Wine Making
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Understanding the Basics of Wine Tasting
   
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Merlot: A Quick Guide
Merlots have soared in popularity in the last decade. Merlot is
the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine region .....
Merlots have soared in popularity in the last decade. Merlot is
the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine region .....
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
Mixing And Mingling: The Door To Publication?
Mixing and mingling with industry professionals is an opportunity that you should NEVER let slip by. Here are some tips from my own experience to help you make the .....
flavors and your personal preferences will develop. It isMixing and mingling with industry professionals is an opportunity that you should NEVER let slip by. Here are some tips from my own experience to help you make the .....
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.
Wines Appearance Pour your wine into a wine glass so that
it is about 40% full, you will need room for swirling. Have a
good look at the wine. Is it clear, opaque, or cloudy? Does it
contain sediments or other solid matter? Tilt the glass away
from you at a 45-degree angle against a white background so you
can enjoy the range of colors in the wine from the center to the
rim. Wine changes color with age. Whites are at its palest state
during their youth, gradually adding stronger color. Red wine,
on the other hand, has more vivid color in its youth, slowly
fading to brick red.
A Strategic Fifth Column
A Strategic Fifth Column
by Gerald L. Campbell
Senior Advisor to the Director
United States Information Agency, 1985-1990
Washington Times (July 7, .....
A Strategic Fifth Column
by Gerald L. Campbell
Senior Advisor to the Director
United States Information Agency, 1985-1990
Washington Times (July 7, .....
Smell the Wine Give your glass a vigorous swirl to help
release the aromas. Swirling takes a bit of practice. This
technique can be learned by leaving the wine glass on the table,
holding it by the stem, and rotating it in small circles. The
object is to get the wine to move up to around 70% of sides of
the glass.
Stick your nose right into the glass and inhale steadily and
gently, as if you were smelling a flower. These vital seconds of
inhalation will reveal all kinds of familiar and unfamiliar
smells. Try to detect the smell of fruity or floral notes.
Decide what they remind you of if possible. Note the presence of
spices, such as pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, tea or possibly nuts.
Finally, note the presence of other aromas, such as cedar, oak,
moist earth, herbs, chocolate, tobacco, toast, or smoke. Always
interpret them in terms that mean something to you.
Remember, it's your nose that counts here. It does not matter if
someone else interprets the smell differently, that is part of
the pleasure of wine.
Taste At last, it is time to drink the wine. The
following components that make up the flavor of the wine can be
detected by rolling wine around in your mouth and concentrating
on what comes to mind as you taste.
Sweetness This the fruit flavor tasted at the front of
the tongue. This comes from the wine's fruit flavors as well as
any fermented grape sugars left in the wine. If there is no
perceived sweetness, a wine is dry.
Acidity This gives wine freshness and zest. When
balanced, it makes for a fresh, crisp, enjoyable wine. On the
other end of the spectrum, acidity can lend a negative, vinegary
taste to the wine.
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has a woody taste, similar to flavor released when biting a
grape seed. Tannin can be mouth puckering, but it normally
mellows with age.
Alcohol In low concentrations, alcohol portrays itself as
somewhat sweet, and in high concentrations, it shows as a warm,
pervasive sensation at the back of the mouth.
Fruitiness The intensity and flavor depends on the grape
variety, growing conditions, and wine making techniques.
Balance For a good wine, there should be a balance of the
above flavor components. If any one of the components is
overpowering, the experience of drinking the wine can be
tainted. This can sometimes mean that the wine is young and will
become more balanced with age.
About the author:
Contributor: Stuart Glasure, A wine enthusiast and publishing
member of the Wine Learning Center at
http://www.WineDefinitions.com.