September 2008 - Wine Vineyards
Wine Tastings ? The Mystery Revealed
Have you ever wondered at the mysterious ritual that accompanies wine tastings. This article looks behind the ritual to reveal the simple truth of just what a wine tasting involves.
Have you have ever wondered why people at wine tastings go through a form of ritual of tilting their glass, swirling the wine around the bowl, sniffing the wine and apparently gargling with the wine before eventually spitting it out? If you have, then this whole process is not really such a mystery and quite simply represents the five steps that are necessary to assess quality of a wine.
Let's look at each of these five steps to see just how simple the process really is.
Testing the color and clarity of a wine. In the case of red wines the glass should be tilted and then viewed against a white background. If you look at the edge, or lip, of the wine against the glass and see a dark color that runs clear to the edge then this indicates a very young wine. A slightly lighter color that tends to hold to the center of the glass with a wide clear lip is indicative of an older wine.
For white wines the clarity is assessed by looking straight down into the wine. The greater the clarity, the more the wine will appear to sparkle, rather like diamonds.
Testing the body of a wine. Swirl the wine vigorously around the glass and then observe the wine on the bowl of the glass once the glass is held still. In some cases the wine will appear to adhere to the bowl of glass while in other cases there will be little if any sign of the wine on the bowl at all. The more a wine adheres to the sides of the glass, the greater its body.
Testing the aroma of a wine. Swirl the wine in your glass to release its vapours and then sniff deeply. Assessing the resultant smell is something of an art that takes time to perfect but, in general, a young red wine will smell heavily of berries and will sometimes also smell sightly of mint, spice, liquorice, or chocolate. As a red wine ages it will smell more of raisons or prunes and, finally, when it is past its best, it will take on the aroma of vinegar. White wines follow a similar pattern.
Testing a wine's sweetness, acidity and tannin. Take a small amount of wine into your mouth and start by rolling it around on your tongue. Then, hold the wine in the center of the tongue and gargle by slowly sucking in air to vaporize the wine and release its flavor.
A sweet wine will cause a tingling at the tip of the tongue, while an acid wine will produce a sensation of pins and needles on the sides of the tongue. A wine that is high in tannin will create a feeling of dryness throughout the mouth.
Young red wines tend to contain a lot of tannin which acts as a natural preservative and is the reason why most red wines can be stored for much longer than white wines.
Testing the concentration and aftertaste of a wine. The finest red wines have a deep fruit concentration which is experienced just before you swallow. For this reason you should always swallow a little of the wine at wine tastings. The best wines will display a lingering, pleasant finish.
As with many things in life wine tastings can appear to be something of a mysterious ritual art but, behind all the show
, is a quite simple process that most of us can master along with the so-called connoisseurs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wine Vineyards and More
Wine Tastings ? The Mystery Revealed
Have you ever wondered at the mysterious ritual that accompanies wine tastings. This article looks behind the ritual to reveal the simple truth of jus...
Click Here to Read More About Wine ...
Recommended Wine Vineyards Items
All Purpose Wine Stoppers (Set of 6)
These All-Purpose Stoppers from Italy are the epitome of simplicity and utility. Just place one in an opened bottle of wine and flip the lever-- the rubber stopper expands to form an airtight seal. No kitchen is complete without a handful of these stoppers! Indispensable for picnics too.
Price: 11.95 USD
Current Wine Vineyards News
Guy Buffet Wine Caddy
Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:34:38 PDT
Wine Carriers Wine Accessory. Guy Buffet’s classic wine caddy portrays the most recognized waiter in the world. Who better should you entrust with delivering a stylish gift presentation? USD 6.00 | Wine Carriers | Read more...
Know About Cheap Metal Art CPU Caddy Online
Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:49:45 PDT
I have been using ebay now for about five years - my eldest daughter made a big mistake telling me about it and now it’s a part of my everyday life! I am a seller and a buyer - but I guess most of all I’m a browser…. I am constantly amazed at what people sell on this site and a lot of it is very entertaining. I have left some auction links from ebay below for Metal Art CPU Caddy and other products you may be interested in. Click Picture Below to see great prices for Metal Art CPU Caddy on Eb
time to move things around
Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:22:36 PDT
Spent Saturday driving in traffic for nearly two hours to finally find parking then hike a mile or so to the Berkeley Kite Festival. We had never gone. I had always wanted to go. Though I think if we ever went again, we would stay at the hotel right next to the park. The kite festival was entertaining and fun. We got to watch the Japanese team try to launch a few of their kites and watched as another that was in the air took out another large kite. Those guys are working hard to tame the air. Pl
Atomic reaction Mercantile business Q&A #1 - Free and easy-Viewpoint It-Yield Van Shampoo
Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:49:44 PDT
We menage questions … Being as how a month of Sundays-brannigan PR and Marcom worker, No other effect a mold in re questions except colleagues and friends, looking insofar as ideas inasmuch as marketing research and promoting defined handicraft ventures. Correspondingly an occurring set the stage there, I’m cessation of life against affront the questions – and in company with readiness – parade the answers Me archetypical now those questions. These answers are spirited-and-besmeared, poky and
The Big Brother and more FUN(ny) Farm photo's...........;)
Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:41:42 PDT
The "Office" Door The Golf theme comes from the fact that my Dad made a 9 hole Mini Golf course on the property when they moved in and believe it of not, there is a lake around here somewhere call Mustinka Lake! This is not a working farm - just a FUN (or FUNNY) Farm :) The Guardian's BIG Brother - just inside the office door - a great find at one of the "All City " garage sales I think??? Entertainment Options: Casino Restaurant: Good Eats!! Notice the baby arm on a stick ?? ;-) Kids
Wine Racks and Accessories
Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:04:45 PST
We offer beautiful three, five, six and ten bottle wrought iron wine racks, bottle toppers, and a caddy for all occasions. All are powder coated for lasting beauty.Our wood box wine accessory sets are a beautiful addition to the perfect wine experience.
Wine Products
Wine Journal
Labels: Grape Wine
