Wine Tasting: Acquiring the Delicate Talent of Wine Tasting
Wine tasting and attending a wine tasting party, contrary to popular belief, does not involve a lot of sipping, swishing and swallowing. While there is a definite art to wine tasting and many different wine-tasting forms, the popular theory of sipping and the like could not be farther from reality. It does, however, take years of practice to master the technique.
Wine tasting notes abound and can get your started. However, the only true way to begin to distinguish a fine wine amidst a variety of fine wines is a skill. Picking them reliably requires a trained palate, which takes years to develop. Wine tasting involves ascertaining whether the wine has been stored properly in a wine cellar designed to produce a beverage that is both pleasing to the eye and an exquisite experience for the palette.
The foundation of wine tasting is actually rooted in our sense of smell. In fact, over 75% of our taste is actually due to our sense of smell and has a major impact on the taste of the food and drink we consume. Moreover, this is also why when we have a cold our sense of taste is so distorted. Most wine experts will agree that wine has more to do with smell than taste, but that is often where the agreement stops and personal preference takes center stage.
Proper wine tasting is initiated with the swishing that is most familiar to novices. The purpose of this activity is to circulate the taste of the wine by moving it between the front and back areas of the mouth in order to reach the taste buds contained in the tongue.
Taste buds do not necessarily have a noted taste factor, but they are capable of properly identifying food and beverages that are sweet, salty, and bitter with no problems at all. Therefore, the process of swishing is more about giving the senses an opportunity to extract the aromatic flavors in the wine being tested.
With even a basic understanding of the swishing technique, its purpose and the dispelling of long held myths, wine tasting will wind up looking less like something silly and more like a talent and skill that is part of the whole wine making process. Wine aficionados will be able to tell if the wine cellar designs and the features of a wine cellar have served their purpose or fallen short. All of this will be reflected in the end product.
Upon pouring the wine into a crystal clear glass, the first step is to take a considered look at the sampling. This is not a step to be rushed as a great deal can be ascertained during this step. Despite their name, white wines are actually not white as much as they are golden, pale brown or with a slight tinge of green. On the other hand, red wine is typically a dark pink hue or leaning toward dark brown in color.
The second step is observation. It is all about the nose and what the wine smells like. This is accomplished through two steps: taking a brief whiff of the wine to get a general idea and then taking a deep, extended inhalation in order to get the full aroma of the beverage.
Experts will generally pause at this point to take in and process what they have learned so far about the wine. They will want to reflect on the total experience with the wine.
In the end, the wine connoisseur will be ready to start tasting the wine, first by taking a sip then swishing it around to detect both the bold and subtle flavor in the sample. It is only after this step is accomplished will the wine taster fully savor the flavor and swallow the sip taken.
Completing these steps of observation, smell and finally tasting the wine, is essential to discerning the quality of the wine from the wine connoisseur's viewpoint. The three-step process is the most complete way to ascertain age, storage, and overall quality of the wine, if it is ready to be consumed and if the wine cellar storage was adequate to bring the wine to proper fruition. As it is with any skill acquired, practice makes perfect and in evaluating wine, this is no exception. In order to become adept at evaluating the uniqueness and flavor of the sample presented takes time and effort. - 17273
Wine tasting notes abound and can get your started. However, the only true way to begin to distinguish a fine wine amidst a variety of fine wines is a skill. Picking them reliably requires a trained palate, which takes years to develop. Wine tasting involves ascertaining whether the wine has been stored properly in a wine cellar designed to produce a beverage that is both pleasing to the eye and an exquisite experience for the palette.
The foundation of wine tasting is actually rooted in our sense of smell. In fact, over 75% of our taste is actually due to our sense of smell and has a major impact on the taste of the food and drink we consume. Moreover, this is also why when we have a cold our sense of taste is so distorted. Most wine experts will agree that wine has more to do with smell than taste, but that is often where the agreement stops and personal preference takes center stage.
Proper wine tasting is initiated with the swishing that is most familiar to novices. The purpose of this activity is to circulate the taste of the wine by moving it between the front and back areas of the mouth in order to reach the taste buds contained in the tongue.
Taste buds do not necessarily have a noted taste factor, but they are capable of properly identifying food and beverages that are sweet, salty, and bitter with no problems at all. Therefore, the process of swishing is more about giving the senses an opportunity to extract the aromatic flavors in the wine being tested.
With even a basic understanding of the swishing technique, its purpose and the dispelling of long held myths, wine tasting will wind up looking less like something silly and more like a talent and skill that is part of the whole wine making process. Wine aficionados will be able to tell if the wine cellar designs and the features of a wine cellar have served their purpose or fallen short. All of this will be reflected in the end product.
Upon pouring the wine into a crystal clear glass, the first step is to take a considered look at the sampling. This is not a step to be rushed as a great deal can be ascertained during this step. Despite their name, white wines are actually not white as much as they are golden, pale brown or with a slight tinge of green. On the other hand, red wine is typically a dark pink hue or leaning toward dark brown in color.
The second step is observation. It is all about the nose and what the wine smells like. This is accomplished through two steps: taking a brief whiff of the wine to get a general idea and then taking a deep, extended inhalation in order to get the full aroma of the beverage.
Experts will generally pause at this point to take in and process what they have learned so far about the wine. They will want to reflect on the total experience with the wine.
In the end, the wine connoisseur will be ready to start tasting the wine, first by taking a sip then swishing it around to detect both the bold and subtle flavor in the sample. It is only after this step is accomplished will the wine taster fully savor the flavor and swallow the sip taken.
Completing these steps of observation, smell and finally tasting the wine, is essential to discerning the quality of the wine from the wine connoisseur's viewpoint. The three-step process is the most complete way to ascertain age, storage, and overall quality of the wine, if it is ready to be consumed and if the wine cellar storage was adequate to bring the wine to proper fruition. As it is with any skill acquired, practice makes perfect and in evaluating wine, this is no exception. In order to become adept at evaluating the uniqueness and flavor of the sample presented takes time and effort. - 17273
About the Author:
Wine cellars come in many different sizes and styles next time your looking for a wine cellar make sure you start your search with us.
posted by X - Men at
5:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home