Immigrate to Spain and taste Spanish delicacies: The tasting process is divided into three steps: appearance, aroma, and taste. When you open a bottle of red wine, you should first check its cork. If the cork is slightly moistened by the red wine, it indicates that the bottle was stored on its side.
The tasting process is divided into three steps:
Appearance: Observe the color, transparency, luster, viscosity, color layers, and foam shape.
Aroma: Determine whether there are fruity or floral notes, or if it exudes the freshness of herbs or roasted and spicy scents, to identify its purity, composition, and concentration.
Taste: Taste its acidity, sweetness, the astringency imparted by tannins, the mouthfeel and balance of the wine, and the long-lasting finish of its aromas.
Appearance Tasting
When you open a bottle of red wine, you should first check its cork. If the cork is slightly moistened by the red wine, it indicates that the bottle was stored on its side. When pressing the cork, you should be able to feel its elasticity, and the cork should smell only of wine, not of any foreign odors. If the cork has a pungent smell, it indicates that the wine may have been contaminated. Wine with a damaged cork should not be consumed.
After ensuring the cork is in good condition, pour the wine into a glass. Gently swirl the glass and observe the appearance of the wine against a white tablecloth. Check if the wine is clear and free of sediment, and whether it reflects light or appears dull. Tilt the glass toward the white tablecloth to observe the color layers and hues of the wine.
Swirl the glass again to observe the "legs" formed in the glass. The glycerin and high concentration of alcoholic substances in the wine form these "droplets."
When tasting sparkling wine, a good wine should have fine bubbles forming continuously. These small, vertically rising bubbles form sparkling strings of foam.
Aroma Tasting
Bring the glass close to your nose and gently sniff for any unpleasant odors. Then, hold the glass by the stem and swirl it to allow the wine to fully contact the air and release all its aromas, then bring the glass close to your nose again to sniff the fragrance. High-quality wine has a complex and fragrant aroma, which becomes even more intense after contact with air.
The most significant first impression of a wine, and the simplest method of identification, is the intensity of its bouquet. The next step is to examine the purity of the aroma, such as whether it is pungent, has defects, or if the various scents are harmonious.
Then, determine the nuances between the aromas by comparing the wine's scent with other fragrances you know: is it floral, fruity, spicy, does it smell mineral, or does it have notes of chocolate?
Mouthfeel Tasting
After identifying the aroma, take a small sip of the wine. Inhale a small amount of air and let the wine swirl in your mouth. As the wine warms in your mouth, you can better appreciate its flavor, as the mouth and nose are closely connected.
Try to determine the taste of the wine (acidic, sweet, bitter...) and its texture, as well as the sensation it leaves on the tip of your tongue and in your throat.
Once you have experienced the full range of flavors, you can choose to swallow the wine or spit it out to continue tasting other wines. Before tasting the next wine, you can use water and some bread to cleanse the residual taste from your mouth.
Taboos
If you are going to taste high-quality wine, please do not smoke or wear perfume, and do not consume greasy or spicy food beforehand.