Have you have ever wondered why people at wine tastings go through a form of ritual of tilting their glass, swirling the wine around the bowl, sniffing the wine and apparently gargling with the wine before eventually spitting it out? If you have, then this whole process is not really such a mystery and quite simply represents the five steps that are necessary to assess quality of a wine.

Let's look at each of these five steps to see just how simple the process really is.

Testing the color and clarity of a wine. In the case of red wines the glass should be tilted and then viewed against a white background. If you look at the edge, or lip, of the wine against the glass and see a dark color that runs clear to the edge then this indicates a very young wine. A slightly lighter color that tends to hold to the center of the glass with a wide clear lip is indicative of an older wine.

For white wines the clarity is assessed by looking straight down into the wine. The greater the clarity, the more the wine will appear to sparkle, rather like diamonds.

Testing the body of a wine. Swirl the wine vigorously around the glass and then observe the wine on the bowl of the glass once the glass is held still. In some cases the wine will appear to adhere to the bowl of glass while in other cases there will be little if any sign of the wine on the bowl at all. The more a wine adheres to the sides of the glass, the greater its body.

Testing the aroma of a wine. Swirl the wine in your glass to release its vapours and then sniff deeply. Assessing the resultant smell is something of an art that takes time to perfect but, in general, a young red wine will smell heavily of berries and will sometimes also smell sightly of mint, spice, liquorice, or chocolate. As a red wine ages it will smell more of raisons or prunes and, finally, when it is past its best, it will take on the aroma of vinegar. White wines follow a similar pattern.

Testing a wine's sweetness, acidity and tannin. Take a small amount of wine into your mouth and start by rolling it around on your tongue. Then, hold the wine in the center of the tongue and gargle by slowly sucking in air to vaporize the wine and release its flavor.

A sweet wine will cause a tingling at the tip of the tongue, while an acid wine will produce a sensation of pins and needles on the sides of the tongue. A wine that is high in tannin will create a feeling of dryness throughout the mouth.

Young red wines tend to contain a lot of tannin which acts as a natural preservative and is the reason why most red wines can be stored for much longer than white wines.

Testing the concentration and aftertaste of a wine. The finest red wines have a deep fruit concentration which is experienced just before you swallow. For this reason you should always swallow a little of the wine at wine tastings. The best wines will display a lingering, pleasant finish.

As with many things in life wine tastings can appear to be something of a mysterious ritual art but, behind all the show, is a quite simple process that most of us can master along with the so-called connoisseurs.

About the Author

For more information about wine tastings, as well as details of wine accessories, please visit GreatWineTastings.com today.

A Short Homemade Wine Summary

Wine Tastings - The Mystery Revealed


Have you have ever wondered why people at wine tastings go through a form of ritual of tilting their glass, swirling the wine around the bowl, sniffin...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Homemade Wine Products we recommend

Gevrey Chambertin ' -Les Murots


Another great red Burgundy under the Louis Affre of the firm Dufouleur, Pere et Fils in Nuits St. Georges. This Gevrey is from a single-vineyard, "Les Murots", and has the character, body, and intensity of a good Premier Cru. Ripe raspberry fruit mingled with earthy aromas and saddle leather. If you really want good Pinot noir, you have to turn to Burgundy ... this shows you why. MUR98 MUR98


Price: 59.99 USD



Headlines on Homemade Wine

Taz to Convert Downtown Western Union into Corner Store

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:00:00 -0800
Taz to Convert Downtown Western Union into Corner Store Taz keeps it coming.

posted by Dan in Snooth, Wine Industry, Guest Bloggers

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:38:31 -0800
January 27, 2009 ErmitageI spent the last week in the French countryside for work – the Loire Valley, Burgundy and the Northern Rhone. The wine countryside(s). I was there to visit the forests, saw mill and cooperage of Ermitage barrel makers. I could easily write to you about the barrel making process, “once upon a time, in a forest far, far away…” however, that would be boring. So, linked below is jump to a photo slideshow that takes you through the barrel making process. What you will

Ermitage

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:38:31 -0800
I spent the last week in the French countryside for work – the Loire Valley, Burgundy and the Northern Rhone. The wine countryside(s). I was there to visit the forests, saw mill and cooperage of Ermitage barrel makers. I could easily write to you about the barrel making process, “once upon a time, in a forest far, far away…” however, that would be boring. So, linked below is jump to a photo slideshow that takes you through the barrel making process. What you will see in this photo-essay

Matching wine with Irish Blog Awards Foodie Nominees (Part 1 of 2)

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:29:14 -0800
Posted on January 27th, 2009 Saved in Other sites of interest, Sour Grapes recommends, Wine websites Okay, so I’ve done this before, but it’s definitely time to have another look at matching wines with some selected posts from the foodie blogs nominated for the Blog Awards coming up next month.This, Part 1, looks at the first 13 blogs nominated.1. Ruth’s Kitchen ExperimentsRuth has posted about a recipe for Flourless chocolate brownies - with strawberry.Now, here’s the thing with chocolate (n

Table Wine for Mass (Zenit News Agency)

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:33:53 -0800
ROME, JAN. 27, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.

Closed for a Private Party

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:25:01 -0800
Gavin's new zippo We were honored when we were asked by our friends at Dove Vivi to help host their annual winter party. Lord knows Gavin, Delane, and Memry have devoted themselves to providing as genuine a dining experience one can experience in this city, and surely their place proved to be our shelter from the storm over this past year. We have spent countless evenings tucked within the comfort of their walls; birthdays and homecomings celebrated; year anniversaries toasted; nights off spent

A Visit to Cascade Brewing/Raccoon Lodge

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:11:00 -0800
Twice I have visited the Raccoon Lodge to see what Ron Gansberg is brewing. Twice I have gone straight to the brewery in the basement, bypassing the rather striking lodge part of the restaurant. Not a bad metaphor for what Gansberg has going on there. The Raccoon Lodge's regular beer menu is fairly typical--a wheat, an IPA, a stout, a Irish ale. Down in basement, it's a whole different brewery.This time we did start with a rather pedestrian beer by the downstairs standard--but it could have


Wine Warehouse
Hanna Wine
Chianti Region | Chianti Wine

Labels: Wine Oak

&type=page">