We’ve all seen the pros approach a glass of wine. The whole process of getting wine down one’s throat seems to be much more complicated than it probably should be. But why all of the ritual and steps taken to seal the deal and get the wine down the hatch? Let’s break it down into 3 of the most important steps to taste like a pro.
1 – Swirl and sniff. Yes it’s important. Swirling releases aromatic compounds to the air surrounding your intended target (the wine). These aromatics build up in a proper wine glass (a whole different topic) and leave themselves available to your nose when you take a nice long whiff. Enjoy it. Sometimes the aromatics can be the most enjoyable thing about a wine so don’t miss your chance to indulge. You paid for those aromatics so savour them.
2 – Now that you’ve filled your nose with those aromatic compounds and your interest is peaked, let’s get at it. I like to take a biggish mouthful. Not a small sip but not too much that you have to gulp it down. Your friends might see you take an oversized swig and start to worry about your excessive enthusiasm for drinking wine. But take a medium sized mouthful and start to swish it around your mouth so that the wine touches all around. Note how the wine makes your mouth feel. Dry and puckery (high tannins/acid)? Or soft and slippery (low tannins/acid)? You might suck in a bit of air to further release flavours, but careful as that can go very wrong. Maybe practice that on your own before trying it in front of your friends, or worse, strangers.
3 – Evaluation. Let the wine go down and start to think about flavours. Often the first thoughts are the best. And there are no wrong answers. Just let it fly. And say it with confidence because you are right. Look for one or 2 descriptors. Cherry. Lime. Tobacco. And if it tastes like chocolate, say chocolate. Don’t spew out “High mountain Cacao from Mozambique”. You’d lose many points in your wine tasting circle. Bonus points for digging up some memory of something you ate sometime or some place you visited. But don’t force that. Don’t force anything. Could be wine gums chewed in a theatre, or maybe a childhood friend’s basement (remember, not all descriptors have to be positive ones). Maybe the best question you could ask yourself, and those who shared the wine with you, is “would I buy this wine again?”. That leads to some great conversation, probably some laughs, and likely another glass of wine.
That’s all there is to it. A little bit of concentration, a little bit of confidence to voice opinions, and, maybe a companion who might be as interested in wine as you are!
Cheers!
– John Weber
