Wine Tasting

Author: Nia Rouseberg Time for reading: ~7 minutes Last Updated: October 11, 2022

CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)

Wine tasting consists of 3 consecutive stages: first, visual, or visual, second, olfactory, or olfactory, and third, taste. The first two stages involve two independent sense organs — the eyes and the nose, and the third stage involves four sense organs — the eyes, nose, taste buds, and touch.

Visual analysis

Visual analysis is the initial stage of tasting , during which the taster can visually assess the quality of the wine and its age. He analyzes the color (“dress”) of the wine , color saturation, transparency and gloss.

The dress is the color of the wine and the reflections that appear on the edges and surface of the glass. The surface of the wine in the glass is called the disk. Dress is the best indicator of a wine 's age , as its color changes during aging.

Young wine is purple-red, even bluish. As it ages, the red color intensifies with yellow and yellow-hot tones, giving the wine a beautiful brick red color with brown or orange sparkles.

The saturation and density of the wine reflect its consistency and concentration, and also indicate the method of its production. For example, if the wine has a dark red color, it means that it has been infused for a long time on mezza. Such wine is usually powerful and rich.

Clarity indicates that there is no suspension in the wine , particularly white wines . Sometimes the sediment may appear as a suspension or at the bottom of the glass. It does not affect the taste of wine , but such a drink must be decanted.

The shine indicates the liveliness of the wine . A strong shine (especially in white wine ) is a sign of high acidity, which is one of the characteristics of young wines . A matte shine is a sign of mature wine , and a dull shine is a sign of early death.

During the visual stage of tasting , the appearance of the wine from above and from the side is evaluated. To do this, the taster first places the glass on the table and analyzes the surface of the wine . A good drink is shiny and does not have any particles on the surface.

After that, a glass of wine should be raised to eye level on a white background, the glass should be held in an upright position for a few seconds, and then tilted. In this way, it is possible to evaluate the color of the drink , shade, transparency and carbon dioxide content. The presence of the latter in the wine indicates the spoilage of the drink (of course, if we are not talking about sparkling wines ).

Olfactory analysis

This is the second stage of tasting . Its purpose is to identify various aromas that the wine emits .

Our nose can recognize hundreds of smells. To improve the taster 's skills , a little diligence and methodical work is enough. To identify aromas, they are organized into categories and groups.

Wine has 3 categories of aromas

Primary aromas, i.e. aromas of different grape varieties.
Secondary aromas born during fermentation.
Tertiary aromas that develop during aging in a barrel or bottle.

Tasters distinguish 11 main groups of aromas

Floral
Fruity
Wooden
Spices (cinnamon, pepper, ginger).
Vegetable (tobacco, hay, tea, verbena).
Animal (fur, skin, musk, raw meat).
Balsamic (resin).
Empyreomatic or burnt (fried bread, incense, caramel).
Amyl, or etheric (green apple, green banana).
Dairy (fresh cream, yogurt, butter).
Mineral (chalk, flint, oil).

The most famous groups are spicy, woody, fruity, floral and herbal. Animal, balsamic and burnt are less common. The ether group is clearly born during fermentation.

During the tasting , at the first shake, the nose catches the heaviest molecules that the wine releases naturally. This is called "first nose". After the second shaking of the wine, the nose picks up volatile aromas and finer and lighter molecules, which are often the most valuable - this is called the "second nose".

This stage of tasting takes place as follows. A little wine is poured into the glass without shaking. The taster takes a breath and evaluates the aroma of the drink . The main task is to catch barely noticeable tones and determine the level of their intensity. A quality wine should not have the smell of sulfur or fermentation.

Next, the glass is rotated, holding the stem. This action saturates the wine with oxygen and releases the aromatic substances present in the drink . After that, the taster lowers his nose into the glass and inhales. This allows you to determine the individual shades of wine aroma . Then the drink is poured and the empty glass is sniffed - the residual aroma of the wine and its resistance to oxygen are analyzed. Also, studying the aroma of an empty glass (which, by the way, should not be too sharp) allows you to get an idea of the percentage of alcohol in the drink .

PREMIUM CHAPTERS ▼

Taste Analysis (Premium)

There Are 4 Main Flavors (Premium)

Taste analysis (PREMIUM)

At the last stage, which becomes a moment of discovery and pleasure, the taste of the wine is analyzed . The oral cavity is the territory of taste. She "feels" the wine like a hand feels a cloth.

The sense of taste is the result of the combination of several taste (that is, those that cause the sensation of taste) substances.

There are 4 main flavors (PREMIUM)

Sweet, which instantly causes a pleasant sensation, accompanied by the release of saliva.
Salty, which is characterized by a somewhat piquant and irritating character, is extremely rare in wines .
Sour, characterized by a sharp, cutting or spicy effect, causes active and strong salivation.
Bitter, which causes an unpleasant feeling of astringency and gives a long unpleasant aftertaste. The bitter taste causes a decrease in salivation and a feeling of dryness. It is extremely rare in quality wines .

The astringent taste that appears in the middle or at the end of the tasting is caused by a feeling of dryness in the mouth. It is given by tannins. They can be soft and silky or, on the contrary, hard and solid. Tannins and acidity are balanced by oiliness, also called the roundness of the wine . Astringent taste and acidity reinforce each other.

The oily texture, which causes a sense of volume of taste and sensuality, is associated with alcohol and the presence of glycerin.

At the end of the tasting , the participants start synthesizing all the impressions and sensations: taste, variety, saturation and persistence of aromas. Then comes the turn to assess the balance of flavors and assess the aftertaste. The richness of flavors, complexity and saturation are parameters of the quality and originality of wine .

To evaluate the wine at this stage of the tasting , the taster takes a small amount of the drink in his mouth. Specialists call the first sensation caused by a drink "attack". A good wine has an immediately perceptible pronounced taste. After holding the drink in your mouth for a few seconds, you need to open your lips and let in some air.

Now the taster concentrates on his sensations. In the process of heating in the mouth, the wine releases aromatic substances, which allows you to evaluate the acidity, sweetness, bitterness and consistency of the drink .

A metallic aftertaste in wine is a sign of insufficient acidity, and excessive viscosity is a sign of oversaturation with tannins. In a good wine , all the components are well balanced, without a clear expression of any of the characteristics.

Also, at this stage of the tasting , the aftertaste of the wine is evaluated — the duration of the taste and aroma effect after a sip. In low-quality wines , the aftertaste disappears very quickly. The taster should pay special attention to this. The aftertaste does not include pronounced feelings of acidity, strength and saturation with tannins. All these are signs of a poor quality drink .

Drinking wine correctly is a true art that requires training and practice. Wine tasting requires not only the observance of certain rules, but also the experience of the taster . It is simply impossible to adequately evaluate a specific wine without a "base" of comparison, which must be in the taster 's memory . So, a qualified taster must try many good and bad wines .