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The Wine Doctor
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TASTING WINES by Nathan McNutt
Wine tasting is all about enjoying yourself and learning about wine along the way. Since the experience of tasting is hard to express, tasters have created their own form of language. Fancy terms and descriptions mean absolutely nothing however, if they aren’t understood by the taster. These terms are simply a way people attempt to express into words, the elusive experience of drinking this complex liquid. Communicating information is of much less importance however, than fully experiencing the drink. Tasting is, in fact, a very personal experience, where everyone’s opinion is valid. To get the maximum enjoyment out of wine one needs to absorb as much of what is in your glass as possible and direct it, via the senses, to your brain. Tasting involves much more than taste itself. In fact contrary to popular belief, the nose tells us much more about a wine than the tongue or mouth. Before the glass even reaches your lips, many evaluations can be done to learn about the character of wine. The first is sight evaluation. Clarity, while of minor importance, gives a taster the impression of purity and cleanliness. Colour can give an indication of the age of wine. Young reds are a bluish-purple while old ones are a solid brick red. One can often assume that darker reds are higher in tannin than lighter ones. Young white wines are faint yellow, if not virtually colourless, while older ones are deep yellow. Tasters often swirl wine in their glass. By observing the speed that wine drips down the glass one can tell the thickness or “body” of the wine. This also releases aromas into the air space of the glass in preparation for the next sensory experience: smell.
Arguably the most important sense used in wine tasting is the nose. Alcohol, for the professional taster, is the perfect vehicle to send aromatics to the nose. It evaporates easily, carrying the subtle aromas to the olfactory nerve inside the nasal cavity, but alcohol dulls the senses if swallowed. This is why wine is expelled once the tasting is done.
Now you are ready to “touch” the wine; (with your mouth of course). Take a small amount of wine in your mouth and coat your entire palette. Think of the body of the wine. Does it feel full or thin. At this point tasters draw air into their mouths in short bursts, similar to a kiss. This brings the wine’s aromas to the back of the throat and into the nasal passages. Though rude sounding, this action aids a great deal in conveying even the most subtle of aromas to your smelling centre.
Pause and take time to think of what you are sensing. Try and describe what you are experiencing. Write it down if you wish. First sips are the most telling and many aromas are fleeting, so be ready. If you are not a professional taster sampling hundreds of wines in a day, swallow your sample. What differences do you observe? Does the aroma change from when it was in your mouth? Does it linger on or drop out? This is called the finish or aftertaste and it is very important as well
Once you’ve gotten a little experience tasting, try buying (or making) two contrasting types of wine, say a Nouveau Beaujolais and an aged Bordeaux. What differences can you find between them? What do you prefer?
Some people are able to taste certain aromas better than others, so if you are tasting with a friend you may have different conclusions. Remember, all opinions count. There are no right or wrong answers here, so have fun!
* The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the Wine Doctor.
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