Tasting rooms have
traditionally been located in wineries. Recently, though, large-scale
tasting rooms—allowing you to sample wines from a variety of regional,
national, or global producers—have become popular in cities, wine
regions, and elsewhere. The tasting experience is designed to let you
sample and learn about the poured wines. Some places offer free
tastings, while others charge a (usually) small fee to cover expenses.
No matter where you go,
you'll fit right in if you follow these four steps:
1. Hold the glass of
wine to the light. If it's a white wine, is it colorless or golden? If a
red wine, is it pale red or a deep ruby? Have you tasted other wines
with that exact color? Maybe you've never noticed the way in which a
wine's depth of color relates to taste; if not, start paying attention
now.
2. Slowly swirl the wine in the glass, allowing the release of
its bouquet.
3. Move the glass to
your nose and inhale the aromas with a few deep, quick, subtle sniffs. Try
to identify the smells that pop out at you. Is the wine fruity? Floral?
Full of oak? Spicy? (A quick aside: one of California's premier
winemakers told me that he sniffs by pushing his nose right into the
glass. Try it, and you'll learn—as I did—that the bouquet hits you
with much greater impact.)
4. Now, finally, taste the
wine. Sip a small amount, swirling it around your mouth so that all of
your taste buds get some of the action. What adjectives spring to
mind?
.JPG)
A
few tasting tips:
