Tasting wine…how do the experts do it? What am I tasting? What do I need to know to assess a glass of vino? Nothing really…just taste it. It is really that easy! The experts use the five S’s technique to taste and evaluate wine: See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, and Savor. But most of us could get away with the LST method. Look, Smell, and then Taste.
LOOK at your wine. Appreciate the subtleties in the color of your wine. Red wine? Is it a dark beauty with garnet coloring or does it have a ruby red slipper sparkle to it? White wine? Maybe your white wine has a Caribbean beach sandy white look or a blushing bride peachy color. Look at it, just like you did when you saw your perfect love for the first time, and they made you do a double take. The color of your wine holds many clues and secrets. The color will indicate grape variety or how it was aged. Heavier wines will have a deeper color. When taking a glass of wine, always look at it…savor it with your eyes, appreciate it, take a mental image of it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, behold.
Now, swirl your glass. This will release the “nose” of the wine, or bouquet. The swirling motion forces more oxygen into the wine and had the added benefit of making it look like you know what you’re doing. Remember, the seduction of a glass of wine is pure finesse. The swirl just shows your expertise, you’re here for business! It shows that glass of wine you are serious.
SMELL it… Take in all of the aromas. The bouquet of a wine is the tease before the taste. How it smells and tastes are usually two separate issues. Place your nose deep into the glass and inhale. Remember, this aromatic little grape has travelled a far journey, maybe from France, Germany, Chile, Australia, or California. The journey has been long and exhausting, but that grape has been protected by the best.
TASTE! What flavors do you find? The combination of body heat in your mouth and all of the chemical changes from fermentation have given the grapes a plethora of new tastes other than “grape”. So, when people taste wine they say…I taste plums, bell pepper, spice, nutmeg, etc. No one just says…I taste grapes. Why? Because the grapes have been chemically altered with yeast devouring their natural sugars, and fermentation makes every grape variety respond in a unique way. So, that is why grapes can taste like berries, spice, and even pencil shavings.
Well, now you have looked, smelled, and tasted. Is it a happy pairing? Not always, but sometimes you find your soul mate in a glass of wine. Now on to your next glass, take a moment to appreciate, respect and judge your glass of wine by LOOKING, SMELLING, and TASTING. You’ll be better drinker for it.