Wine Words 3
Pour a small amount of wine into a glass - one where the bowl is larger than the rim - and swirl it around. Examine the colour, but think beyond simple red, white or rosé. Is it brownish or pale cherry red? Is it the colour of straw or apricots? Think opacity next - is it watery or dark or are there burnt-orange tinges which denote an older wine? Look at how it sticks to the glass: thick viscosity denote high alcohol.
Swirl again really well. Now get your nose well inside and deeply inhale the trapped aromas. What do you smell: freshly mowed lawns or old leather? Vanilla ice cream or lemon zest? Close your eyes; it really helps
Take a decent sip and swish it around your mouth and gums. You should first sense tannins, sugar and acidity or freshness, rather than specific flavours. Then your mid-palate should pick up things like spiciness or fruitiness - but what kind of fruit: apples or pears? Strawberries or blackberries? And spices: cloves or black pepper? You might get others, such as honey or tobacco, for instance.
Spit and allow the finish to develop. How long does the wine linger on the back of the mouth and throat? A long finish, with flavours evolving and changing usually denotes a good, complex wine like an aged red. Think about other factors - was the wine a good balance between, say, fruit and spices or dominated by one flavour? Did the tannins pucker your mouth? Was it overly sweet or acidic? And what kind of food might it match?
Psychology has much to offer in terms of insights into our relationship with wine. It can help us understand how our sensory processes (including taste and smell) work and why we have such varied responses to different wines. It can also tell us why being told a wine is more expensive can increase our enjoyment and why experts are much more prone to mistakes when tasting wine than they might like to admit.
Psychology also helps us understand ‘problem drinking’ and offers solutions to some of the problems associated with alcohol. It can shed light on the economics of wine and how we, the consumers, select wines. One of the great things about wine is the process of understanding our own preferences and learning about what we as individuals value in a wine. This can help us identify and locate the wines we are most likely to enjoy. source
A tasting note refers to a taster's written testimony about the colour, aroma, taste identification, acidity, structure, texture, and balance of a wine. Fine definition. But, as anyone who has ever tried writing one will know, it is can be hard to describe tastes and smells in words alone. However, until the advent of scratch and sniff patches that work for wine, tasting notes are our best attempt at conveying our impressions about wines.
The 4 S rule:
- S is for Swirl: Pour a small amount of wine into a glass - one where the bowl is larger than the rim - and swirl it around. Examine the colour, but think beyond simple red, white or rosé. Is it brownish or pale cherry red? Is it the colour of straw or apricots? Think opacity next - is it watery or dark or are there burnt-orange tinges which denote an older wine? Look at how it sticks to the glass: thick viscosity denote high alcohol.
- S is for Sniff: Swirl again really well. Now get your nose well inside and deeply inhale the trapped aromas. What do you smell: freshly mowed lawns or old leather? Vanilla ice cream or lemon zest? Close your eyes; it really helps.
- S is for Sip: Take a decent sip and swish it around your mouth and gums. You should first sense tannins, sugar and acidity or freshness, rather than specific flavours. Then your mid-palate should pick up things like spiciness or fruitiness - but what kind of fruit: apples or pears? Strawberries or blackberries? And spices: cloves or black pepper? You might get others, such as honey or tobacco, for instance.
- S is for Spit: To allow the finish to develop. How long does the wine linger on the back of the mouth and throat? A long finish, with flavours evolving and changing usually denotes a good, complex wine like an aged red. Think about other factors - was the wine a good balance between, say, fruit and spices or dominated by one flavour? Did the tannins pucker your mouth? Was it overly sweet or acidic? And what kind of food might it match?
Alcohol is the primary factor in dictating a wine's weight and body. Typically the higher the alcohol level, the more weight the wine has. An increase in alcohol content will increase the perception of density and texture. In food and wine pairing, salt and spicy heat will accentuate the alcohol and the perception of "heat" or hotness in the mouth. Conversely, the alcohol can also magnify the heat of spicy food making a highly alcoholic wine paired with a very spicy dish one that will generate a lot of heat for the taster. source
Acidity is a dominant player in any food and wine pairing due to the pronounced and complex ways that it can heighten the perception of flavors. In wine tasting, acidity is perceived by a mouth-watering response by the salivary glands. This mouth-watering can also serve to stimulate the appetite. In wine there are three main acids that have their own associated flavours - malic (green apples), lactic (milky) and tartaric (bitter).
