Wine Tasting As
A Hobby
We’ve heard a lot about wine
tasting, and often it seems intimidating since
one is not quite sure about what to do! But to
take up wine tasting as a hobby, all you need is
your senses! Then come the right atmosphere,
focus, an imaginative way of expressing
yourself, an excellent memory, etc. Anyone can
learn to become a wine taster with some guidance
and there are several institutions that offer
wine tasting courses for different levels.
Why taste wine?
Specifically, we observe the
color, the aroma or fragrance, the flavor and
the sensation of the wine inside the mouth. You
are probably wondering, why taste wine? There
are many objectives of wine tasting. Firstly, it
helps to assess the quality and value of the
wine. Then, you can decide whether the wine can
be served to drink – or whether it must be
stored in the bottle for longer. The flavor and
fragrance can be examined for study. There are
various aspects of the wine that are appreciated
and these also help to identify any shortcomings
in the wine. Basically, tasting the wine helps
to know and understand the wine and there are
many methods used by wine tasters. Expert wine
tasters remember wines, including the way it
tasted and what they liked about it!
Types Of Wines
Did you know that wines are
differentiated by type according to whether they
are sweet or dry and their appearance? As a
result, you have the following:
-
Sparkling wines, which
are bubbly, white and rather dry, which
means they are not sweet.
-
Dessert wines that are
quite sweet
-
Table wines that can be
white, a blush pink or red in color and can
be dry or sweet.
-
Fortified wines, which
are better known as port wine or sherry.
When you visit a winery, the
most popular wines there are the table wines.
Steps To Wine Tasting
Now let us look at the main
steps you will come across in a wine-tasting
session. Here’s what you will experience:
-
The color of the wine,
since its age is arrived at by its color.
So, darker wines are older. The best wines
are more concentrated in taste.
-
The aroma is strong in
quality wines. Wines that smell good are
good wines.
-
The taste of the wine
-
The assessment of the
wine – made by the perception that the
longer the taste and smell linger in your
mouth, the better the wine.
Tasting the wine, as
mentioned earlier is a matter of using your
senses.
How will we do this?
Seeing
the wine:
White wines are light yellow or golden in
appearance. Red wines are a brick red or
purplish in color and then we have the pink
wine. To know the exact shade, you raise your
glass and see it against a white background.
Smelling
the wine:
the fragrance
of the wine comes from the grapes and the
process of winemaking. The wine taster swirls
the wine in its glass and then smells it.
Tasters find a multitude of smells, depending on
the kind of the wine.
Tasting
the wine:
The
taster now takes a small sip and lets it roll
around inside his mouth to feel its taste and
texture. This could be light, strong, or
refreshing.
After tasting
the wine, some tasters swallow the wine, while
others just spit it out. Why spit it out?
Because when several wines are being tasted, the
taster cannot swallow all the wine! In fact,
there’s a bucket at the wine tasting that is
provided for this. Also, you obviously can’t
drive after you swallow all the wines you
taste!
Wine tasters
express themselves quite articulately about how
they feel after tasting the wine and share their
views with others to get a good understanding of
it. Most tasters actually make written notes to
help them assess the wine rather than depend on
their memory alone. These notes also serve as a
reference point when it comes to evaluating a
wine from the same area or of the same vintage.
Some Interesting Facts
You will find that wine
tasting parties and events are very interesting.
However, there are some facts you should know,
that will make your experience better. In these
events, the women are always served first. You
can also expect to be served water in between
wines to enable you clean your mouth to taste
the various wines. Remember to hold the wine
glass by its stem because holding it in your
palms will heat the wine, and also prevent you
from noticing its true color. Small snacks are
also served, and you can have them, to be ready
for the next wine! Wine is always served in
clear glasses to enable you observe its color
and you are expected to swirl it around before
tasting it. Then inhale the aroma. After this,
you are expected to sip the wine and hold it in
your mouth and let your taste buds experience it
fully before swallowing it.
It is a good idea to learn
something about the kinds of wines before you
decide to go to a wine tasting event to help you
understand the various flavors and also know
what to expect. Wine tasting is an exciting as
well as educative experience.
Wine Tasting Courses
There are many
wine tasting courses offered by recognized
institutions and here you will learn about the
techniques that will help you become a
professional at wine tasting. You will learn to
identify the year, type and flavor of the wine
in addition to how wine is processed. You will
learn how to select glasses for the wine, and
what kind of cuisine is suited to a specific
wine. The basic course usually cover
information about how wine is prepared, how it
is served and how to taste it. If you already
know something about wine tasting you can go to
the next level and learn about types of grapes,
and enhance your knowledge and tasting skills.
The advanced courses provide exhaustive
knowledge about particular types of wines.
The
above information is aimed at giving you the
impetus to get started. You can develop your
wine tasting skills and get lots of tips and
instructional videos below. You will also find
some terrific books and recommended links where
you can learn and know everything you need about
wine tasting in depth. So go ahead and get
started!
more |
