Come out as a champion when tasting a wine at a restaurant

Try or taste? Wine lovers taste to reach the last corner of the aroma and sensory display of each sip. It is true that, the waiter or sommelier always offers one of the diners to “try the wine”.

If you are an amateur, you will probably not perceive in depth the olfactory and taste phases, but you will definitely perceive the visual one. In the case of oenologists or a wine connoisseur, he/she will most likely observe every detail of the wine’s behavior in the glass, nose and mouth.

The wine world is a versatile one where everyone has a place and opinion, because the palate is so individual and personal, that each one is impacted in different and multiple ways. Everyone tries or knows in some way how to do the “wine taste” at a restaurant.

In this blog, we propose the necessary steps for you to do that “wine tasting” like a pro and impress your peers at a restaurant.

How to ace the “wine taste”

Correct holding of the wineglass

The bottle is uncorked, the waiter/sommelier is standing next to you and you have to give him/her the wineglass and although it seems obvious, not everyone knows how to start.

If we do not hold the glass by the so-called stem or stand, the wine can heat up and be consumed at an inadequate temperature. This is aside from mulled wine, that is supposed to be drank hot or warm.

Visual Phase

It is time to analyze, visually, through swirls in the wineglass, the color, analizing it from the rim to the center, as well as clarity/haziness.

Olfactive Phase

Smell is the most developed of the senses and detects a multitude of aromas and sensations that provide information for a multiple contexts. It is necessary to swirl the glass again so that it gives off all the potential aromas that the wine houses. The nose inhales those aromas that give off the care, cultivation and typicity of the grapes. Fruity, spiced, oaked and/or corked aromas are detected…if you want to know more, you can click in this link for Wine Folly’s wine aroma wheel. In short, ask yourself how many you detect with your eyes closed, so that the eye doesn’t confuse you!

Taste Phase

Et voila! After the previous phases, comes the completion where all the senses melt in the mouth. The palate perceives the texture, tastes, aromas, ageing and so much information that, in each sip they add clues to reach a deep knowledge of the wine.

This is when you decide whether to pour it to the rest or, on the contrary, start the process with a new wine.

Wine tasting involves letting yourself be carried away by the haunting of the liquid, the movement of the wine and the enjoyment of the palate, leaving behind the shyness, shame or withdrawal. It’s your time to enjoy!