Many of us enjoy the occasional glass of wine. And some of us would argue that wine is the perfect complement to a meal. However, how many of us would know instinctively which wine goes with which dish? When dining out, it is probably more common to rely on your waiter or Sommelier to recommend the perfect alcoholic accompaniment to your dinner. Fortunately, by gaining a greater understanding of the basics of wine tasting, you can bypass the suggestions of the house and take charge of your wine choices - potentially impressing your friends, family and colleagues with your knowledge.
While you may think wine tasting is an elitist hobby, more and more bars, wineries and even clubs are offering classes to enable wine enthusiasts to expand and refine their knowledge. Of course, it isn’t always necessary to enrol in an official class – the internet has plenty of sites dedicated to grape varieties and the art of wine tasting meaning you can easily learn the rudiments at home before deciding to progress to a class environment. So what exactly are the principles of wine tasting? Experts agree there are four stages of identification – appearance, aroma, taste and aftertaste. These combined will enable you to establish the character, potential and possible faults of the wine being tasted. Real aficionados will take many other factors into consideration, including the price, vintage and region of the grape.
In order to allow for an impartial tasting, many experts agree that ‘blind’ tastings are the ideal. This is essentially where the taster will not see the bottle or label of the wine being served, thus avoiding any negative preconceptions being made on cheaper wines or those which may not have as attractive packaging.
When it comes to the technique itself, the number one tip is to follow the five S’s – see, swirl, sniff, sip and savour. Hold your wine up to the light and study the colour – some choose to place a piece of white paper behind the glass to better highlight the hue. This can help you identify how (or if) the wine has been aged or to pick up on any discolouration. Next, give your wine a good swirl in the glass! This process allows the wine to breathe, thus releasing the aromas for the next step – sniffing. Dependent on the wine each aroma will be very different and indeed, each individual may pick up on different notes. Sipping the wine should confirm the scents that have previously assailed your nostrils. For the final step, savouring the wine, you should swirl the wine around your mouth before swallowing to truly complete the process.
If you want to be able to tell the difference between light and full bodied reds then why not give wine tasting a go? As mentioned, there are many establishments all over the country that offer classes – from Cheltenham restaurants to wine cellars in Edinburgh.
Jesse Wallace writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
