Women Gone Wine

Do you enjoy wine and your friends enjoy wine?  An informal casual wine tasting can be a great way to spend time together and enjoy wine together. For fun, try a blind tastings to test your skills or you can just get together and sample different types of wines. Let everyone bring a bottle that they like to share if you decide to do this a home or, even more fun, take a day a spend it together visiting your local wineries (if you are lucky enough to live nearby).

You may be aware that many formal wine tastings do not allow you to swallow the wine. The tasting is simply to savour the taste, smell the bouquet and enjoy the overall experience of the wine. At your casual tasting you can feel free to allow your guests to drink the wine, but make sure that your designate a driver before you start driking. Also note that you may not get the full flavor and effect of the wine as you get deeper into the tastings.

Either way, you will want to clean your glasses after every taste and clear your palate as well with water or bland crackers.  Clean glasses are extremely important, as any residue in the glass will cause your wine to have an impure taste.

You will also want a clean white tablecloth which will allow you to get a good view of the wine. The white tablecloth allows you to see the wine’s body and any sediment that may be in the glass from an aged wine. Candlelight will also improve the viewing of the wine because it allows you to see the wine clearly as well as any sediment that may be in the bottle or decanter.

To decant the wine pour a small amount in each glass and allow them to breathe a bit. The more air contact the wine has, the better they will taste. You might also want to explore the difference that decanting makes. Taste the wine at ten and fifteen minute intervals. White and blush wine should be chilled slightly before serving.

Have paper and pens available so that your guests can take notes and rank their wines. You will also want to start with lighter and simpler wines and then move on to the drier and heavier wines. You will not taste your white wines as well if you drink the heavier and dry wines first. If you must reuse a glass, swirl some water around in it and dry it with a clean cloth so that the water does not dilute or effect the taste of the wine.

When you are ready, start by looking at the wine and observing its clarity and color. A wine is judged on its aroma, color, and taste. Hold the wine up to a light and notice the color of the wine. The wine may also appear to be clear or cloudy. Next, tip the glass slightly and swirl it gently. The wine flows around the glass and if the wine clings and dribbles down the side in legs or stripes which means the wine is medium bodied. If the wine forms a sheet, it is full-bodied.

Next, tip the glass and swirl the wine around while holding it a little bit away from your nose. This helps to increase the amount of scent that is available. Inhale the wine deeply and then move it away to keep you from becoming overwhelmed by the aroma. You may be able to smell specific fruits, yeast, grass, oak barrel, or earth in the wine.

The last step is to taste the wine. Take a small sip and push it up in front of your mouth and then inhale through your teeth. Slosh the wine around in your mouth and cover your tongue with it. Note the predominant tastes at first and then the secondary tastes that appear. Is the wine complex? Does it have a wood-taste? Is it dry or fruity?  Is there an aftertaste?  What kind of food do you think would go well with this particular wine? Most importantly, do you like it?

Take a moment between wines to rinse your mouth and take a bite of unsalted crackers or bread. This will help to clear the taste from the tastes of previous wines. If you hold a blind tasting, place the bottles in brown bags or remove the labels. Have your guests make notes and guess what the varietals and brands are.  See if they can guess a cheap bottle of wine from something more expensive.

So get together with your friends and enjoy a wine tasting.  It’s a great way to spend time and enjoy yourself.

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