Planning on doing some wine tasting? Here’s a quick beginner’s guide to
get you started on your adventure.
Look: Look at the wine that was poured.
It should have an appealing look to it. Tilt the glass to the side and look closely at the edge of the wine. It’s the best place to see what’s going on. Is it vibrant looking? Great, younger wines should be. Is it Brownish? Not so great, wine may be questionable.
Note: LEGS DON’T MATTER.
The “Legs” are just evaporated
alcohol binding with the wine you’ve swirled in your glass. This is wine, not that hottie from the gym.
Smell: Smell the wine.
Give it a good swirl and don’t be embarrassed to stick your nose in the glass. Your mouth should be slightly open to allow the aroma to pass fully across your olfactory sensors. Does the wine smell pleasant? Don’t smell White Raspberries, wet chalk, ground cumin and freshly ground coffee? That’s ok, it takes practice. Just decide if you like
the smell.
To Spit or Not to Spit:
Out tasting at 5 places with your friends before lunch? Well, maybe you should learn to spit. Spitting out the taste is considered quite polite at wineries when wine tasting. Most places even have disposable cups hidden away behind the bar just for your personal convenience (splashing happens when using the communal dump). Spitting allows you to maintain your composure and palate for longer. You’ll even look way more sophisticated in the eyes of the winery staff. If the goal of your adventure is to take a limo and get hammered for that special occasion, don’t spit, but also don’t be too upset when the staff at your 4th or more stop looks annoyed and unhappy to be serving you.
Overall: At the end of the tasting all that really matters is… did YOU like the wine.
Unless you’re buying the bottle for the person standing next to you, their opinion doesn’t really matter. Wine is a very personal experience. If you liked the wine, how much? Do you love it enough to buy a case? Just enough to buy a bottle? Or just liked it barely enough to suffer through putting it in your mouth? Whichever answer you give, that’s ok, the whole point is to experience something new.
