How to properly taste wine

Tasting Wine

• You should taste wine with all your senses.

• Hold the wine glass by the stem so as not to warm the wine with your hands or leave smudges around the glass.

• The first thing to look at is the actual wine itself. Check for clarity of the wine. It should be clear, especially white wine.

• Next you want to check the surface of the wine and see if light reflects off of the surface. The more shiny or reflective the wine looks the more acidic it will taste and will make it more fresh and crisp on your palette.

• Now smell the wine, without swirling first.

• Now swirl the wine, and watch how the wine drips down the side of your glass. You’re looking for the ‘legs’ (the drips of wine down the inside of the glass). The thicker the legs the more sweeter the wine. Smaller legs mean a drier wine.

• Now that it’s had a chance to breathe and the aromatic molecules have been released, smell the wine again. Place your nose in the glass and take a deep breath. It should smell stronger and more intense.

Types and Qualities of Wine

• There are two things people use to identify wine. One is the grape used to make the wine and the other is the origin.

• Sauvignon Blanc, for example, is a white wine that makes fresh, fruity, crisp wine. Most Sauvignon Blanc wines come from France or New Zealand.

• Most of the same tasting techniques apply to both red and white wines.

• In red wines you will notice that the very top layer of the wine in the glass is more transparent than the rest of the wine. This is due to oxidation, which happens as the wine ages.

• In oxidation the oxygen of the air comes in through the cork and attacks the chemical structure of the wine, making wine's value and taste different.

• The more oxidation that is present the older the wine is.

• Not all wines get better with age. Good wines get better as they get older; the price goes up as well.