There are many types of wine than we can count and exactly how in the world shall we be held to choose one when confronted with a tremendous bank of bottles. Educating yourself in the wines that suits you is painless should you just make a few notes following a set pattern to be able to compare the wines you have drunk to find the ones you like best. Tasting liquid is as much an art being a science and there is no right with no wrong method it. There is only 1 stuff that matters – does one like this sort of wine? I personally use a few fundamental tips to assist me recall the wines, for me personally you can find four principal elements to tasting a wine, appearance, aroma, taste and overall impression.

Appearance falls into three subsections, clarity, colour and ‘legs’. Clarity – the appearance is very important. Whatever its age it should look clean and not cloudy or murky. Very young reds from rich vintages could look opaque nevertheless they should be clear and not have bits skating. Occasionally you will find a few tartrate crystals inside the wine, white or red however, this has no effect on the wine and is not a fault. Colour – tilt the glass at a 45 degree angle against a white background which will show graduations of colour – the rim colour indicates age and maturity superior to the centre. The color gives clues towards the vintage, generally speaking with reds, the lighter along with the harder lively the flavors, fuller plus more concentrated colour indicates a weightier wine. Whites gain colour with age and reds lose it so a new Beaujolais with be purple which has a pinkish rim whilst an older claret could be more subdued with Mahogany tints. ‘Legs’ – you may get a hint from the body and sweetness of the wine by reviewing the viscosity. Swirl your wine from the glass and allow it to go settle – watch the ‘legs’ on the side of the glass. Greater pronounced the fuller (and maybe more alcoholic) the wine and vice versa.

The Aroma, Bouquet or ‘Nose’ of the wines are a very personal thing but should never be neglected. Always please take a few seconds to smell a wine and comprehend the variety of scents that may change because wine warms and develops in the glass. Smell is a vital element in judging a wine as the palate can only pick up sweet or sour with an impression of body. Flavours are perceived by nose and taste buds together. Swirl the wine to discharge the aromas and stick onto your nose deep in the glass going for a few short sniffs to have overall impression, excessive will kill the sensitivity of your nose. Young wines will be fruity and floral but a mature wine may have much more of a ‘bouquet’ a sense mixed fruits and spices – perhaps using a hint of vanilla, particularly when it has been aged in American as an alternative to French oak.

Taste is combination of the senses and definately will change as the wine lingers in your mouth. The tongue is only able to distinguish four flavours, sweet around the tip, salt just behind the tip, acidity about the sides and bitterness behind. These could be changed by temperature, weight and texture. You may think it appears silly but ‘chew’ your wine for a couple of seconds ingesting just a little air that allows the nose and palate to operate as you, hold the wine with your mouth for a few seconds with an overall impression in support of then swallow. Some wines will attack your tastebuds – the very first impression, and after that follow through after swallowing. Some, particularly New World vino is very at the start, and some provide an almost oily texture (Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer) as they have low acidity. With reds you may get tannins (influenced by the oak barrels along with the grape) for the back in the tongue. If the wine is young and tannic it will think that teeth are already coated. Tannins assist the wine age well but tend to sometimes be a bit harsh unless the wine is well-balanced.

Overall impression and aftertaste in many cases are not given enough importance through the some of the Wine ‘gurus’ – for the rest of us it can be what matters most! Cheaper or even younger wines won’t linger around the palate, the pleasure is ‘now’ but over quickly. A good mature wine should leave an obvious impression that persists for a while before fading gently. More important is still balance, one that has enough fruit to balance the oakey flavours for example, or enough acidity to balance the sweet fruits so the wine tastes fresh. Equally a wine which can be very tannic without having fruit to back it up as it ages is unbalanced.

It is essential, however, would be to enjoy a wine. A few seconds spent tasting a wine before diving in the bottle can greatly transform your pleasure – and you’ll have an idea of the you happen to be drinking and just what varieties of wine one to look for whenever you are shopping!

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