What a great way to enjoy your summer by engaging your friends in a down home wine tasting!  Once you understand the basics of wine you too can enjoy the no longer "snobbish" tasting tradition.  Here are some brief guidelines and links to sites that can help you along your way.  

* Beginning Wine Tasting - 

Color - To appreciate a wine's color, hold your wineglass at an angle against a white surface. Clarity is important. 

Aroma - To distinguish a wine's aroma, fill your wine glass no more than half full and gently swirl your glass to allow your wine to "breath". This releases the fragrance of the wine and allows you to sniff the different aroma's or the "nose" .

Flavor - Varietal flavors can be generalized as fruity, spicy, creamy, herbal and earthy ( to name just a few).  These characteristic flavors are affected by how and where grapes are grown, as well as wine-making techniques, such as oak barrel aging. 

Body - A wine can be light, medium or full-bodied depending on it weight on the palate. 

Finish - Finish is the lasting sensation a wine leaves after it is swallowed ( better known as the after taste).  

Wine Selection: 

Basics - Two types of wine.  White & Red.  

Is a $ 100 bottle of wine 10 times better than a $10.00 bottle -  probably not.  Is a $20.00 bottle 10 times better than a $5.00 bottle - probably so.  Wine prices are determined by many factors, how and where the wine is made, the weather or even the critics and the ratings that are given for each particular wine.   

Taste the wines in the following order:

Sauvignon Blanc
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon

 

WHITE WINES 

Sauvignon Blanc: Tends to be less expensive than Chardonnay Grassy, Herbal, Floral or Creamy. 

Remember your 4 S's

• Swirl : Swirl the wine to release the aroma's

• Sniff: Decipher the unique fragrances that you can detect . 

• Sip: Small  - NO GULPING !

• Savor: Enjoy the abundance of textures and flavors the wine creates.  This includes the finish, or after taste.