the very basics
All juice from grapes is clear. Don't believe the winepom? Get a grape, put it in between your fingers and squish it. Clear enough? The reason why red wines are red and white wines are white are due to the skins. The juice (and therefore wine) derives its colour from the skins. White wine stays white because white grape's skins are white and spend hardly any time on the skins. On the other hand, juice from red grapes spend time on the darker skins (this is called maceration). The longer the juice spends on the skins, the darker the wine becomes. Rosé spends almost no time on skins, say just a weekend break before leaving, which is why it has a lighter colour.
Winepom likes to taste wine in 3 steps: the appearance, the nose (smell) followed by the taste (ok, d'uh).
Winepom likes to taste wine in 3 steps: the appearance, the nose (smell) followed by the taste (ok, d'uh).
the look...
whites - in general most commercially made wines today are clear. There will be some exceptions to the rule but these are rare. For whites, the lighter the colour (the pros call this pale lemon or straw) usually means younger wines. For instance a recent Sauvignon Blanc will be clear. Generally, white wines grow darker the older they get or as if they have experience alot of oak contact a wine receives.
reds - different grape varieties produce wines with lighter or bolder colours. For instance Pinot Noir produces lighter coloured wines and Cabernet Sauvignon produces darker wines. The colour spectrum will range from deep purple --> to ruby --> to brick. Younger wines tend to be darker (purple), while an older red wine has lighter colours. In addition, the difference between the core and the rim will be greater in an older wine. Darker in the core (middle) and lighter around the rim (around the outside).
rosé - well, mainly pink. Or magenta. But you can fight it out amongst yourselves.
fizz - obviously have bubbles! whoop whoop! If the bubbles are small, constant and long lasting, this is an indication of quality, means its expensive and somebody likes you very much. The wines which have bigger, more erratic bubbles usually mean someone has attached the CO2 pump from the Coke dispenser into the wine. Don't talk to this person any longer.
reds - different grape varieties produce wines with lighter or bolder colours. For instance Pinot Noir produces lighter coloured wines and Cabernet Sauvignon produces darker wines. The colour spectrum will range from deep purple --> to ruby --> to brick. Younger wines tend to be darker (purple), while an older red wine has lighter colours. In addition, the difference between the core and the rim will be greater in an older wine. Darker in the core (middle) and lighter around the rim (around the outside).
rosé - well, mainly pink. Or magenta. But you can fight it out amongst yourselves.
fizz - obviously have bubbles! whoop whoop! If the bubbles are small, constant and long lasting, this is an indication of quality, means its expensive and somebody likes you very much. The wines which have bigger, more erratic bubbles usually mean someone has attached the CO2 pump from the Coke dispenser into the wine. Don't talk to this person any longer.
the whiff...
In general Poms have big noses. Prince Charles was picked specifically for the Royal Family because of his nose. We use this instrument for sticking them into other people's business, telling the time in sunny countries and best of all, to sniff wine.
You may see many wine pros swirl their glasses. The reason for doing this is to bring oxygen into the wine. This helps to release the aromas in the wine. So what are we looking for? After swirling the wine, stick your nose in it. See if the smells are subtle or strong. Don't look for specific flavours just yet - after a while try it again. Some wines are more aromatic and will have stronger smells - for instance Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Luckily if you are drinking South African wines, the wines tend to err on the smelly side. Next, see if you can pick out individual flavours this should give you clues as to what and the quality of what you are drinking.
You may see many wine pros swirl their glasses. The reason for doing this is to bring oxygen into the wine. This helps to release the aromas in the wine. So what are we looking for? After swirling the wine, stick your nose in it. See if the smells are subtle or strong. Don't look for specific flavours just yet - after a while try it again. Some wines are more aromatic and will have stronger smells - for instance Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Luckily if you are drinking South African wines, the wines tend to err on the smelly side. Next, see if you can pick out individual flavours this should give you clues as to what and the quality of what you are drinking.
the spit or swallow...
The fun bit. The key points to tasting are: whether the wine is dry or sweet, the body or mouth feel, the fruit intensity, the fruit flavours, the tannins for red wines, the acidity (sourness), the alcohol & the length or finish.
the porn star gurgle - this is the gurgling which many of the wine pros partake in. In a similar vein to swirling your wine glass to bring oxygen into the wine - the porn star gurgle is essential to bringing oxygen into your mouth in order to release a whole concoction of flavours. Please persevere with this technique...you will reap the rewards!
step 1: take a sip of wine
step 2: form an 'O' with your mouth (don't swallow!)
step 3: suck air into your mouth
step 4: feel the wine swirl around your mouth
step 5: assess the wine using the guidelines below
step 6: process complete - please swallow and enjoy
(note: winepom recommends practising with white wine. There is an uncontrollable urge to giggle the first few times you try this. Doing this with red wine may result in an embarassing new t-shirt design.)
the dryness of the wine
Sweetness is detected at the tip of the tongue. An easy way to see if a wine is sweet is to dip the tip of your tongue into the wine and measure the sweetness. Looks ridiculous but very effective.
body
While swirling the wine in your mouth, see if you can identify the body or weight of the wine. Does the wine feel heavy, smooth, big or light in the mouth? In general white wines feel lighter in the mouth compared to red wines due to the tannins in red wines. To give an example, a young Sauvignon Blanc will feel light whereas an oaked Cabernet Sauvignon by comparison will feel heavy.
