Although many of our daily perceptions are unconscious, making a concerted effort to pay attention to several things makes the tasting process more educational and rewarding. Despite the mystique that surrounds many wine "experts", tasting wine can be broken into simple steps. Wine knowledge usually stems from practice and confidence, not any inherent superiority.
Learn the art of Wine Tasting



Planning on brewing your own wine in the convenience of your home? Making a good wine formulation requires you to be exact and strict with the measurements and processes involved. The necessary equipment is also critical in order to produce a good batch. Here are some tips that will help you with troubleshooting your wine formulation.



Fermentation doesn't proceed



If fermentation doesn't start as it should, check first with a hydrometer and whether the reading it gets is consistent for a period of a few days. If the reading changes, then fermentation is occuring. You should look for leaks in and around the container. Check if the lid of the container as well as the neck is damaged in any way.



Fermentation becomes stuck



When this happens, the wine becomes too sweet. The possible things that could have happened include:



- old wine yeasts were used. Yeast cells in the sachets have an expiration date. A certain amount becomes dead each month and when it lasts to about 1 or 2 years, it is unlikely that fermentation will occur as expected.



- wine yeast was added to water that is too hot. It is crucial to remember that heat will destroy healthy yeast cells. The temperature of the concoction should be around 30 to 35 degrees centigrade at the start if there are no specific instructions that say otherwise.



- sachet containing the yeast was damaged. If the yeast sachet is damaged in any way, air may be able to enter and hasten the death rate of yeast. Be sure to buy sachets that you personally scrutinize. This will lower the chances of getting a bad batch.



- wine yeast was added even before the concentrate was diluted. If wine yeast is directly introduced to the grape concentrate, the resulting osmotic pressure will negatively affect the yeast cells.



- erratic or very cold temperatures. If the room where you set up the wine kit is below 18 degrees centigrade, fermentation will be affected and leave you with sub par quality wine. Thus, it is important that the room temperature be kept at a constant.



It is within the grasp of the vast majority of people to confidently differentiate varietals, styles, flavor profiles, and flaws when tasting wine. Tasting wine requires not only a grasp of your senses, but also the ability to articulate (with the proper vernacular) your thoughts about a particular wine.



These are some tips that can help you in troubleshooting and managing your wine formulation. Chances to make mistakes abound, it is up to you to take the necessary precautions and steps to avoid these things. Don't lose hope if you fail, making that perfect brew takes a lot of practice.



The wine taster's ritual of peering into a glass, swirling it around and sniffing suspiciously at it, before taking a mouthful only to spit it out again looks highly mysterious and technical. However, as you try more and more wines, your awareness of flavors and your personal preferences will develop. It is however a sequence of events that can enhance the enjoyment of good wine. Once learned, they become almost second nature to even the novice taster.

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Learn the art of Wine Tasting

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Tips on Wine Formulation


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