in action. It is finding your inner self, and it is learning to appreciate your ability to delve into your sense of smell, sight, and taste.
Once your wine is poured look at the color. Study the color slowly; look at it as a lover gazing into each other’s eyes. When you take the time to examine the wine, you may be surprised at how just the color is already teasing your senses. It is the foreplay of wine drinking.
The next step is to smell the wine. As humans we are attracted to each other by smells we may or not be aware of. In a wine, the smell is the voice of the wine. Gently swirl the wine to add a little oxygen, which releases the aromas of the wine. Don’t be shy, put your nose close to the glass and breathe in deeply. Then take a moment in your mind to think about what you have just smelled. Listen to what the wine in your glass is trying to tell you. Use your life history to let the scents talk to you and connect with your memories.
Now taste the wine. Once the wine is in your mouth roll it all around. Let it glide over the entire surface of your tongue. Try to take in a little air by sucking in air through the gaps of your teeth. This practice intensifies the flavors of the wine. Swallow a small amount and spit out the rest. When you spit it out it is known as the “finish.” If the flavors linger in your mouth after you have spat out the wine this is known as a long finish and is a mark of a good wine. If no flavor lingers this is known as a short finish and is the mark of a lesser wine. Did the wine taste like you imagined it would during the foreplay? Was it sweet, was it sharp, was it fruity, or was it a flawless balance? If it was a perfect balance, write it down in your notebook because you have just found your soul wine.
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