The tasting implies the estimation of the color, the flavor, the taste and the tactile sensations – the temperature, the structure, etc.
The Color
The consumer has the first contact with the wine visually. The examination of the "clothing" (the totality of visual characteristics) gives us a lot of information. This is the first test. Whatever is its color or nuances, the wine must be transparent and calm. You have to estimate the intensity of the color and not to confuse it with the nuances-tones. The intensity of the red wines speaks much about the quality of the grapes and their capacity of maturation.
Some examples of visual estimation:
Nuances: purple, garnet, ruby, violet, cherry, peon;
Intensity: light, bright, deep, intensive, dark;
Brightness: lusterless, sad, dim, bright, sparkling;
Transparency: lusterless, turbid, dim (clouded), crystal clear, excellent.
The Flavor (the Fragrance)
The second step of tasting is the olfactory examination. Some damaged flavors are unacceptable: flying (easily evaporating) acidity (acetone, vinegar), the smell of the cork (the "taste of the cork"). But mostly the bouquet of the wine is always a new discovery. The quality of the wine predetermines the intensity and the complexity of the bouquet. There are so many ways of describing the flavors of the wine, since the words cannot exactly designate them. That is why people use associations, simplifying the group determinations from the following characteristic features: flower, fruit, and plant, spicy, balsamic.
Some examples of estimating the flavor:
Flowers, fruits: raspberries, black currant, cherries, prunes.
The Taste
After successfully testing the color and the flavor, we go on appreciating the taste of the wine. A small quantity of wine is taken and retained into the mouth. In this case the air is pulled and blown through the wine, which makes it possible to distribute it in the oral cavity. The wine is getting warmer, spreading aromatic elements, which are reproduced by the nose, because the tongue perceives only 4 elementary tastes: bitter, sour, sweet and salt.
Some examples of estimating the tastes:
Critical estimations: formless, flat, poor, watery, limited, heavy, thick, massive, rough, unbalanced;
Praiseworthy estimations: full, formed, well built, biased, balanced, complete (with the complete body), elegant, thin, rich, with the "raisin".
The Color
The consumer has the first contact with the wine visually. The examination of the "clothing" (the totality of visual characteristics) gives us a lot of information. This is the first test. Whatever is its color or nuances, the wine must be transparent and calm. You have to estimate the intensity of the color and not to confuse it with the nuances-tones. The intensity of the red wines speaks much about the quality of the grapes and their capacity of maturation.
Some examples of visual estimation:
Nuances: purple, garnet, ruby, violet, cherry, peon;
Intensity: light, bright, deep, intensive, dark;
Brightness: lusterless, sad, dim, bright, sparkling;
Transparency: lusterless, turbid, dim (clouded), crystal clear, excellent.
The Flavor (the Fragrance)
The second step of tasting is the olfactory examination. Some damaged flavors are unacceptable: flying (easily evaporating) acidity (acetone, vinegar), the smell of the cork (the "taste of the cork"). But mostly the bouquet of the wine is always a new discovery. The quality of the wine predetermines the intensity and the complexity of the bouquet. There are so many ways of describing the flavors of the wine, since the words cannot exactly designate them. That is why people use associations, simplifying the group determinations from the following characteristic features: flower, fruit, and plant, spicy, balsamic.
Some examples of estimating the flavor:
Flowers, fruits: raspberries, black currant, cherries, prunes.
The Taste
After successfully testing the color and the flavor, we go on appreciating the taste of the wine. A small quantity of wine is taken and retained into the mouth. In this case the air is pulled and blown through the wine, which makes it possible to distribute it in the oral cavity. The wine is getting warmer, spreading aromatic elements, which are reproduced by the nose, because the tongue perceives only 4 elementary tastes: bitter, sour, sweet and salt.
Some examples of estimating the tastes:
Critical estimations: formless, flat, poor, watery, limited, heavy, thick, massive, rough, unbalanced;
Praiseworthy estimations: full, formed, well built, biased, balanced, complete (with the complete body), elegant, thin, rich, with the "raisin".
This underground wine city appeared in galleries excavated in lime mining operations during the 70-es of the last century, at the depth of 40-85 meters, and is one of the largest wine cellars in the world. The total length of the galleries consists of 200 km, from which more than 50 km are used.
