Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. Wines can contain
many fruits, vegetables, and spices.
The sweetness of wine is determined by the amount of residual sugar in the wine after
fermentation, relative to the acidity present in the wine. Dry wine, for example, has only a small amount of residual
sugar.
Some
wine labels suggest opening the bottle and letting the wine "breathe"
for a couple of hours before serving, while others recommend drinking it
immediately. Decanting (the act of pouring a wine into a special container just for breathing)
is a controversial subject among wine enthusiasts.
A
younger wine's exposure to air often "relaxes" the drink, making it
smoother and better integrated in aroma, texture, and flavor. Older wines
generally "fade" (lose their character and flavor intensity) with
extended aeration.
Despite
these general rules, breathing does not necessarily benefit all wines. Wine may
be tasted as soon as the bottle is opened to determine how long it should be
aerated, if at all.
When
tasting wine, individual flavors may also be detected, due to the complex mix
of organic molecules that grape juice and wine can contain.
Experienced tasters can distinguish between
flavors characteristic of a specific grape and flavors that result from other
factors in winemaking. Typical intentional flavor elements in wine - chocolate,
vanilla, or coffee - are those imparted by aging in oak casks rather than the
grape itself.
The
ideal temperature for serving a particular wine is a matter of debate, but some
broad guidelines have emerged that will generally enhance the experience of
tasting certain common wines.
A
white wine should foster a sense of coolness, achieved by serving at
"cellar temperature" (13°C). Light red wines drunk young should also
be brought to the table at this temperature, where they will quickly rise a few
degrees. Red wines are generally perceived best when served chambré ("at room temperature").
„Three bowls do I mix for
the temperate: one to health, which they empty first, the second to love and
pleasure, the third to sleep. When this bowl is drunk up, wise guests go home.
The fourth bowl is ours no longer, but belongs to violence; the fifth to
uproar, the sixth to drunken revel, the seventh to black eyes, the eighth is
the policeman's, the ninth belong to biliousness, and the tenth to madness and
hurling the furniture.”
