The Senses and Wine Tasting: Sight
“Flirt with the wine with your eyes”
It’s not rocket science to realize that you go to a wine tasting with all aspects of your senses in high gear. It’s not just about tasting, and if you tell that to your lady, she’ll really get an idea of how cultured you are (or think you’re a little too into wine, but hey, there are worse things to be into).
First of all, when you get a glass of wine, give it a good look. No, don’t stare at it all weird and creepy-like; just take an analytical look at it by tilting the glass slightly to the side, letting the wine roll towards the rim. When doing this to analyze the color, it’s helpful to have a white backdrop, and often times at a professional winery, they will have white tablecloths specifically for this purpose.
When looking at the wine, you can comment on the color of it. You want to definitely look beyond red, white, or blush; if it’s red, you can comment on whether or not it’s red, purple, maroon, brown, or any other variation. For white, you can make an observation about it being clear, yellow, or even straw colored. Sometimes, white wines even take on a green hue in the right light. Getting this into the color of wine is the first step to really becoming an expert at wine-tasting, and hey, no scam fling site is going to teach you about that.
If you’re still looking at the wine before actually giving it a taste, take note about how cloudy or clear the wine is. Is it translucent, or is it opaque? If it’s dull or brilliant, make a comment about that, too. Is there any sediment? Another thing to realize is that older red wines might have orange tinges of color at the edges, or at least will have more of this than younger red wines. Comparatively, white wines that are older will also be darker than young white wines.
The Senses and Wine Tasting: Smell
“Half of the taste is in the aroma”
Okay, so you’ve been staring at your wine for awhile now. Stop that, and give it a whiff! If you want to have a really good impression of how good your wine smells, gently swirl it in your glass for about 10 to 12 seconds. This helps some of the wine’s alcohol vaporize, and it releases far more natural aromas. Tell that to your date, and she will want to give it a try, too, and feel all the more knowledgeable about an activity associated with high-brow society.
Your first whiff of the wine should just be a first impression that you can comment on. After that, you can really stick your nose down into the glass–you know, elegantly, so you aren’t dunking your face in the wine like an idiot on every other scam fling site–and actually get a real idea of the smell of your wine. The scent of a wine is a great indicator of its quality, and you should be able to smell if it has a hint of oak, of flowers, of vanilla, of citrus…or any number of other notes that aid the headiness and quality of your wine’s characteristics.
The Senses and Wine Tasting: Taste
“Let your tongue savor the flavor”
Finally, it’s time to give it a taste. That’s what you and your girl are here for, so get ready to enjoy it! There are several different phases when it comes to tasting your wine, and if you are able to discuss those, your girlfriend is sure to be impressed.
First, there’s the attack phase. This is basically the initial impression that a wine creates and it has four different pieces to the so-called ‘wine puzzle’ that makes up the wine that you currently taste. There’s the alcohol content, the tannin levels, the wine’s acidity, and the residual sugar, and ideally, all of these are well-balanced on the palate so that not a single one stands out above the other. This helps you come up with a way to describe your initial impression, which can be creamy, floral, complex, light, sweet, dry…or any other descriptor that you feel fits the kind of wine that you currently taste.
After the attack phase, there’s the evolution phase. Being able to accurately and intelligently talk about this phase will really set you apart! It’s also called the mid-palate phase, and it’s the actual taste of the wine on your palate. With red wine, you can really start talking about fruit here, be it berry, plum, or any other options that the wine is related to. There might also be some spice, like pepper or cedar or oak, or, well, you name it, it’s probably in the wine! With white wine’s evolution phase, there might be apple or pear, herbs or tropical fruits, or maybe even honey! White wines tend to either be very fruity or very floral (and there’s seriously not a scam site for flings that’s going to teach you that bit of cultured information!).
Finally, there’s the finish! This is how long the wine’s flavor lasts after you’ve had your first impression and has been swallowed. You can talk about the aftertaste here, and how long it lasts on the palate. Maybe it lasted a few seconds, maybe it was full-bodied and is still lingering in your mouth, maybe you want another sip or maybe it was too bitter for you. If it was long-lasting or short-lived is important and will determine how much you ultimately enjoy the wine.
After The Tasting
“Taste your wine with patience and compare your thoughts”
Once you and your girl are done tasting a particular wine, you should take notes down and make sure to compare them. This will help you determine if you actually both enjoy the wine and whether or not you want to take a bottle home with you to continue a romantic evening. These notes will also help you determine what kind of meals the wine will go best with, and of course, whether you actually want to buy it again in the future! Wine-tasting can be an excellent tool in your arsenal to keep your lady around, and she will end up enjoying it as well because hey, who doesn’t enjoy a chance to go out on the town, enjoy some nice wine, and take a bottle or two home? Overall, just don’t waste the day by not jotting down the wine’s name, producer, and vintage down, because that’s all very important in finding the right wine all over again!