Fermentations - Evaluating a Wine

Most people who are just beginning to drink wine will observe other restaurant patrons following some ritual before they drink their wine. Most commonly, the person who ordered the wine in a restaurant is expected to follow this ritual before the wine steward will pour wine into everyone’s glass. For serious oenophiles, this is part of the wine culture and a showing of proper wine etiquette. We call this process "wine evaluation," which can be broken down into three distinct activities – Sight, Smell, and Taste.

SIGHT
Tilt your glass of wine over a white paper or serviette and observe the color of the wine.    The following 3 characteristics will be used to describe the color of the wine: 
         
Color Depth:
Watery, pale, medium, deep, dark

Color Hue:
- White Wine: Greenish, yellow, straw yellow, gold, amber

- Red Wine: Purple-red, ruby, garnet, brick, brown

- Rose Wine: Pink, salmon, orange

Clarity:
Clear, slight haze, dull, cloudy

AROMA/BOUQUET
Swirl the wine in the glass to fill the bowl with vapors and take three slight sniffs waiting about 3-4 seconds between each sniff. Your body only allows about 10% of your olfactory nerves to be operating at any one time so you have to fool your brain into opening all 100% so you can truly smell the wine; hence the 3 sniffs. Use the following 2 characteristics to describe the smell of the wine:   
                                                  
Aroma Intensity:
Weak, moderate, aromatic, powerful

Aroma Development:
Youthful, some age, aged

TASTE
Swish the wine all around the inside of your mouth and swallow. Sweetness is detected on the tip of your tongue. The acidity is detected on the left and right back of your tongue. Tannin (astringency or oakiness) is detected in the center of the back of your tongue. The length is determined by counting the seconds the flavor dwells in your mouth after you swallow the wine. Use the following 7 characteristics to describe the taste of the wine:                                                                          

Sweetness:
Very dry, dry, medium dry, medium sweet, very sweet

Tannin Level:
None, weak, medium, high               
             
Tannin Type:
Soft, astringent, hard,

Acidity:
Flabby, smooth, refreshing, lively, tart, excessive

Body:
Light (watery), medium, full bodied

Balance:
Unbalanced, good, very well balanced, perfect

After Taste/Finish/Length:
Short (< 3 sec), medium (4-5), long (5-7), Very long (>8 sec)           

It takes a lot of practice to develop your evaluation skill but it can be learned with time and patience using the guidelines above. The more you practice the better you will become. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what you think of the wine when you pour it into a glass and try it. Your overall impression may be undrinkable, poor, acceptable, very good, or outstanding. After all, it is your palate that matters. You know what you like, and now you have tools to describe it to a good wine merchant when shopping for wines.

Cheers!

Next time: Food and wine pairings

- Chuck Blethen, Vigneron in Residence, Black Mountain Oasis Vineyard, Scottsdale, AZ

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