Wine Snob III

Finally, The Fun Part: Tasting


It was my understanding when I began drinking wine, that this was the easy part. I was dead wrong. I had no idea what I was looking for or how to find it and when you take a journey like that you only end up lost and confused. I wanted to take a little time out for the first timers and work through some basics, but I haven't forgotten about you too, people that think they have forgotten more about wine than I will ever know.

Tasting is not a chore. It is an adventure that, if you let it, will open you up to a world you didn't know you were already so familiar with. Tasting wine should begin with your attitude. If you walk in somewhere in a bad mood, you will more than likely not enjoy the wine, but if you make it an exciting experience, you will carry those memories with you when you taste the next time. When served, take a look at the wine. Examine the color and clarity. Is it a deep red or a see-through blush? Does it remind you of pear juice or like liquid gold? Once you have taken not of the color, smell it. Really get your nose in there and smell it. (For me, I like to do all this before touching the glass. Then I will pick it up and do it again with the glass at an angle to get my nose closer to the wine.) What do you smell? Summer sea breeze? Sweet apricot? Caramel? Vanilla? Toast? Blueberry pie?

It doesn't need to be this nerdy but you get the idea

Once you have a smell registered in your brain for that wine, maybe a fruit or hint of something, or maybe even a memory, then taste it. When you taste you are looking for a variety of things. I will not take the time to list all of them. This is your activity. You can find anything from oak notes to varying kinds of fruit and so much more. You are also looking for texture. Is it soft, smooth, harsh/hot, acidic, sweet, or dry. As mentioned the list goes on but this is really about what you taste. Think about it. Talk about it. Smell it again. Swirl it to give it some oxygen and then smell it again. Taste it, yes, again. It doesn't matter how many times you do this, each time you will be able to get a little something else out of it. Try to focus your taste buds and find the tastes on the front, mid, and back pallet and then focus on the aftertaste. Once you have your idea of the wine in mind, then and only then, read the tasting notes provided.

Winemakers or cellar managers provide these to help you along, but do not use them as a crutch to base everything on. You will surprise yourself at how many of the things you find when you taste are listed. Now there will always be one or two you don't. Should there be wine left in your glass, then take the time to find those too. If you can't, no big deal. In the end it really only matters if you liked it or not.

Now if you really want to get crazy, taste it as usual, then take it outside. If the wine was made on site, the fruit has a tendency to pick up some of the neighboring smells and characteristics. You may be able to pull out scents you weren't able to before or get a completely different experience.

Think about the fruit on the vine. Think about the weather the berries saw. How much sunshine, how much rain? Think about the hands that picked it, the crushing of the fruit, the storage, the agonizing wait it endured in the barrels. Think about the people that put their lives on hold and made other sacrifices to produce this little bit of wine for you to enjoy, and you will taste it in a totally new way. Cheers!