When a wine has “legs,” that means it sticks to the side of the glass and contains lots of fruit juice. The darker and deeper the color of a wine, the bolder the taste should be.
Tasting notes are the individual flavors you can pick out of the overall experience of a certain wine. [3] X Research source At first you might not be able to pick out flavors like chocolate or oak, but practice will train your tastebuds to recognize unusual tastes. You can cheat by looking at the bottle’s label or asking someone else what they taste until you can start picking out specific notes on your own.
Wines have four basic components: taste, tannins, alcohol, and acidity. Each of these components ranges in intensity in different wines and will affect whether you like a certain wine or not. As you continue to try different wines, you may find that dry red wines are not your favorite, but you enjoy a dry and tart white wine variety.
Sweeter white wines like Viognier or Riesling may be easier for a novice to appreciate than a very dry Sauvignon Blanc or an oaky Chardonnay. Similarly for red wines, Zinfandels with more pronounced fruit flavors may be more accessible than drier wines such as Cabernet or Pinot Noir. Different blends of wine combine the characteristics of varietal grapes to create balanced and complex flavors. There is more to wines than simply red or white. Blushes, ice wines, sparkling wines, madeiras, ports, and sherries are all different methods to process the fruit, juice, or the wine.
Different countries will vary in soil types as well as production methods. This creates a whole new world of options to try. In general, new world wines from California and South America have more pronounced fruit flavors and are less dry than wines from France or Italy.
Add ice, especially with heavier, sweeter, or very rich wines. The coldness of the ice slightly numbs your taste buds, easing the strength (and the astringent qualities) of some wines, especially reds.
Some wine tastings have small refreshments for cleansing your palate in between wines as well as buckets for spitting out wine so you don’t accidentally drink the equivalent of a whole bottle. Don’t take advantage of your host. The goal is to taste new wines, not get drunk.
Come prepared to walk the grounds of the vineyard and remember to stay hydrated. Look into the fees and prices. Sometimes if you buy a bottle during the tour, some of the costs may be waived. Go with a group. It can be more fun and may be cheaper as well.
Some wines are best paired with foods from the same region. For example, a wine from Northern Italy may pair best with a goat cheese from a farm in the upper regions of Italy. Pairings are helpful because you may not like wine for its acidity, but if you know that eating a sweet fruit with it helps to balance the flavors, you may enjoy it more.
Your friends and family are also good gauges. If you share similar tastes, ask them for a recommendation and why they prefer a particular type. At the very least, learn to pronounce the names of the various types of wines.
A sparkly or sweet wine may be best for a celebration and a dark red might better suit an evening at home with a good book. Some people agree that chilled wines are best for warm summer days and warm, mulled wines are best for long nights in the winter.
