Tasting wine doesn’t just involve the flavor signals that your tongue sends to your brain. It actually involves all five of your senses, and you should work to use all of them when tasting a wine.
“We start with the sense of touch,” said Dr. Vadim Putzu, certified sommelier, or wine steward, and assistant professor of religious studies at Missouri State University. “By holding the bottle we can tell if the wine is warm or cold. We want our cabernet to be room temperature, but our champagne to be ice cold.”
Next, there’s sound. When you open a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne you sound hear the bubbles coming up to the surface. After that is sight.
Tasting wine
“A ruby red color will most likely indicate that the wine has a high level of acidity as opposed to a plum, darker color which would indicate a low level of acidity,” said Putzu. “Compare that to a white wine, in which a green color is more acidic and a more golden color is less acidic.”
Smell is key in wine tasting, because 70-80 percent of what we taste is through scent. When it comes to actually tasting, the first sip is only for getting your mouth accustomed to the wine. The second or third sip will determine what the wine actually tastes like.
Choosing wine
When it comes to choosing wine, there are a few things to remember. First, you’ll eventually develop your own personal tastes so things will get easier the more you try wines, said Putzu.
“Second, think about the context,” said Putzu. “If you’re drinking solo, then you may want to go for a fruitier wine. If you’re drinking in the context of a meal, you’ll probably want something lighter from Europe.”
Lastly, and possibly most important, don’t trust a label when choosing a wine. Instead, focus on your personal taste and the context of how you’ll drink the wine.
WineWorld
Want to learn more? Attend WineWorld April 21 at 6 p.m. at Meyer Library to sample wines and watch the documentary “Mondovino,”which discusses the globalization of the wine industry. Tickets for the event are $15 and can be purchased at the department of religious studies in Strong Hall, Room 251. For more information, contact Putzu at (417) 836-4997.