Just follow your nose – WINE tasting demystified

Few things in this world get better with age – wine is one of them. An older woman is often complimented for her looks when someone says she is like wine … gets better with age.

Let us take a deeper look at wine and study its various characteristics. One of our favorite outings is going for wine tasting and in such wine tasting sessioons I have observed people swirling their wine and sniffing it, looking very professional. There’s a reason behind this curious ritual. It involves all your senses – smell, taste, sight….

LOOK – Fill your glass about a third full with wine and hold it up to the light or against a white background. Check the color – is it bright red or deep purple? A wine’s color indicates its body and intensity, which changes from variety to variety. The deeper the color, the fuller the wine. Try it with the white wine too.

NOSE – The only way to fully appreciate a wine’s bouquet is to place your nose gently inside the rim of the glass, then close your eyes and inhale. Now, what are the first aromas you can identify? Do you smell fruit or flowers? Spice or smoke? How about chocolate? Don’t worry if all you can smell is wine – this step does take practice.

SWIRL AND NOSE AGAIN – Don’t overfill your glass – you must be able to swirl it without spilling it (this would not impress your host!).  Experts also hold teh glass by teh stem so their hand doesn’t affect the wine’s temperature. Gently swirl the wine around the glass tehn nose it again. Notice anything different? Swirling allows air to mingle with the wine, the motion releases more vibrant aromas.

SIP – At last, it’s time to taste teh wine. Tale a sip and swish it around in your mouth for a few seconds, taking in a bit of air at the same time. As teh wine lingers on your tongue, it will begin to taste as delicios as it smelled.

MATCHING FOOD + WINE
It is commonly known rule to pair red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat
BALANCING ACT
Finding a perfect match of food and wine enhances the flavour of both. Start with the strongest flavour in the dish you’re serving then choose a wine taht either contrasts or compliments teh food/ For example, contrast a spicy dish with a sweet wine, or complement a hearty dish with a full-bodied wine.
TAME HEAT WITH SWEET
For hot spicy dishes, select sweeter white wine such as an off-dry Riesling to contrast teh spice and cleanse the palate.
FLAVOUR WITH FLAVOUR – Pair strong, full-flavoured foods such as barbequed ribs with a ripe, fruit driven wine such as Shiraz.

BODY & WEIGHT – Match teh density of teh food with the weight of the wine. For example, serve a hearty beef stew with a big full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon.

INSPIRED BY COUNTRY – when in doubt, select a wine taht comes from teh same country as teh food you are serving, for example Italian red with a rich, meaty lasagna.

TRUST YOUR TASTEBUDS – At teh end of the day, trust your taste buds. While wine can enhance certain foods, there is no wrong way of matching food and wine. Always choose a wine you like.

RAISE A GLASS – THE PERFECT PAIR – There are two basic kinds of styles to get started: one for reds and one for whites.

THE RED WINE GLASS – BIGGER IS BETTER – Choose a clear 14 oz thin-walled glass with  a round bowl. a large bowl lets you swirl the wine without spilling – mixing air with wine, to bring out its rich, complex flavor.

THE WHITE WINE GLASS – COOL AND COLLECTED – White wine glasses should be more elongated in shape to concentrate the wine’s delicate aroma.