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It's wine and you like wine but how do you taste wine like a pro and get more out of
each sip. It's not hard. Pros use the same four steps each time they taste. The four
steps are see, sniff, sip, summarize. See, sniff, sip, summarize. Before starting you will need a glass with about
two ounces of red wine, a white napkin or a piece of paper and your tasting apparatus.
Pick up the glass by the stem, this way you won't warm the wine or leave finger prints
on the bowl. Look at the wine against a white background. Is the wine purple or ruby colored?
This indicates that it's fairly young; if the rim is orange, it probably means it's
an older wine. Before sniffing you need to swirl. Swirling speeds up the evaporation
of alcohol, the alcohol then transports the aromas from the liquid into the air where
you can smell them. You can swirl with the rim on the table. It's like swirling with
training wheels; then put your nose inside the rim and take a few sharp sniffs. Red wines
are made from red grapes and the aromas are often reminiscent of red or purple fruits,
such as strawberry, cherry and plum. Are you picking up from some vanilla, toast or wood?
This means that the wine was probably aged in oak barrels. Take a small snip of wine
and swish the wine around your mouth, so it reaches all your taste buds. See, you already
look like a pro. You will probably feel the wine's body first. Is it full bodied or light?
In other words, does the wine feel like thick heavy cream or skim milk? Next, pay attention
to the flavors. Are you sensing red or purple fruits? Now you can swallow. Check out how
your mouth is feeling. Did the wine seem silky smooth, or have hard tannins left you mouth
feeling rough and dried out? Then the finish. The longer the delicious flavors last, the
better the wine. Consider the wine's quality. Were the flavors pleasant? Was the wine silky
and not too rough? Was the finish short or long? Finally, consider your taste preference.
Would you like some more or would you rather move on to a different wine? To taste wine
like a pro and to get more out of each glass, remember to see, sniff, sip and summarize.
To become proficient you need to practice. It's best to taste a couple of wines side
by side so you can compare them. Ask your retailer to recommend a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet
Sauvignon that will provide a distinct contrast. Cheers, happy tasting! Get a free tasting
chart by clicking the link below or by going to resources sections at winespectatorschool.com