Nice legs. Fleshy. Too young. There's plenty of room for misunderstandings when tasting wine. No wonder, what with the mysterious vocabulary and images of swirling, sniffing and spitting. Appreciating this simple pleasure doesn't need to be a daunting prospect, however.
Stemware
It may go without saying, but the right glass will make all the difference when tasting wine. The simpler, the better. A clear crystal is the best choice to allow the color of the wine to shine through. As for the shape, here too the choice can be dizzying. Full, round glasses for reds, narrow, almost pear-shaped for whites. For everyday needs, however, a round glass that narrows slightly at the mouth will suit most purposes.
Temperature, Decanting and Pouring
Do your wine a huge favor and make sure you take a moment to either read the label or to ask the salesperson about how best to serve the bottle you've selected. Temperature is key; Serve cold a wine that should be at room temperature and you'll kill its complexity. Neglect to chill a wine that should be and you'll have insipid plonk on your hands. Best to put bottles that should be served chilled in the refrigerator as soon as you purchase them to avoid any last minute hassles.
Decanting, or transferring the wine from the bottle to a decanter, may seem superfluous but you'll be amazed at the difference it can make. Maybe you've heard of letting a wine "breath". Some wines need to be exposed to oxygen after uncorking to bring out their full potential. A decanter is shaped in such a way as to create a larger surface area on the top of the wine, exposing more of it to the air. If you don't have a decanter, you can simply uncork the bottle about fifteen minutes before serving and pour some of the wine into a glass, allowing more air to enter the bottle.
When serving the wine in the glass, the same principles of decanting apply. Don't fill the glass to the top. Fill the glass only to its widest point to allow the wine more contact with the air.
Assuming you've now got the wine at the recommended temperature, have decanted it if need be, and have poured it into your simple, elegant glass, you're ready for the fun part. Time to get on with the tasting.
The Visual Exam
What you're looking for first of all is clarity. In other words, is the wine clear, or does it have sediment? Is it bright? Does the light shine through when you hold the glass up? You'll also be observing the concentration and the tinge; is the color dense? Would you describe it more as a cherry or a brick red? Often you'll hear tasters commenting on the legs, or tears, of a wine. What they're referring to are the streaks left on the sides of the glass when the wine is swirled. The fact is that this doesn't indicate the quality of the wine, simply whether it has a high sugar content or not.
The Olfactive Exam
Swirl the wine to release the scent molecules, place you nose in the mouth of the glass and inhale deeply. Does the scent strike you full-on, or is it more subtle? That's the intensity. What about purity? It's either pure or it isn't. The question of finesse is somewhat more subjective; is this a wine you would imagine serving with an elegant meal, or would it better suited to a backyard barbecue? Finally there is the complexity of the scent; is it direct, or does it have varying layers?
The Palate Exam
Take a small sip and swallow quickly. This is simply to rinse your palate; don't judge anything yet. Take another sip and be aware of how the wine "feels" in your mouth. This is called the entry. Is it acidic? Sweet? Maybe it's slightly bitter or astringent. Pay attention to where on your tongue the wine has the most effect; on the tip of your tongue you'll taste a wine's sweetness, on the sides its tartness, and at the back of your throat its bitterness.
Have another sip now and let your imagination go wild. What do you taste? The smokiness of cocoa or coffee? Maybe it's woody, like cedar, or spicy like cinnamon. Is it nutty, possibly even bitter like almonds? Perhaps you taste fruits, like lemon or cherries. There's no limit to the ways you can describe a wine's palate; it's completely subjective.
Finally there's the wine's length and finish. The length is the number of seconds the aromas you perceived stay with you. The finish begs the question "Do I want more?". If the answer is yes, good. If, beyond that, you can imagine exactly what you would serve with this wine, say, a poached salmon with a hollandaise sauce, fantastic!
For the purposes of simply opening a bottle and enjoying it with friends, giving it a global assessment based on the criteria above will more than suffice in deciding whether this is a wine you would like to buy again. Try doing this with every bottle you open and soon your likes and dislikes will begin to develop along with your palate, and you'll start to get more out of wine than a nice accompaniment to your meal or a heady buzz. After all, practice makes perfect.
 |
