Watching an expert wine taster might give you the impression that wine tasting is a mystifying and complicated activity. Becoming an expert takes a long time, however the basics are easy to learn and with some practice, anyone can distinguish characteristic scents and flavors. With the wine festival season here, pour a glass of fine Hungarian wine and follow our little how-to.
First of all, it is important that you use an appropriate wineglass, which is wider toward the bottom and with a rim slightly curved inwards, as even the shape of the glass can influence your perception of the wine. Not to mention the risk of getting your nose stuck in the glass. Also, however tempting it might be on a hot summer day, do not put wine in the fridge before tasting, as flavors and smells are suppressed at a low temperature. White wines should be served between 16 and 20 °C, while red ones are optimum from 21 °C to room temperature.
The wine tasting process consists of five basic stages, also known as the five S’s: See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip and Savor.
See
Begin with examining the color and the clarity of the wine (it is useful to compare it against a white background, such as a tablecloth or paper). If the wine is not clear, you had better look for something else, as cloudiness indicates bacteria.
Swirl
Holding your glass by its base, start swirling to aerate the wine and check if there is any sediment left.
Sniff
Then it is time to stick your nose down into your glass and inhale several times to get an impression of the wine’s scent. Try to relate the wine’s aroma to everyday smells, such as fruits, trees or vanilla. Smell is one of the most important clues for a taster about a wine’s quality and distinctive features.
Sip
After all the swirling and sniffing, you can finally take a sip. Remember that tasting does not mean swallowing – or at least not for a few seconds. Allow some time for your taste buds, so let the wine slide across your tongue.
Savor
Then swallow it and observe the so-called finish, that is, how long the flavor lasts in your mouth and whether the aftertaste was pleasant.
Finally, don’t forget that tasting order is also crucial, as heavy or sweet wines can overpower the flavor of lighter wines and hence distort the taster’s judgment. According to experts, wines should be tasted progressing from whites to reds, dry to sweet and lighter-bodied to heavier-bodied wines. Pausing for several minutes between tastes and drinking water also helps to clear your senses. Egészségedre!
Wine Tasting Glossary
Aerate: The process of forcing air to mix with wine by, for example, swirling the wine in your glass in order to bring out the scents and flavors.
Aroma: The smell of wine associated with grapes.
Body: Texture or weight of wine as felt in the mouth. A wine can be light-bodied, medium-bodied or full-bodied.
Bouquet: The smell of wine that develops during its evolution in the bottle.
Clean: Used for a wine without any bad smells or tastes.
Corked/corky wine: Generally considered a flaw. It refers to the musty odors and damp-cardboard-like flavors found in a bottle of wine affected by undetectable cork fungus.
Crisp: Noticeable but not overpowering tartness; it is considered a desirable quality.
Nose: All scents in fermented wine.
Tart: Acidic
