“Wine gets better with age & I get better with wine” if this phrase sounds familiar then this article is for you.
In case you are a wine-lover, I do not need to explain you the types of wine available out there and surely the concept of “wine tasting” is not new to you. But did you know about the 5 S’s of wine tasting? If yes, great! If not, then you must not leave this article as this article is going to talk exactly about it. Wine tasting is nothing less than an art and there are precise and well defined steps for the same.
Let us jump directly to these 5 “S” of wine tasting:
See: Well, I am sure you have been fascinated about the different colors of wine available in the market. So the very first step is all about seeing through the wine and this is a very important step while tasting wine. The color should be examined well while tasting wine and for this very reason most of the times the wine is served in a room which is having white background. The color will give you a clue about the variety of grapes used and the age of the wine. Experts suggest taking your wine in “stemmed wine glass”. Do not forget to tilt the glass against the white background to see the true color of the wine.
Swirl: Taking the wine poured glasses and then slightly twisting it in the air definitely looks very fancy. But do you know why this step is so important? Because while swirling, the wine gets the required amount of oxygen to “open up, as in the aroma of the wine starts to hit your olfactory senses. This step helps wine to absorb oxygen and oxygen helps wine to break down and eventually softens which is a good thing!
Sniff: Now that from your previous step you could unleash the aroma of the wine, it’s important to take a good note of the same. For that you need to sniff the wine and let the aroma sink in your nostrils to enable you to understand the sources of the fine wine that you are about to taste!
Sip: Now that you have got yourself accustomed with the aroma, it’s important for you to take a good sip of the lovely wine from your stemmed wine glass. Take a good sip and whirl it around in your mouth for like 4-5 seconds before gulping it down. Try and understand if you can evaluate any distinct taste.
Savor: This is kind of an after-taste experience. Once you have gulped down a few sips of the wine in question, try and examine for how long the taste stays in your mouth. Whether you experienced any particular dominating taste or it was well balanced. Experts say if the after-taste lingers over 20 minutes in your mouth then my friend you have experience an exceptionally good wine!
Now that you know the steps well for tasting wine please go and grab yourself a place in one of the wine-tasting tours!
Cheers!
