Wine is beautiful, yet quite a complex and intimidating subject to learn. One of the fastest ways to learn about wine is to taste it. Tasting is about truly experiencing the wine, taking your time to savour the drink. Below are the 5 S’s of wine tasting;
See (the colour)
Observe the colour and clarity of the wine. The intensity of the colour of a wine can be quite revealing of the wine’s age, style, concentration, body and taste. As a general rule, the more saturated the colour is the more intense and rich the flavour will be. While light bodied wines will be lighter in colour. Simply put, the darker the colour the richer the taste
White wines gain colour as they age, while red wines lose colour.
Swirl
Swirling aerates the wine and releases the beautiful aromas, by causing the alcohol in the wine to evaporate and deliver the aromas to your nose. This enriches the tasting experience, making the wine easier to smell and taste.
Smell
Raise your glass and smell the air inside the bowl to identify the aromas. Take your time… What you’ll smell is very subjective and will likely differ from one person to another, so there’s no wrong answer. A little guide on what to look out for- white wines will usually smell like citrus or tropical fruits: pineapple, pear, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, and apple (think white wine- white fruits). Red wines will smell like red or black fruits: raspberry, cherry, blueberry, plum, blackberry, strawberry and pomegranate. Wines can also have spicy, floral, earthy, herbaceous, woody and vegetative notes
Sip
Take a larger sip than usual and hold the wine in your mouth for 3-5 seconds. You may have to do some swishing around to ensure that the wine hits all parts of the tongue so you can analyse the flavours and gauge sweetness, fruitiness acidity, bitterness, tannins. Can you taste the same flavours you smelled? And what is the texture like? Is it sharp (and dries out your mouth) or is it a full, rich fatty texture?
Savour
Here you’re trying to assess how long the taste lingers after you’ve swallowed. The finish is the sensation you get from swallowing the wine, i.e. the length of time the wine taste lingers. An exceptional world class wine can be tasted on the palate long after you’ve swallowed.
It goes without saying that the more wine you taste/drink and explore, the more confident you’ll be when dealing with wine. I hope you enjoy every moment where a bottle of wine is shared, and may you savour every sip.
Remember; good manners and good wine are timeless. Cheers to a life well-lived,
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