Home

Contact Us

Author Guidelines

Terms of Service

New Member?

Author Login

	E-mail this article
	Report this article
	Publish this article

Judging Wine Made Easy

.k., o.k, so you want to "hold your own" vs your
wine snob friends when it comes to evaluating
wine. Trust me, evaluating wine is not the "
rocket science" that some of your connoisseur
buddies would lead you to believe.

However, learning some basic terminology and
understanding wine characteristics will help you
in knowing how to describe the wines you drink.

Let's start with appearance, color, aroma and
bouquet. Wine should not appear dull or murky.
Nor, should it be cloudy. A clear wine should not
be flashing with light reflections.When it comes
to colors, white wine should have shades of
yellow, gold or straw.Beaware of white wines with
an amber tone, as this is an indicator
ofoxidation. A Rose can be a true pink, although
sometimes it is accented with deeper reds or
oranges. Stay away from brown tints of amber or
violet.The variety of grapes used determines the
color of red wines.Cabernet and Merlot may be
deep red. Younger wines typically have purple
edges, while mature wines will have bronze
accents.

The term aroma applies to younger wines. This is
simple, what does the wine smell like? Typically,
you'll detect fruit and grape odors. It may take
some practice for you to detect subtle
differences. As a wine matures, it develops a
fragrance when it comes in contact with the air.
This fragrance is called the wine's bouquet.

If your wine smells almost like vinegar, it ranks
very low in volatile acidity. When you swish wine
around in your mouth and it is refreshing, almost
giving you a little "zing,"the total acidity is
probably just right. A wine with a flat, almost "
soapy" flavor is too low in acidity. Sharp, or
sour tasting wines are generally too high in
acidity.

Some wines are supposed to be sweet, other wines
are supposed to be dry. If the wine you are
evaluating has a sweetness to it when it should
be dry, watch out! And of course, if the wine is
dry when it should be sweet, be equally concerned.
These are indicators that the wine's sugar
content is unsatisfactory. The term "flavor" has
to do with how well the taste and the aroma of
the wine work together.

The "body" of a wine is probably the most
subjective term used in evaluating wine. Words
like "density," "richness,"fullness," etc. are
all used to describe a wine's body. The type and
age of the wine will largely influence the
description of it's body. Light, dry wines will
typically have a lighter body, while Burgundies
and young Zinandels will be more full bodied. As
some wines mature, they may transition from full
bodied to softer bodied. The only way to
determine what "body" means to you is to taste
many wines.

Aftertaste is a term that describes the taste of
the wine in your mouth after you swallow it.
Quality, mature wines have a lingering, clean,
smooth aftertaste. Young wines typically are high
in acidity due to excess tannin, and can leave an
undesirable aftertaste.

So, now you're equipped with some basic
terminology used in evaluating wine. However,
when all is said and "tasted", the key point in
evaluating wine is simply whether or not you
enjoyed it!
About the Author
Michael Hutchins is a noted lecturer on wine and
a self proclaimed "party animal!" Noted for his
wit and dry sense of humor, Mr Hutchins is quite
an entertaining writer and speaker. His articles
on different aspects of entertaining at home are
well known both off and online. He created his online store
http://www.home-bars-and-more.com to be fun,"one-stop"
shopping for all your home bar needs. It's a fabulous
place to browse around!! Check it out now!