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"The Look, Smell, and Taste of Wine Tasting"

I was once asked, "Is all that swirling, sniffing and spitting that goes on during wine tasting really necessary?" Yes! Do you need to serve white wine with fish? No! But it usually is a good choice. Making good choices is something you can learn. There is no snob appeal here. Wine is an intricate part of today's life in the good old USA. It has been an intricate part of the world for thousands of years. For over a half a century I have been tasting wines. I consider myself a consumer, not a connoisseur of wine. Both good and bad!

There are basically 3 steps in wine tasting. Look, Smell, and Taste! Pretty simple basics!

The front and back of the tongue contain the taste buds and rather than specializing in a particular taste sensation, all taste buds are capable of detecting sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavors, although there may be some slight differences in sensitivity. So that you get the most out of your taste buds, when wine tasting, swish the wine around your mouth, which will allow all of your taste buds (and your sense of smell) to participate in the detection of the finer flavors of the wine.

When hosting a wine tasting party or even just a tasting for yourself here are some things to remember and employ.

Don't fill the glass for tasting because you need to leave room for the swirling: about a third of a glass should be enough.

Hold the glass up to the light to see if it is clear or cloudy. Does it contain sediment or any other solid matter? When the wine is older, in the case of red wines, it tends to be a deep red color. You can tell much about a wine simply by studying its appearance.

The wine should be poured into a clear glass and held in front of a white background (a tablecloth or piece of paper will serve nicely) so that you can examine the color.

Swirl the glass gently to activate the aromatic particles so that when you move on the sniffing of the wine you will appreciate it fully.

Swirling the wine serves many purposes, but visually it allows you to observe the body of the wine. "Good legs" may indicate a thicker body and a higher alcohol content and/or sweetness level.

Swirl your wine. This releases molecules in the wine allowing you to smell the aroma, also called the bouquet or nose. The two main techniques that wine tasters use are:

1.) Take a quick whiff and formulate an initial impression, then take a second deeper whiff or

2.) Take only one deep whiff.

Whichever method you choose; after you smell the

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