Tasting and Serving Wine

To fully appreciate the complexity of wine, use all of your senses: sight, smell, taste and even touch. Use the four "S’s" guidelines for tasting: see, swirl, sniff and sip.
  • *  See and note the color and clarity of the wine.
  • *  Swirl the wine in the glass to release the distinctive scent of the grape variety expressed in the wine. 
  • *  Next, bring the wine close to your nose and sniff. The nose makes thousands of discriminations.  Try telling your friends what the wine’s smells remind you of.
  • *  Now take a small sip and hold the wine in your mouth.  Gently draw air through your teeth to direct aromas to the nasal passages. Note any tartness or sweetness.  Four sensations - sweet, sour, bitterness and salt - are all perceived through taste.  Temperature, tannins (astringency) and the effervescence (bubbles) of sparkling wines are also experienced through the sense of touch in the mouth.


Serving Wine

There are only two hard-and-fast rules when serving wine: don’t spill; and enjoy in moderation. However, these guidelines may help you get the most out of sharing wine with your friends and family:


Temperature
  • *  White and blush wines taste best chilled, but not too cold.  When wine is too cold, its aromas and flavors are harder to enjoy.
  • *  Red wines reveal their richness when served at "cool" room temperatures of 55° to 65°.  To help wine reach this temperature, place the bottle in the refrigerator for a short time. Again, don’t let the wine get too cold - cold red wines can taste excessively tart.
  • *  Like white wines, blush wines (rosés) and lighter red wines, with their lower alcohol levels, taste better chilled.
  • *  Sparkling wines are traditionally chilled to 45° or lower to slow the release of bubbles and encourage the fruit aromas to linger.
  • *  Dessert wines reveal their unique personalities when served at temperatures similar to those of red wines.