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Wine Tasting & Party Ideas
Whether you're
at a winery, a wine tasting party, or ordering wine in a restaurant ...
wine tasting can be fun, educational, and very rewarding.
The fun starts when you realize that wine tasting is a completely sensory experience, and so completely subjective.
Don't be afraid to voice your opinion and add to the conversation with your impressions of a chosen wine.
Unless your
goal is to impress everyone with your snobbery, tasting wine should
be about the wine, and not about who is watching your performance!
How to taste wine
Step 1. Begin by twirling the glass around. The gentle action helps oxygenate the wine inside the glass to fully release its flavor.
Step 2. Appreciate its color. The bright ruby of a deep red wine, or golden yellow of a crisp white wine is a natural beauty to behold. Is is it clear or cloudy? Does the color permeate the entire glass or does it fade near the top?
A rich Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, should be darker than a lighter Pinot Noir, therefore the color should be appropriate for the type of wine you are tasting. (You'll learn this more fully as your wine education expands your enjoyment and appreciation.)
Step 3. Lean over the glass and inhale deeply. This step is where beginners come to fully realize the complexity and character of wines. Is the aroma fruity, earthy, musty, oaky? Now twirl the glass around again (See Step 1) and note additional aromas you may be picking up. There may be sensations similar to chocolate, lavender, lemon, apricot, or dozens of other aromas depending upon the wine grapes used and where they were grown, harvested, or blended.
Step 4. Finally, how does it taste? Smooth and sweet or rough and acidic? What other flavors are you noticing? Does it blend or pair well with the food, or does it overwhelm every other taste in your mouth? Do you like it?
Around the Web, learn more
about gathering with your wine-loving friends and getting close
up and personal with your favorite wines ...
More
information about wine tasting & wine tasting party ideas:
Wine
Tasting at Wine Skinny.com - You can hold a wine tasting
party every month for a year and still not run out of ideas with
this site's feature story archive dating back to 1999, with great
suggestions for centering your party around a particular wine
or wine and food pairings.
Online
Wine Tasting Course - And they said it couldn't be done,
but here it is - with everything but the wine - including complete
chapters on smelling, looking and tasting, plus more on wine vocabulary
and a Wine
Tasting Toolbox containing reference material and downloadable
scoring sheets for starting your own Wine
Club.
How
to Throw a Wine Party - Expert tips on how to host a wine
party & what to serve, with hints on featuring a blind tasting,
plus wine bottle presentation tips.
Wine
Party Ideas - Step-by-step instructions for making it fun along with a complete
shopping list of party food and supplies, from OnSterling.com.
also
see related articles -> How
to Choose a Good Wine
Beer
Tasting Party Ideas & Score Sheet
also
see in Wine Wine
Classes | Wine
& Food Pairing
Wine Reviews |
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| Wine Clubs
| Wine
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