Wine tasting

Wine tasting awakens your senses. You have to use your eyes, your nose and your tongue. Tasting also implies noting the wine bouquet and character. You will need a pleasant location, without any smell of flowers, smoke or kitchen and an ideal ambient temperature between 18 and 20°C. Wine is tasted in ”Crescendo”, i.e. beginning with the smallest appellation, first white, then rosé, followed by red.

Glasses are also important. The INAO tasting glass is preferred by international experts (see Fig. 1).

These conditions can also be met during a relaxing meal in a restaurant. Here are some of the most important basic rules and definitions of wine tasting;

Tasting as such takes place in three phases:

First judgement is by the eye.

The colour of wine defined by the grape variety is assessed. Independently of colour, wine has to be clear and “brilliant bright”. To assess transparency, the glass is placed on a white background, then tilted slightly so that the wine surface assumes an oval shape. This provides information about age and level of conservation (e.g. white wine: a pale yellow with a greenish hue stands for youth and health; a full-bodied straw yellow indicates the beginning of ageing).

Then the nose comes into play.

Gently swirl the glass. The wine thus picks up oxygen and releases the full fragrances.

The last test is in the mouth.

You have looked at the wine, you have perceived its bouquet. Now the moment has come to taste it. The first taste impression is often deceptive. Judgement starts after the second sip. You take only a small sip of wine each time and breathe in a bit of air so that the gustatory profile can develop inside your palate. The wine should flow slowly down the palate, allowing you to concentrate on the persistence of aromas, the «lingering palate».