Wine Tasting

Wine tasting may be decribed as an art but there are certain guidelines that will help anyone with perhaps less experience

The room ideally should be naturally lit to help you judge the wine's colour and it is important not to have competing smells - no perfume, air freshener or smoke. On other pages we have described the type of glass that should be used, clear, stemmed and with a tulip shaped bowl.

First impressions are important and smell is one of our strongest senses.  Pour a little wine into the glass and take a gentle sniff; holding the glass by the stem swirl it gently to help the aromas release, take another sniff.  Do you like the smell?  Can you detect any smells that are reminiscent of fruit, these are most often found in young wines.  Stronger aromas such as leather are more often found in more mature wines.  To taste take a small sip and allow the wine to linger in your mouth; with practice you may be able to suck in a small amount of air, the oxygen expands the flavours.  Now swallow: experts who are tasting many wines will normally spit the wine out before neutalising the palate with a dry cracker and a sip of water.

Sweetness is detected on the tip of the tongue, is your wine sweet, medium or dry?

The sides of the tongue have the receptors for acidity, is it in blance with the other flavours?

If drinking red wine think about the tannins - these dry elements are picked up by your gums.  Are they harsh and bitter or in balance and complimentary to the wine?

Taste of The Vine - Home Wine Course

Do you want to taste wine like an expert? This highly interactive, computer animated, wine tasting course with its unique tasting tools will quickly begin to develop your skills. This would be a great present for any wine lover.

Or for a different way to learn, play the Le Nez du Vin Wine Tasting Game This helps to develop your sense of smell and your ability to recognise and describe the different aromas found in wine just click the highlighted text.