Tasting Tips
Brandon MarcTo the average wine-lover, like myself, the process of tasting wine can look more like an amusing ritual rather than practical necessity. But, in actual fact, there are sound reasons behind every step of the ancient process. And for your benefit I have compiled 3 simple steps below, deciphering the simple science and enhancing your next salivary encounter with the much loved liquid:
1. The Swirl
Once your glass is approximately one third full, give it a swirl, generating a vigorous wave in the contents of your glass, being careful not to spill the wine.
Why?
This action releases the aromatic compounds in the wine and allows for a greater appreciation of the ‘nose’ of the wine (see next step). In addition, the ‘body’ and age of the wine can be approximated by tilting your glass away from you against a light surface, observing the wines level of transparency. For more information on this, see my previous blog post, The Colour Of Wine.
2. The Sniff
Tilt your glass towards you and place your nose just inside the rim of your glass inhaling deeply and slowly for a few seconds.
Why?
A lot can be determined from the aroma of wine, and this is when I’d encourage you to be truthful and use your imagination. Everyone’s sense of smell is different. For example, I once tasted a Merlot and swore that I smelt burnt cabbage on the nose! However, my opinion was not shared by the wine maker as the bottle description omitted my observation… obviously ‘burnt cabbage’ doesn’t scream sophistication!
3. The Sip
Now for the part you’ve all been waiting for. But wait! Before you take that first mouthful, remember your objective is to TASTE the wine, not drink it. However, I think the best part about a wine tasting is that you can do both 
My point is, THINK about the wine when you taste it.
When tasting a wine it is important to spread it around making contact with all the different taste-sensitive parts of the tongue. This is done to provide you with a non-bias ‘taste profile’ of the wine. For example if I were to taste a tart cabernet with only the tip of my tongue I might report an exaggerated sweetness in the wine, as this is the region of the tongue responsible for detecting sweetness. Another way to enhance your taste perception is to aerate the wine by pursing your lips and sucking inward resulting in a more intense sensation.
But above all, when tasting a wine, decide if YOU like the wine regardless of price, vintage or origin. After all, wine should be nothing more than for personal enjoyment. Don’t you think so?
Cheers!
Brandon Marc
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I agree with your last paragraph - forget the swirl and the sniff - just sip and enjoy!!
It would be interesting to know how many people have the same thoughts - looking forward to a response!