Taste this Wine….Please

Courtesy of Frank Mangio
Drinking wine is easy. Fill a glass, make contact with the mouth and down it goes. What a waste. How can you possibly understand and appreciate this best of all beverages? Next time you get a request to taste, think of the five S’s, the essence of tasting, and you will get so much more out of the experience. Here they are…

Sight. Pour a small amount of wine in your stemmed glass and hold it by the stem. Focus on the color, intensity and clarity, while tilting the glass.

Swirl. Rest the glass on a table and rotate the wrist. Notice the wine on the side of the glass and the film it leaves. It’s called the wine’s “legs.” A thicker “leg” means higher alcohol. You are also aerating the wine with oxygen, enhancing the taste to come.

Smell. Get your nose inside the glass, close to the wine and strongly inhale. The sensations rush through your sinuses and set up the palate with the penetrating aromas.

Sip. Slowly drink in the wine, making sure your entire mouth is flooded so that all your taste buds are getting saturated. Let the fruit, tannins and alcohol work their magic by “chewing” and sloshing it around the palate before the 5th “S” comes into play…

Swallow. The finish of a wine can last up to a minute or more depending on its body and vintage. It’s a moment of meditation and satisfaction that only wine can create.