5 Wine Tasting Tips that Every Winelover Should Know
Here are 5 wine tasting tips that every winelover should know. How a wine tastes is influenced by where and who you are drinking it with as well as the food that is being served. Also, bottled wine evolves over time and can vary with peaks and troughs of quality.
1. Don’t wear cologne or perfume –
when going to a wine tasting or simply opening a favourite bottle at home. I have attended tastings where my senses were so overwhelmed by strong perfumes so much so that I couldn’t identify the wine’s aromas. When we taste a wine we notice sweetness, acidity, sourness and bitterness and mouthfeel, however, our noses are much more sensitive and pick up thousands of smells. So if you want to enjoy what is happening in the glass avoid wearing your favourite perfume, cologne also lipstick when tasting wine.
2. What is the right temperature to serve wine?
The temperature at which wine is served is as important to its enjoyment as the temperature at which a plate of food is served. If food is too hot or too cold you don’t enjoy it as much. Same with wine, red that is too warm will volatile and taste flabby. So what are the rules? The surroundings where the wine is to be drunk are important. If it is warm, inside a restaurant or outside on a summer day, chill the reds until they feel cool and the whites feel cold. Maison Saturnin Grenache Blanc, is delicious served really cold, try it and let me know what you think.
3. ‘Bottle Shock’
is a term used when wine is shipped and on arrival does not taste a good as it should. At the TheWinePlace.es I often ask for a pre shipment sample to be sent for a final quality check. It is important to leave the wine to rest for a couple of days so that it recovers from being thrown about during transport. So when you receive you next case of wine let it sit for a couple of days before opening the first bottle.
4. Matching wine with food.
Firstly, choose wines that you like. Sounds obvious but it is important. Then try different combinations to find out what works best. A successful combination is when wine and food taste better served together rather separately. It is fun to experiment and try different recipes with distinctive wines.
5. Get some suitable wine glasses.
Get a set of 6 red wine glasses and a set of Champagne flutes. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive, just make sure they are a decent size and have the shape and depth needed to get the most out of the wine. Smelling the wine is so important and the glass should enhance this experience. Make sure you can swirl the wine and enjoy the wonderful aromas.
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