Wine-tasting
Wine tasting is both an art and a technique in which we use our senses to analyse, describe, qualify and classify a wine.
Everyone can become a good wine taster by acquiring the requisite knowledge and by understanding and applying the technique correctly. A wine taster must exercise regularly to develop his sensory memory, distinguish between the different types of wine and acquire the experience necessary to know wines and suitably express the sensations experienced.
For some hours prior to the tasting the taster will have refrained from drinking coffee, tea and smoking, as well as using perfume, soap or toothpaste. It is also a good idea to eat a little bread and rinse the mouth with water between tests.
The wine taster must be in good shape if the testing session is to be successful. He or she must be relaxed and not suffer from any physical or emotional disturbances that could upset sensory perception.
The best time for tasting is at the end of the morning.
The room should be well lit with natural light or halogen lamps. Filament bulbs or fluorescent lighting is not recommended as they mask the true colours of the wine.
The wineglasses should be of fine glass and with a full, round bowl. We recommend the UNE certified wine glass.
The glass should only be filled to a third of its capacity and held by the base, between the index finger and thumb in order not to warm the contents or interfere with the observation.
It is important to begin by using the senses requiring least mental and physical effort and leave those requiring greater attention and contact with the wine till the end. The order will therefore be, sight, smell, and taste-touch.
No more than five or six wines should be tasted in one session, lasting a maximum of half an hour, as the senses of both smell and taste become saturated. Regarding the temperature of the tasting, white wines, whose freshness and aroma are both evaluated, should be served at between 10 – 12º C, the lighter rosado wines between 12 – 16º and those of greater body between 16 – 18º.
A common procedure should be followed so that the tasters can write down their impressions of a wine, compare them and keep them for future reference,— for this reason the tasting note is used.
There are various models of tasting notes according to the type of tasting, but they should all be easy to use, clearly show the evaluations, and the people using them should be familiar with them.
The qualities detailed on a note are generally
- Description of the wine.
- Analytical characteristics.
- In glass sensations, separating visual and olfactory.
- In mouth sensations.
- Sensation of persistence of the olfactory and in mouth sensations.
- Overall impression of the wine.
The time the tasting took place and the wine's temperature are also usually recorded.
