Wine - oh what a lovely elixir of flavour and mixture of aromas it can be! But do you know how to really enjoy wine? Here's the School of Wine's tips on how to taste.
1.See - Observe the color of the wine - clarity, intensity, colour - and does it look aged or youthful?
2.Swirl - Take your wine for a dance around the glass, spreading the wine around the surface of the glass to release the aromas. Is it viscose or thick and sticking to the wine glass?
3.Sniff - get your nose right in there and assess the condition and intensity, what does your nose start recalling (smells that have been stored in your brain). We detect up to 10,000 different aromas but only 5 tastes: bitter, sweet, salty, acid, hot/cold
4.Sip - take in breath as you sip, drawing in breath (like slurping) which will release aromas and flavours into nasal passages as wine coats tongue with and gets all flavours in there.
5.Savour - regardless of whether you spit or swallow, try to enjoy and remember what you liked or disliked about the wine to help improve your wine knowledge. Did the wine have body, was very alcoholic or lighter? did it leave a texture on your toungue? did it dry out your mouth? was there anything that really stuck out that made it not balanced?
So now you know... But that's really only the beginning because you have to practice! And where better to practice wine tasting than with Perth's School of Wine. Join us at a masterclass or hire us for your corporate events or hen's party needs.
- SM xx