Sample Wines with Finesse and Discretion

It takes a keen sense of taste to tell between wine varietals, but it's an acquired skill that’s worth all the trial and error. Of course, it would be better if you dive into the samplings with an idea of what to expect. What does it mean when people find a hint of cinnamon in a wine anyway? When you barely sense the nuances of taste in a wine, then you only need to sample it properly the next time you crack up a bottle. Downing vintage wine in one gulp is only acceptable if you have money to burn, but it's better if you savor each sip instead. Let your taste buds soak in all that fruity, oaky, meaty nuances, or whatever flavor comes to mind. A bottle of wine gets better with time, especially those which come from notable vintages. Some wines are better aerated hours before consumption, though. This applies in particular to new wines, recently fermented and bottled. The tannin in the liquid is strong enough to interfere with the nuances in taste, and you have to let it oxidize with exposure to air before you serve it in wine glasses. Some will let an open bottle sit in a cool area a few hours beforehand, but it would be better if you use an aerator for the purpose. The glass vial's open mouth maximizes exposure and mellows the wine's strength, allowing you to enjoy the tasting. Use appropriate wine glasses. Red wines have stronger bodies and flavors, and you'll need glasses with wide mouths and broad bases. Lighter varietals, like white wine, are better off served in narrower glasses; the liquid doesn't have to be aerated long enough for the tannins to dissipate. Wine glasses have long stems as handles, used to ensure the warmth of your hands doesn't compromise the flavor. You have to swirl the liquid around the glass before you venture a sip. Note the way the wine clings to the side of the glass. The best vintages have volume, ebbing slowly from the surface as you swirl. Such wines have great legs, as is known in the jargon. It also indicates the processing quality of the vintage. Get a grip of the variety of flavors in the liquid, poke your nose into the wine glass, and take a good, hard, sniff. The initial impression is a kick, but you'll differentiate the qualities once your sense of smell gets accustomed to the tannins. Take a small sip and let the liquid soak through your tongue. If you've been drinking wines long enough, then the nuances in flavor should be immediately apparent. Otherwise, you'll have to bear the overwhelming tannins and find adjectives to describe the sensations. You'll understand why there are so many distinctions of tastes, but flavor impressions of cinnamon, smoked meat, berries, are mere approximations of the taste. Some red wine varietals are complicated enough on their own, more so if these are blended with other varietals. You can check Merlot Cabernet blends, for example; varieties are determined by vintages, regions, and batches, not to mention the processing techniques used by the wineries to produce each bottle. The key to enjoying tastings is to sample each sip slow and steady. You'll likely have plenty of wines to taste, so don't indulge in a bottle until you've done the rounds and tasted everything available.