Different people have unique senses of smell and taste and this makes the process of learning how to taste wine different for everyone. There are those who will learn faster than others due to their heightened sense of smell and taste. However, anyone can learn how to taste wine given time.
Learning how to taste wine isn’t just good for selecting a great bottle at the store or at the winery. There are people who taste wines for a living and they get paid well for it. Whether the wine is from the Redhill Wineries or any other vineyard in the world, the ways of tasting are all the same. When it comes to tasting wine like a pro, there are a lot of factors to consider than just the wine itself. If you are learning how to taste for a living, you should join one of the wine tasting schools. However, if you are looking to learn how to taste so that you know what to drink, you can use the following tips:
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i. Setting the Right Tasting Environment
When learning to taste wine, the first thing that you need to take care of is the tasting conditions. This will include things such as the lighting of the room, whether it’s noisy and crowded, smells such as perfumes, cooking smells and other odors. These are some of the things that can distract you or prevent you from sensing the aroma of the wine you taste.
If you will be doing your tasting practice at most wineries, you don’t have to worry much about the settings. Having a white background is important for looking at the density of your wine. Another thing that you need to have is a proper wine glass –they don’t have to be expensive. You should also consider the temperature and vintage of the wine you taste.
ii. Evaluation by Sight
After ensuring that you have met all the right condition of making the environment neutral, its time to examine your wine closely. There are different angles that you are expected to learn and each has its own job. Before you visit any wineries, first make sure to learn the following:
• Straight angle view – you will be able to tell the saturation and density of the wine based on the depth of its color.
• Side view – used for tasting the clarity of the wine. Murky wine could have fermentation problems or contain chemicals.
• Tilted view – this is used to determine the weight and age of the wine.
• Swirl – a good swirl will reveal the legs of your wine on sides of your glass. Good legs mean your wine has more alcohol and is riper, dense and mouth-filling.|
iii. Evaluation by Sniffing
The other tip of tasting a wine that you should learn is how to evaluate it by sniffing. Good and bad wine tends to have very different smells to the trained nose. Good wines tend to have a fruity aroma since most wineries use fruits to make wine. If a wine smells like an old musty attic, that flaw is nonreversible.
iv. When sniffing, give your glass a swirl and then hover your nose above the glass and take some quick sniffs quickly. Take a step back and let your brain process that information to determine the smells.
Due to the wide range of things such as tastes, viewing angels, and other tasting skills, you should go learn in wineries if you want to become a pro taster. Tasting is a great job where you get to earn as you do something you are passionate about.
