Many people wonder what the big deal is about wine tasting. They see people who swirl, sniff, slurp, and spit their wine, and label them “wine snobs”. But actually, most tasters are wine nerds.
Because there are so many different factors in the makeup a wine, there is a lot to learn by dissecting the components. Wine tasting is a bit like scientific research, which is really why tasters are more like nerds than snobs. To learn what it’s all about, read the three-step process to tasting a wine.
Step 1
A lot can be learned about a wine from its appearance. Fill a glass halfway with white wine, but DON’T pick up the glass. Look closely at the wine to see if any bubbles are present. If so, you may have a youthful wine with higher acidity. Higher acidity tells you the wine is from a cooler climate.
Now pick up the glass and tilt it so you can view the way the light hits the surface of the wine. If there is a dull sheen, it is likely an older wine. Brighter reflections signify more youthful wines. This is true for red wine as well.
Also at this angle, hold the glass over a white background in a well-lit room. Check for color variation from the center of the wine to the edge. This is called rim variation, or meniscus, and the more color variation there is, the more likely that the wine has aged. This is also true for red wine.
The color shade of the wine is another important factor. Red or white wines with browning tones signify age. Light-colored whites and intense hues of red often mean that a wine is young.
Now, swirl the wine around in the glass a bit, and watch the drips roll down the inside of the glass. These are called “legs”, and if they roll down fast, you have a light bodied wine. If they are slow, it is fuller bodied. Sometimes slow legs can also show higher alcohol content.
So, next time you are about to drink wine, remember to observe these factors before your first sip. Step 2 will describe what to look for in the Nose, and Step 3 in the Taste.
How to taste wine - step 2 - the nose
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