Anyone can taste and evaluate the quality of wines. This does not require any advanced knowledge, but it is nevertheless useful to understand what to pay attention to when tasting wine.
Wine enjoyment is a multi-sensory experience that not only involves the tongue but also particularly the nose and throat area. If we were to compare the sensations of tasting and smelling, we could state that the sense of taste informs us about the basic structure and harmony of a wine. The tongue�s taste buds detect merely four different types of taste: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Our nose, on the other hand, permits us to detect and explore the vast variety and countless nuances of a wine�s aromas. In fact, we can thus detect more than 1,000 different nuances in aroma.
Taken together, the senses of taste and smell provide for the complete enjoyment of wine tasting. In the process of sipping the wine, the wine�s aromas are released into the breath and they come in touch with the nose when one exhales. This effect can be intensified through extensive slurping of the wine. It is at this point in time that we notice whether a wine has a fruity or flowery taste. Anyone who has ever had a severe cold and was not fazed by a spoon of spicy horseradish, as the horseradish aromas were blocked from the sense of smell, can attest to the importance of this so-called retro-nasal sense of smell during the tasting process.
You Start with the Eye:
Take a glass in your hand, making sure that you lift the glass only by the stem. Do not touch the bowl with your hands, as otherwise you will warm the wine and spoil an unimpeded examination of your wine with unwanted fingerprints. Professional wine tasters grasp the glass by its foot, using only their thumb and index-finger.
First, try to determine whether the wine sparkles clearly and brilliantly in the glass: This is a first indicator of quality. Then take a look at the colour, as this will give you a first indication of the grape varietal. Pinot Noir has a ruby red yet rather light colour; a Cabernet Sauvignon displays a very dark red, and a Merlot comes across as nearly violet. Chardonnays are typically gold yellow, whereas a Riesling exhibits a pale straw yellow. The shade and depth of colour play an important role in determining the age of a wine: Shades of brown in a red wine indicate an advanced age. The same holds true for sherry colours in a white wine. Paying attention to the shades and depth of the colour will allow you to ascertain a wine�s maturity and possibly even if it has surpassed its approachability, i.e. whether its quality has deteriorated over time.
Next Is the Nose:
In a next step, you should slowly twirl the glass and allow the wine to gently swirl. This will release the wine�s varied aromas. Now, you lower your nose into the opening of the glass and breathe in the vaporized aroma compounds. These are best detected by taking a deep and long breath of air. Other odours, such as perfume, nicotine or food, should not interfere with the sensation of sniffing the wine.
And Now the Mouth:
Now take a sip of wine in your mouth, making sure the wine covers the entire tongue so that it comes in contact with as many taste buds as possible. Remember that the tip of the tongue detects sweetness, the sides experience acids and minerals, and the back of the tongue tastes bitterness. More intense slurping will increase the amount of oxygen in your mouth and thus intensify the taste sensation. This, however, requires some practice. Continue to evenly disperse the wine in your mouth with slight chewing motions. The wine�s fragrances and aromas ascend towards the nasal cavity and can then be perceived and discerned by all neuro-sensory cells.
And Finally the Finish:
When evaluating a wine�s taste, the after-taste, also referred to as finish, plays an important role. The finish describes the lasting impression of a wine in the mouth (not in the throat!), the duration that the aromas linger and the time it takes for salivation to normalize again. The finish can be measured in seconds, and the span reaches from 0 to 10 and in some cases even to 20 seconds. The longer the finish, the more resounding is the experience and the better the wine. �salud!
The language of wine remains a mystery to many of us, and only few experts have developed the know-how to accurately capture their taste perception in words. Fortunately, the wine aroma wheel can be of great help. The wheel describes the manifold aromas that can be found in wines: fruity aromas such as lemon, peach, apricot, mango, or apple; spicy aromas including vanilla, nutmeg and cloves; or smoky aromas such as leather, wood or resin. With the help of the aroma wheel you can also match your wines to your culinary delights. For example, a Torront�s reminiscent of jasmine, roses, and geraniums perfectly complements any Asian dish.
Wine Tasting with the Wine Aroma Wheel:
An aroma wheel has been developed for white and red wines. The (German) wheel distinguishes among seven categories to describe aroma components, and the wheel contains one category to describe taste. Initially, the aroma is captured in general terms on the inner wheel and then described in more detail on the outer wheel. For example, based on a first sniffing impression, the wine may be categorized as �fruity� and resembling berries. Based on this first evaluation, you can then select on the outer wheel a more precise description, determining whether the berries in question are elderberries, red currants or possibly a combination of both.
A wine�s aromas also provide hints about the grape varietal and the wine-growing region. A Shiraz, for example, suggests red currants, whereas a Malbec possesses fragrances of plums and tobacco.
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