How to Taste a Red Wine
Tasting and appreciating wine does not have to be complicated. While wine appreciation may, on the surface, appear complex and overly pretentious, it does not have to be. Tasting and appreciating red wine is simple; one just has to be aware of his or her senses.
When tasting red wine, start with the appearance. Red wine comes in many varieties and shades. Some wines are more opaque with deep shades of reddish purple and others are lighter, easier to see through, and reddish pink. After examining the appearance, the taster should smell the wine. Swirl the glass a few times to aerate the wine to open it up and then take a deep smell. While smelling, one should think about the smells that are being experienced. Does the wine smell flowery? Oaky? Spicy? Finally, taste the wine. Sip the wine and delicately swish it around the mouth letting it roll over the tongue. While rolling the wine around notice the various tastes. Is the wine spicy and peppery? Is the wine jammy and fruity? Does the wine have a botanical flavor? Swallowing the wine, does it have an aftertaste? The aftertaste is known as the finish and it is also wide-ranging. Some finishes are long, others are short and some end with slight bitterness. Some people spend years cultivating their palate, but for most people what really matters is if they want to take another sip.
When tasting red wine, start with the appearance. Red wine comes in many varieties and shades. Some wines are more opaque with deep shades of reddish purple and others are lighter, easier to see through, and reddish pink. After examining the appearance, the taster should smell the wine. Swirl the glass a few times to aerate the wine to open it up and then take a deep smell. While smelling, one should think about the smells that are being experienced. Does the wine smell flowery? Oaky? Spicy? Finally, taste the wine. Sip the wine and delicately swish it around the mouth letting it roll over the tongue. While rolling the wine around notice the various tastes. Is the wine spicy and peppery? Is the wine jammy and fruity? Does the wine have a botanical flavor? Swallowing the wine, does it have an aftertaste? The aftertaste is known as the finish and it is also wide-ranging. Some finishes are long, others are short and some end with slight bitterness. Some people spend years cultivating their palate, but for most people what really matters is if they want to take another sip.
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