fruit intensity
On the second sip check out how intense or muted the wines are. Ask yourself if you get a lot of flavour from the wine or not very much.
fruit flavour
To start with, see if you can pick out simple fruit flavours. For instance, think: apples, pears, passion fruits, peaches, pineapple, lemons, grapes, limes, blackcurrant & plums. Everyone has their own unique memory bank of smells, so wine aromas will trigger a different reaction in all tasters. Once you've ticked off the simpler fruits - then it's time to let your imagination run wild! The great thing about wine tasting is the more you taste (ok, drink) the better you get.
tannins
Tannins come from the skins of grapes and are mainly found in red wines. A good way to experience tannins is to make some strong tea, let it grow cold and drink it. When you take a sip you should feel your gums tighten. These are tannins. For red wines, Pinot Noir tend to have light tannins, Shiraz and Merlot medium tannins while Cabernet Sauvignon has big tannins. This is a general guideline and its best you make your own call. Words which wine pros like to use to describe tannins include: big, juicy, ripe, smooth & green (usually meaning young and tannic wines).
acidity
Using your tongue again, acidity is located at the sides of your tongue. The best way to experience this is to suck a lemon. Are you salivating yet? Are you positively drooling? That's acidity baby! Winepom reckons that good balanced acidity is essential to give wine structure (or a skeleton) from which the rest of the wine can form. When tasting, see how much you are drooling. Can you contain yourself or is there nothing there?
alcohol
What we're here for! Alcohol is usually detected at the back of the tongue or in the throat. If it's high in alcohol you should feel more 'heat'. For instance if you have a shot of tequilla - the warmness you can feel in the back of your throat is the alcohol. Is the alcohol in tune with the wine? Or is it too much?
the finish
This is a way of testing the quality of a wine. A good wine should have a nice, long (but pleasant!) lingering finish in your mouth. A wine which has a shorter finish or an unpleasant finish usually indicates a cheaper or lower quality wine.
So this is a brief introduction into tasting wine. This will hopefully provide a framework for all your future tastings. Email winepom if you have questions or if you want to organise a wine tasting for a physical demonstration. We want to hear your feedback.
the porn star gurgle - this is the gurgling which many of the wine pros partake in. In a similar vein to swirling your wine glass to bring oxygen into the wine - the porn star gurgle is essential to bringing oxygen into your mouth in order to release a whole concoction of flavours. Please persevere with this technique...you will reap the rewards!
step 1: take a sip of wine
step 2: form an 'O' with your mouth (don't swallow!)
step 3: suck air into your mouth
step 4: feel the wine swirl around your mouth
step 5: assess the wine using the guidelines below
step 6: process complete - please swallow and enjoy
(note: winepom recommends practising with white wine. There is an uncontrollable urge to giggle the first few times you try this. Doing this with red wine may result in an embarassing new t-shirt design.)
the dryness of the wine
Sweetness is detected at the tip of the tongue. An easy way to see if a wine is sweet is to dip the tip of your tongue into the wine and measure the sweetness. Looks ridiculous but very effective.
body
While swirling the wine in your mouth, see if you can identify the body or weight of the wine. Does the wine feel heavy, smooth, big or light in the mouth? In general white wines feel lighter in the mouth compared to red wines due to the tannins in red wines. To give an example, a young Sauvignon Blanc will feel light whereas an oaked Cabernet Sauvignon by comparison will feel heavy.
fruit intensity
On the second sip check out how intense or muted the wines are. Ask yourself if you get a lot of flavour from the wine or not very much.
fruit flavour
To start with, see if you can pick out simple fruit flavours. For instance, think: apples, pears, passion fruits, peaches, pineapple, lemons, grapes, limes, blackcurrant & plums. Everyone has their own unique memory bank of smells, so wine aromas will trigger a different reaction in all tasters. Once you've ticked off the simpler fruits - then it's time to let your imagination run wild! The great thing about wine tasting is the more you taste (ok, drink) the better you get.
tannins
Tannins come from the skins of grapes and are mainly found in red wines. A good way to experience tannins is to make some strong tea, let it grow cold and drink it. When you take a sip you should feel your gums tighten. These are tannins. For red wines, Pinot Noir tend to have light tannins, Shiraz and Merlot medium tannins while Cabernet Sauvignon has big tannins. This is a general guideline and its best you make your own call. Words which wine pros like to use to describe tannins include: big, juicy, ripe, smooth & green (usually meaning young and tannic wines).
acidity
Using your tongue again, acidity is located at the sides of your tongue. The best way to experience this is to suck a lemon. Are you salivating yet? Are you positively drooling? That's acidity baby! Winepom reckons that good balanced acidity is essential to give wine structure (or a skeleton) from which the rest of the wine can form. When tasting, see how much you are drooling. Can you contain yourself or is there nothing there?
alcohol
What we're here for! Alcohol is usually detected at the back of the tongue or in the throat. If it's high in alcohol you should feel more 'heat'. For instance if you have a shot of tequilla - the warmness you can feel in the back of your throat is the alcohol. Is the alcohol in tune with the wine? Or is it too much?
the finish
This is a way of testing the quality of a wine. A good wine should have a nice, long (but pleasant!) lingering finish in your mouth. A wine which has a shorter finish or an unpleasant finish usually indicates a cheaper or lower quality wine.
So this is a brief introduction into tasting wine. This will hopefully provide a framework for all your future tastings. Email winepom if you have questions or if you want to organise a wine tasting for a physical demonstration. We want to hear your feedback.