The Art Of Wine Tasting

Summary: The production of wine in France is tightly controlled by two organisations. The Instituit National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO). This body succeeded the Comite' National des Appellations d'Origine after World War II and controls the hierachy of French quality wines. The other is the Service de Repression des Fraudes, which is responsible for seeing that the very complicated laws on wine production are carried out. On the French domestic market, every bottle carries a ca...

The production of wine in France is tightly controlled by two organisations. The Instituit National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO). This body succeeded the Comite' National des Appellations d'Origine after World War II and controls the hierachy of French quality wines. The other is the Service de Repression des Fraudes, which is responsible for seeing that the very complicated laws on wine production are carried out. On the French domestic market, every bottle carries a capsule conge', or capsule with the government seal on it showing that the relevant tax has been paid. It also shows the wine's quality status. You can easily detect a genuine wine expert by the way he handles the wine in terms of smelling and tasting it and not merely just drinking the wine. Anybody can drink wine but it takes a lot of experience to taste wine. Art of Wine Tasting. Wines have become a staple feature of every household during meal times, particularly when they are eating red meat. Red meats like pork or beef roasts are best with red wines. On the other hand, white meats like fish and chicken are better with white whine. There are a thousand and one varieties, or type of wines depending on the vineyard where they were grown as well as the type of grapes they are made of. It takes experience and a real romance with wine to be able to distinguish its characteristics just by smelling and tasting. Basically, wines that have been stored properly should taste smooth. Wines that taste off or stale are either not of good quality or they were stored improperly and their corks tainted. So how should you taste wine? Wines should be tasted by swishing the wine in your mouth, allowing your taste buds to perceive the flavor and taste of the wine. While the act of tasting makes uses of your tongue, a person's sense of smell actually does most of the detection. Both a person's sense of taste and sense of smell should be used when tasting wines. The laws cover the same ground as for AC wines but are often less stringent on yields and grape varieties. In on aspect, however, the VDQS laws were initially stricter. The right to the VDQS label was only granted after an official tasting. Now this requirement has been extended to AC wines as well. While the two senses are indeed very important tools in determining a wine's quality, the physical appearance of the wine is equally important. You can get a better look at a wine's appearance and color by pouring them in a clear glass and look through it using a white table cloth or other white background. If wines are generally red or white, then why do we have to study their colors? White wines are actually not perfectly white because their color ranges from yellow to brown and green. White wines with darker colors have more flavor and are older. While aging improves the flavor of red wines, this doesn't hold true for white wines which may go bad with time. Red wines that are lighter in color are older. You will be able to examine a red wine's age by tilting a glass with red wine, allowing some to settle on the glass rim, and examining its color. When the color of the wine that settles on the glass rim is brownish, then it has been aged. Wine experts also swirl the wine to observe how it moves in the glass. A wine that swirls nicely wine may mean it has a higher sweetness and alcohol content. While the taste of wine is generally subjective as it depends on a persons taste and preferences, wine connoisseurs follow specific guidelines in wine tasting. Being able to taste and smell wine the right way can certainly to the pleasure of drinking them. Take Notes especially if you are gone all day. Most wineries offer a list that will assist you on keeping track. When you get home to your local wine shop, you will appreciate having a cheat sheet.