The fact that food is best experienced when it goes through all the four senses of sight, smell, touch and taste. This holds most true when it comes to experiencing the full flavour of wine. Wine tasting and drinking are two completely different experiences. Read on to know how you can treat yourself to a wonderful experience when it comes to your rendezvous with a glass of wine.
Sight: The wine should be looked at in daylight or against a bright/ white background with the glass tilted. The colour that is seen varies according to the kind of the wine and its age. Most variation in colours is seen in red wine. As the age increases, white wine become more golden while red wines show hints of reddish-brown around the edges.
Smell: Being able to sense wine’s aroma is one of the most pleasurable experiences that one can derive from it. The technique to capture the fragrance is to swirl the drink in the containing glass vigorously. The wine releases its aroma as it coats the sides of the glass. The fragrance will differ at every length from the drink. The aroma is more floral and fruity at the top of the glass, and gets more richer as you go deeper. It is best to consider intensity and appeal for which you have to detect full range of scents.
Touch: Even though the assumption here would be an experience involving dipping your finger in the drink, it is actually the feel of the wine on your tongue. This feel might be sorft or brist, flat or flabby, or simply refreshing. Red wines may be prickly on the tongue because of the tannins which are used to protect the wine. Ideal touch is a mellow softness, which feels like velvet in the mouth.
Taste: After using all the other senses should come the sense of taste, as a final step in the whole process. Wine is tasted by taking a small amount in the mouth and swirling around slowly in order to expose all taste buds to the liquid. The taste can be sweet, acidic or crisp, or light bodied or full bodied. This can then be spat out in the case of tasting several wines, or can be swallowed. The important part is to experience the aftertaste of the wine.