Wine Tasting Techniques for Beginners
Joseph Baylon
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Wine has become increasingly popular these days and the number of budding wine enthusiasts can be overwhelming. Such is why wine tasting events have become increasingly popular. But some people interested in becoming wine enthusiasts tend to be intimidated about wine tastings because it seems to be 
a complicated ritual that only the top connoisseurs can fathom. This is not true, to taste wine you only need to know a few wine tasting techniques for beginners
Perhaps the most important technique for wine tasting is pleasing your self. You are tasting wine so that you would know which one you would like to drink best. Who cares if that expert collector says that this particular wine is the best if you think it is yucky. In wine tastings you are the judge.
There are of course certain techniques to make you wine tasting an easier and more pleasant experience. Here are some of the useful wine tasting techniques for beginners:
1. Do not wear anything that would obstruct your sense of smell. Avoid wearing cologne, perfume, and aftershave. Do not smoke as well. You need your nose to taste wine.
2. Help yourself with water, crackers, apples or pears to cleanse your palate between wines. You would not want the previous wine to interfere with the next one.
3. Wines are best tasting when they are in their proper temperature - red wines should be at room temperature, white wines should be slightly chilled.
4. Wines are to be tasted at a particular order according to the strength. Lighter wines, like whites, should be tasted first. Next would be the reds or the drier, stronger wines. Dessert wines, which are very sweet should be tasted the last. You do not have to go through all kinds of wines at one tasting. You can just go straight to the one you would like to taste, but if you want to taste all kinds, then by all means do so.
5. Use your eyes to taste the wine. Look at the color of the wine. Look at its transparency up against the light or with a white tablecloth as a background. See if the wine is cloudy or clear. Tip the wine glass back and forth, normally good wine would have tiny 'legs' trickling down the sides of the glass.
Perhaps the most important technique for wine tasting is pleasing your self. You are tasting wine so that you would know which one you would like to drink best. Who cares if that expert collector says that this particular wine is the best if you think it is yucky. In wine tastings you are the judge.
There are of course certain techniques to make you wine tasting an easier and more pleasant experience. Here are some of the useful wine tasting techniques for beginners:
1. Do not wear anything that would obstruct your sense of smell. Avoid wearing cologne, perfume, and aftershave. Do not smoke as well. You need your nose to taste wine.
2. Help yourself with water, crackers, apples or pears to cleanse your palate between wines. You would not want the previous wine to interfere with the next one.
3. Wines are best tasting when they are in their proper temperature - red wines should be at room temperature, white wines should be slightly chilled.
4. Wines are to be tasted at a particular order according to the strength. Lighter wines, like whites, should be tasted first. Next would be the reds or the drier, stronger wines. Dessert wines, which are very sweet should be tasted the last. You do not have to go through all kinds of wines at one tasting. You can just go straight to the one you would like to taste, but if you want to taste all kinds, then by all means do so.
5. Use your eyes to taste the wine. Look at the color of the wine. Look at its transparency up against the light or with a white tablecloth as a background. See if the wine is cloudy or clear. Tip the wine glass back and forth, normally good wine would have tiny 'legs' trickling down the sides of the glass.
In wine tasting, lighter wines, like whites, should be tasted first. Next would be the reds or the drier, stronger wines. Dessert wines, which are very sweet should be tasted the last.