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| Wine Tasting
Made Simple |
| WHAT IS ALL this pomp and circumstance
that surrounds wine drinking? Can't these people just put the
glass up to their lips and swallow? I mean c'mon, they swirl
the stuff in the glass like it's some magic potion. Then they
stick their noses (how unsanitary can that be), and sniff repeatedly
as if they were bloodhounds picking up a scent. Then, as if
they haven't embarrassed themselves enough, they gargle with
the stuff! Finally, these goofy grins spread across their faces
as they nod with approval. |
| Although this sounds a bit odd and pretentious,
there is some rhyme and reason for it all. And while this may
be somewhat elementary for a lot of you, how to taste wine and
what flavors or characteristics to look for are all part of
the fun of wine drinking. To me, drinking wine is an experience.
An experience that shouldn't be too complicated, yet requires
a little bit of knowledge to elicit all of wines pleasures. |
| So, let's break this down a bit to understand
what's really going on here and I'll describe a few common characteristics
that can be found in different wines. Knowing what to look for
from the onset is a lot easier than trying to extract, or better
put, guess what flavors you're tasting. |
| If you want to experience a wine and haven't
had much practice at the swirling, sniffing and gurgling part,
then I would suggest you first play with this at home. Don't
risk embarrassing yourself in public at some shi-shi restaurant
by swirling red wine all over the white tablecloth, actually
sticking the tip of your nose into the wine and then drooling
down your chin as your attempt to aerate the wine in your mouth.
It takes a bit of practice, but the payoff is huge when it comes
to thoroughly enjoying your wine. Pour a small amount of wine
in a glass, about two ounces, grab the stem of the glass near
the base and swirl the wine by making small, rapid circular
motions with the glass. Why? Imagine a simmering pot of spaghetti
sauce. As you stir it and air interacts with the sauce, the
aromas become more prominent. As air is circulated with the
wine through this swirling motion the same thing happens. Aromas
from the wine are released. Stick your nose into the glass and
sniff sharply. What you smell should be what you taste. |
| Finally, and this is the trickiest part,
sip a small amount of wine into your mouth and hold it there.
Grit your teeth and suck in a small amount of air. Let the wine
bubble over all parts of your tongue. Savor all the wonderful
flavors of the wine as it flows from the front of your tongue
to the back. WOW! Isn't that cool?! Now that's how you experience
wine. OK, now that you're an expert wine taster, let's go over
a few basic wines and flavor profiles you can look for. The
following are flavors and characteristics that represent a sample
of what you might expect to find and are not meant to represent
the entire scope of flavors and characteristics found in these
wines.* Sauvignon Blanc: Crisp, look for citrus and melon flavors.
Lime, lemon, honeydew, green apple and herbs. Fresh cut grass
or hay aromas and flavors.* Chardonnay: Soft and rich. Ripe
fruit flavors of pear, apple, apricot, fig. Can feel creamy
in the mouth. Butter, vanilla and toasty oak.* Merlot: Rich
and elegant. Berry, plum and cherry flavors. Spice, herbs and
chocolate flavors. Toasted oak and possibly some mouth drying
tannins.* Cabernet Sauvignon: Rich and brawny. Dark fruit and
currant berry. Tar, tobacco, spice and cedar. Mouth drying tannins.*
Zinfandel: Ripe and jammy. Sweet fruit flavors. Juicy, cherry,
berry and plum. Black pepper spice.* Pinot Noir: Light and supple.
Black cherry, berry and plum fruit flavors. Spice, earth, leather
and toasty oak. |
| Now you've got what it takes to hob-nob
with the best of them. Go out and have a great experience! |
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