Wine is best when shared with food (complementary of course) and friends. So, hopefully if you’re poured a delicious glass of wine, you are also in the company of good friends.

The first topic of education I’ll go over is what we should focus on when a glass of wine is poured for us — savoring all aspects of it …. the “S’s”.

Ideally, in my business, I prefer the “PSR” “pour, sip and repeat” to the 4 S’s. But, I do want to properly educate, so here we go.

First things first, be sure that you have a proper wine glass. If you are pouring a white wine, use a white wine glass; if you’re pouring a red, use a red glass; if you’re pouring sparkling, use a flute. The glass is just as important as other aspects. (If you need accessories, I’m happy to help, just let me know.)

  • 1st “S” – Sight or See. Look for clarity and bold color. A cloudy wine is not a good thing, but if the glass is dirty, don’t blame it on the wine. A wine’s color is largely indicated by the grape, but can also indicate the wine’s age and health. In young wines, look for lighter hues and saturations of color. White wines generally transform (again depending on the varietal) from light greenish tinge to amber, and your reds transform from ruby red to brick.
  • 2nd “S” – Swirl. Swirling aerates the wine, increasing its surface area and starting to evaporate the alcohol. But don’t worry, it doesn’t evaporate away the effects; it does release the aromas and open up the flavors. Swirling works best when the wine glass is filled to a proper depth (that will be written about in a subsequent blog – so check back). If you’ve got a glass of champagne or sparkling wine, please don’t swirl it. That releases the effervescence and that’s what we love about champagne – the bubbles!
  • 3rd “S” – Smell. You can’t smell the full aroma of wine if your nose isn’t in the glass, so be bold, stick your nose deep into the glass (but don’t inhale the wine – it hurts the nasal passage – I’ve done it by accident, ouch!). You are noticing what are called “esters” which are the fragrant chemical compounds that develop scents. When you detect a raspberry scent, it’s because the wine contains nearly the same combination of esters as a raspberry does. The building blocks that you will notice are Floral, Fruit and Earth. And if you don’t notice anything but alcohol, that’s ok. Everyone’s sensory threshold is different. Unless you’re going to become a certified sommelier, what you notice is perfectly acceptable and right for you!
  • 4th “S” – Sip: Wow, we finally got to the fun part – the actual tasting. It’s almost painful to watch my tasting guests have to wait for the 4th “S”, but the whole process is very important. Just like savoring a great meal, much of the enjoyment is in the presentation and the aromas. The same holds true for wine. But, when you are ready for the sip, take a good sip, hold it in your mouth for a few seconds. Swish it around to have all those flavors spread over your taste buds.

    • There you have it. Your first lesson in wine tasting. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

    Please feel free to post questions or comments at any time. I will post updates to the blog regularly throughout the week. Thank you again for visiting, and I look forward to blogging with you again.

    Kathy
    Great Wine Source, www.greatWineSource.com

    If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!