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Here's How to Taste Wine
Maybe we should begin with what wine tasting isn't! Despite the imaginary picture
the phrase "wine tasting" may create, wine tasting is neither snobby nor pretentious--it's
a lot of fun. Whether you're attending a "walkaround" tasting, sampling at the
winery, tasting "blind", or simply enjoying a great wine with friends at dinner,
never forget that the true purpose of wine tasting is to promote hedonistic pleasure.
That being said, there are times when you want or need to evaluate wine from a
more critical standpoint. This is when the step-by-step process used by wine professionals
can be applied. And that's the subject for this discussion.
Wine has a lot to say. How to listen
Wine professionals often taste "blind"--that is, taste wine with the bottles
hidden. Why? Those in the know say that one glance at a wine label is worth 30
years of experience. In other words, it's easy to praise or dismiss a wine based
upon preconceptions about the producer. Tasting in a blind context provides objectivity,
but you don't have to taste blind to apply the fundamentals of wine tastings.
Following the steps in any tasting situation will increase your knowledge and
heighten your pleasure with any wine you taste.
When is a wine "good"
A good wine, assuming there are no apparent technical flaws, is simply one that
you, personally, enjoy. One man's (or woman's) "90" may be your "85"-and vice-versa.
So don't fall into the ratings trap. Use the wine tasting process to develop your
own criteria, and evaluate wine using your personal set of preferences. The more
you taste, and the more you pay attention as you taste, the more you will understand
how and why certain varieties, producers and styles of wine thrill you-and others
leave you cold.
Swirl, sniff, slurp, declare
Wine tasting is a deductive-dissective process which involves "sensory evaluation"
The use of the senses, sight, smell, taste and touch, allow anybody, regardless
of skill or experience, to better understand a wine. Carefully observing a wine,
for instance, reveals important clues about how, where and when a wine was made.
Sniffing a wine allows analysis of the many components found in the aroma. The
taste reveals both flavors and tactile sensations.
There's a lot of information to be processed at each level. Deciding along the
way which pieces are relevant, and how to express what you are observing, is key.
Tasting wine in four easy steps
You already posses the most important equipment for successful wine tasting-and
it's attached to your neck! The senses of sight, smell, taste and touch, coupled
with that remarkable computer we call a brain, are perfectly suited to the task
of evaluating and enjoying wine.
APPEARANCE
First, observe the wine in the glass against a white background, such as a tablecloth
or tasting mat. Tilt the glass forward so you can look at a cross-section of the
wine. Note any changes or variations from the center to the edge, such as the
"swimming pool efffect"--how shallow the color appears at the edge and how deep
at the center. Look at the color. Obviously, this gives you clues about the varietal,
but it also tells you about maturity and quality. Color changes with age--whites,
darken, reds lighten. The wine should be bright and refract light, with no milkiness
or foreign matter floating about. Swirl the wine in the glass. Observe the "tears"
or "legs"--the droplets of wine as they sheet down the glass. If they sheet quickly,
the wine will be lighter-bodied with lower alcohol. Slow tearing means fuller
body and more alcohol.
SMELL
Smell is the single, most essential step. Work fast. The nose fatigues after
about five or six seconds-or six quick sniffs! Again, swirl the wine in the glass.
This releases chemical compounds know as esters and aldehydes. How you perceives
and evaluate these compounds provides important data for your imaginary wine information
bank.
The first sniff should trigger some recognition about the type of wine--or quickly
clue you into problems. The musty odor of wet cardboard means the wine is tainted
with TCA or "corked"; the sulfurous smell of rotten eggs should likewise send
you back to the wine store or off to fetch another sample!
The second sniff will confirm what you suspected in the first sniff in terms
of varietal or "flavor". Master Sommeliers like to call this the "Banker Factor",
varietal aromas so unmistakable you can "bank on it". In other words, if it's
Cabernet Sauvignon, it should smell like Cabernet Sauvignon e.g. blackberry, black
currant, mint, olive etc. For a quick descriptor reference for the most common
varietals, click here. But don't worry about the lexicon too much. Once you have
smelled and tasted 30 Cabernet Sauvignons, you will have a very good idea of exactly
what to expect!
The third sniff allows you to further interpret the data your nose is receiving.
Think in terms of F.E.W.: fruit, earth and wood influences. Once again, remember
our Wine Tasting Form. It will be most helpful in assisting you identify these
influences as you taste through the wine.
At this point, the fourth sniff, you can begin your exploration of certain physical
characteristics in the nose These include:
- Tannins: Bitter
- Sulfur: Burn
- Alcohol: Burn, but more in the back of the nose
- Acid: Causes salivation!
By the time the fifth or sixth sniff rolls around, you should have a pretty good
idea of what you're dealing with. If you've been paying very close attention,
you will have virtually exhausted all your information sources. Why? Because what
you can't smell, you won't taste (try tasting with a head cold and you'll understand!)
That's why it's so important to spend quality time information-gathering in the
olfactory stage. And that's why you shouldn't underestimate the pleasure you will
get from smelling wine. Just for fun, come back to the wine at the end of the
tasting, and see if you can detect any changes. The meaning of the old adage that
says 20 minutes in a glass is like 6 months of bottle aging will become crystal
clear!
TASTING
At last, the final confirmation-though it might seem a little anti-climatic after
all the serious sniffing! Before you sip, consider for a moment where on the tongue
flavor is perceived. Sweetness is the first flavor tasted, as a sweet hit on the
tip of the tongue. Acid is the second flavor, tasted as a medium hit on the sides
of the tongue. The taste of acidity varies, and can be described in these terms:
- Acetic: Vinegary
- Citric: Lemon/lime
- Malic: Apple
- Lactic: Cream/Yogurt
Almost the very last flavor tasted and sensed in the back of the mouth and throat
and as a long hit, is tannin. Tannin, the astringent, puckery sensation familiar
in black tea, also has a distinct leathery quality. It can be experienced as soft
(think kid gloves) or harder (think Western saddle). The final, final note is
that of alcohol, perceived both in terms of sweetness of flavor, in the weight,in
the viscosity of the wine, and in the level of "burn" in the throat.
In the tasting stage, you should note and evaluate tactile/physical attributes
as well. How does the wine coat your mouth and tastebuds? What does it feel like
in your mouth? Heavy, light, medium in weight? Finally, how long does the taste
persist in the mouth? Does it seem to go on and on? Or does it evaporate quickly?
The ultimate measure of quality is in the end-with the proverbial "23 second delay".
This simply means, the longer the finish the better the wine!
FINAL CONCLUSIONS
At this point with all your data gathered and processed, you should be able to
evaluate how successfully the pieces come together. Is there balance? Are there
appropriate levels of structure? Do all the components mesh into a pleasing whole?
If the answer is yes, chances are you've got a wine you can consider a winner!
Always follow the steps in order. Truly observe the color. Spend a good portion
in the olfactory stage. Leave the tasting (the payoff!) for last. Try not to go
back and forth (the palate can become confused). But do consider returning at
some point after the wine has been exposed to oxygen in the glass, just to see
what's developed! Like a good golf swing, follow the steps, carefully, deliberately,
in sequence. You'll be perfectly set up for wine tasting success! |
