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A matter of taste:
With wine, no rules are written in stone. It
all comes down to what taste good to you. However, there are a few steps
you can take to ensure that your friends will get the most out of their
wine tasting experience.
What to Serve:
You can sample white wine, red wine, sparkling
wine or a mixture of the three. "Sparkling wine is a great way to start
the tasting because it awakens the taste buds. You will want to progress
from lighter to fuller-bodied wines to ensure that one wine doesn't overpower
the flavor of the previous wine." Add excitement to your wine tasting
by creating a theme such as "Italian Wines." Serve wines from different
regions of Italy, including Piedmont, Tuscany, and Veneto.
How to Serve It:
Glasses-White wine is commonly served in a
smaller, slightly curved glass that helps hold the wine's chill and accentuates
its delicate flavor and aroma. Using large, bowl-shaped glasses helps
to heighten the flavor and aroma of red wine.
Temperature- White wines should be slightly
chilled; refrigerate an unopened bottle for 1 to 2 hours. Red wines should
be served at a cool room temperature (around 65 degrees). Pour approximately
1˝ ounces of wine into your glass.
Food-For purists, serving unsalted crackers
or bread plus water allows guests to cleanse their palate between sips
of wine. Or you can make the evening even more festive by serving light
appetizers to complement the wine. With an "Italian Wines" themed tasting,
try serving seasoned olives or specialty Parmesan cheese.
A Sensory Experience:
Wine tasting involves three senses: sight,
smell and taste. Here are some steps in appreciating the characteristics
of wine:
ˇ Lift your glass up to the light or a white
background. The wine's color should be clear and brilliant.
ˇ Next, swirl the wine gently in the glass
by holding the stem and keeping the base on the table. Swirling will mix
the wine with the surrounding air and will help to release the wine's
bouquet, or aroma. Then take a good sniff of the wine, inhaling deeply.
Try to identify what you smell, such as fruits
or flowers. As a rule, if the wine smells good, it will taste good.
ˇ Take a sip and roll the wine around in your
mouth to pick up all of the wine's nuances. After you've allowed, savor
any lingering flavors. Think about whether the wine tastes dry, semi-dry,
sweet or semi-sweet. Does it taste heavy-bodied, light bodied, or somewhere
in between? Does it taste fruity? By thinking
about what flavors or sensations are in the wine, you can begin to identify
the characteristics you prefer. Provide small booklets for your guest
to write down their descriptions of each wine. That way they can remember
what they liked about a particular wine. The important thing to remember
is that there are no right or wrong answers. Follow your taste buds and
have fun.
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