Taking the Mystery Out of Wine Tasting

While the information on this page will not make you a wine tasting expert, it will give you a de-mystifying overview of the wine tasting ritual.

Have you ever seen wine tasters doing their "magic"?

What did you see?

First, they tilt the glass, gazing at the wine thinking about it. They, the swirl the wine around the glass. Then they sniff it, taste it, gargle it...and then...they swallow it, right?

Nope, they spit it out. They spit out perfectly good wine!

Doesn't make sense, does it?

Well, actually it does. Each step is specifically intended to fulfill the wine taster's desire to unlock the secrets of each particular "fruit of the vine" they taste.

TILTING THE GLASS

A wine taster will tilt the wine glass to help determine the age of the wine. It helps them see the color better.

When checking the color, or "clarity" of red wines, a dark edge indicates a newer, "younger" wine, while a lighter edge implies an "older" wine. For white wines, look directly into the glass. A younger wine will have more "sparkles". Of course, learning to recognize and compare young vs. old wine is a matter of practice and experience.

Also, tilting the wine glass allows you to check out its "legs". Also known as "tears" (as in tear drop), or "church windows", the quantity of legs will allow you to guess the alcohol content of the wine. The more legs when you straighten the glass, the higher the alcohol content.

Swirling the wine, the next step in the wine tasting process, also allows you to take a look a the wine's legs.

SWIRLING THE WINE

Swirling the wine, an acquired skill necessary for anyone wanting to appear to be an expert wine taster, allows you to evaluate the "body" of the wine. When the wine adheres to the side of the glass, it has good "body", and, conversely, a thinner, less full bodied wine, will run down the side more rapidly.

What is actually happening is that you are helping put a bit of oxygen into the wine. This causes the wine to begin breaking down a little bit, a process sometimes referred to as "opening up". This allows the wine to begin to release its "bouquet", or aroma.

To an experienced wine taster, the bouguet can instruct about the ingredients, wine region, etc.

After swirling, the wine, sniff it.

SNIFFING THE WINE

Get your nose right there in the glass.

The aroma of wine is released by swirling, and you need to drink...or sniff...deeply.

As a rule of thumb, or nose, younger red wines will generally smell like berries and there may also be a slight smell of chocolate, liquorice, spice, and mint. Older red wines will tend to smell more like prunes or raisins, while wines that are no good, or too old, smell like that of vinegar. The same is pretty much true of white wines.

By the way, the particular swirling technique varies by the individual, ranging from a few discreet circles while leaving the base on the table, to a full-fledged method using the stem of the glass as a fulcrum. They all work. Choose what works for you and doesn't get wine all over everybody.

TASTING THE WINE

The words "wine tasting" really apply here. You are NOT drinking the wine, you are tasting it, and you do this with just a small bit of wine. Sip it from the glass and roll it around on your tongue. Let it rest on the center of your tongue for a bit and then gargle it (politely and quietly). A sweet wine should make the tip of your tongue tingle a bit. Acidic wines will produce a "pins and needles" sensation along the sides of your tongue.

If you feel a dryness in your mouth, you probably have a wine with a high tannin content. Tannin is a natural preservative commonly found in the younger red wines.

SWALLOW OR SPIT

Get your mind out of the gutter.

A professional wine taster will commonly spit the wine out in the course of tasting several different wine, cleansing the palate between wines. At a small wine tasting party with friends, or just in the privacy of your own home, it's okay to swallow.

However, don't chug it like you would at a college frat party. Swallow it a little bit at a time. The best wines will have a pleasant, lingering taste.

BECOMING AN "EXPERT" WINE TASTER OR CONNOISSEUR

Like most things, you can't just read a book on wine tasting and be an expert. Dancing with the Stars shows us that. Just like the contestants on DWS, however, you won't get it right the first time no matter how you learn, and, in the long run, even the "experts" often disagree on a given wine. However, knowing what you are doing comes with practice.

Of course, wine tasting is a fun skill to practice, isn't it?

Do the dance over and over, and you will, in time become an expert. But, like a dancer, you not only need practice, you need guidance. There are probably wine tastings, and wine experts, wherever you live. Avail yourself of the opportunity to taste and test...and learn.

There are hundreds, even thousands of wines, and as many wine tasting experts, so, get out there and get your feet...er...tongue wet. You may be surprised at how soon someone comes up to you and asks YOUR opinion of a given wine...since you appear to be an expert wine taster.