How can I look like a pro when I’m tasting wine? What’s the recommended method?

Answer 1

Here is the skinny on wine tasting: see, swirl, sniff, sip, spit. If you keep track of these five esses, then you will do fine.

First of all, make sure you are holding the glass by the stem (don't cup the bowl like it was a bowl of soup). Tilt the glass, and take a good look. Sure, you don't know what you are looking for, but don't worry about that at this stage. Give the glass a swirl, and I mean swirl that baby at least five or six times. Stick our nose into the glass and give the wine a big sniff. One you have sniffed, take a small sip. At that point, you can either spit it out (if their are spit buckets, although this is something I rarely do) or savor it. you call on that last bit.

Since you are a newbie in this, its best not to say too much, and maybe pick up a few pointers from your friends/associates. You won't look like a pro, but close enough.

Answer 2

The previous answer would be helpful -- except for the presentation of the cork. It's a bone of contention among oenophiles, but it is generally regarded as not necessary, except perhaps to determine whether it is wet. A wet cork would indicate that the bottle was properly stored -- on its side so that air can't penetrate the wine and deteriorate it. But all that can be determined by your tasting the wine and inhaling its scent. Wine that has turned bad will taste like a wet basement smells.

There are certainly a lot of wine snobs out there. I would suggest that the best approach to wine knowledge is a slow exploration. Keep in mind, this is about your enjoyment. To hell with the people out there who make judgments about you based on your wine knowledge.

There are many bottles out there under ten dollars that are fine. There are exceptionally fine wines that cost much, much more but who wants to plunk down $100 for four glasses of wine.

Later on as you progress, you may want to distinguish between oaky, berry, etc flavors. But the main thing is, does the wine taste good to you or not.

Answer 3

I think you'd like a Late Harvest Riesling. The later the harvest, the sweeter the grapes. It's a white wine, good with chicken or fish, served best cold, and very summery. Most companies that make Rieslings (that's the type of white wine) make a late harvest blend. You may also like the Conundrum brand. These wines are made from a mixture of different kinds of grapes, hence conundrum... But the ones I've had were really sweet. Be prepared though because they don't come that inexpensive. Still they are great to share with a couple of friends.

Answer 4

First know that in most 4 or more star restaurants that when the bottle is presented to you, you need to acknowledge that you are ok with the choice, simply by nodding or stating so. When the bottle is opened, you should expect the waiter or hostess to present the cork to you. Have a sniff and than nod as well. When you are tasting the wine, make sure you swish it around a bit (almost like mouthwash but dont overdo it) and than acknowledge them again.. Hope this helps

Answer 5

This page is very instructional:
http://www.tasting-wine.com/html/tasting.html

Hope that helps!

Answer 6

Watch the movie "Sideways."