Wine tasting and compliments- food and wine

Ever tried tasting a wine like the pros, do you know how? Could you care less about the pros but are interested in how to taste wine? We would like to present some of the basics for you to try next time you taste wine.

Smell, smelling the wine is actually just as important. The olfactory nerves you have in your brain and nose sense what you smell and they are very sensitive, assuming you don't have a stuffy nose. Make sure before you try and smell the aroma of the wine that you swirl the glass a few times in a circle to allow the aroma to be released from the wine. Some say one whiff is all you need and that first impressions are the most important while others argue a second whiff often helps. There do not seem to be specific terms used to describe wine smell or aroma, but really depends on what you smell and describing this based on your experiences and as you taste more wines you begin to have your own formulation of what the aroma is that you are smelling. Although, here are a few examples: flowers, wood, earthy, herbs, spices, sweet, butter, honey, citrus, mushrooms or maybe even moldy, musty, vinegar aroma of spoiled wine.

Actually swirling the wine in your mouth to taste is helpful and enjoyable. This allows the wine to spread over your taste buds located in front and back of your tongue.

Color comes from the skin of a grape not the pulp or actual fruit. In order to properly gauge color hold glass below eye level and tilt glass at a 45 degree angle against a white backdrop. Color also can tell us something about age and the varietals. Age is almost counterintuitive in that with white wines as they get darker are older and red wines get darker as they get younger or lighter as they age.

wine tasting color chart

Body is important part of tasting a wine and is often compared to that of skim milk to whole milk where light bodied wine is more like skim and whole or full bodied wine is more like whole milk. It is basically the weight of the wine.

Texture is the actual feel of the wine in your mouth. It may be smooth and silky like some pinot noir's or may be soft and flannel like some shiraz.

Flavor is a difficult and complex component of the wine and really takes some imagination and memory to put this to words. Basic flavor may be described as sweet, sour, bitter or salty, although wines rarely taste salty and these basic terms make it difficult to separate wines taste. Here are some examples of flavor or taste.

Fruits: Apple, Apricot, Banana, Black Currant, Cherry
Citrus, Fig, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Mango, Melon, Orange, Peach, Pear, Plum, Raisin

Spices and Herbs: Cinnamon, Cloves, Black pepper, Licorice, Mint, Vanilla
Nuts: Hazelnut, Almond
Flowers: Honey Suckle, Rose, Violet

Berries: Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry
Vegetables: Asparagus, Bell Pepper, Green beans, Olives
Plants: Grass, Oak, Tea, Tobacco

Finish is how long the taste lingers in your mouth after swallowing, better wines have longer finish. Essentially this is the wines staying power.

Wine tasting is complex and fun do not be intimidated by the complexity it all becomes very simple after you begin tasting wine instead of just drinking.

Example of wine interpretation or tasting from wine lover's page - wineloverspage.com:

Pinot Noir 2002, Domaine Drouhin, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Ruby red color, low color concentration. Thick legs. Fruits on the nose include red currant and cranberry, red cherries-slightly tart yet fruity smells. Some mineral on the palate, nice tartness, complex blending of flavors and long finish. Grapes for this wine are hand-picked and sorted and the wine is created in Burgundian fashion, aged in French oak, of which at most 20 percent is new oak. A "rich, elegant wine." Retail: $51

Have a wine that is your favorite? Share with us and have your wine added to our own top 100 list determined by you! Just enter your favorite wine in the comments box below, once we have a large enough list we will post it on our site.

Wine and Food

Ever wonder what type of wine you should have for dinner? Are you making fish, red meat or pork? There are many resources out there that have a different take on what food goes with each type of wine, there do seem to be some patterns. Below is an interesting pairing modified for simplicity that is helpful. Although, generally there is no absolutes on wine and food, if it tastes good then eat it!

Good steaks or red meat

Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Bordeaux
Pinot Noir
Syrah (Shiraz)

Peppered or spiced beef

Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Zinfandel

Delicate Beef Dishes

Merlot
Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
Chianti

Food and wine matching on the internet just folllow this link: http://www.eatingspot.com/foodnwine/

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