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Tasting the wine
Perceive, identify and evaluate the characteristics of wine through the sense organs (so-called "organoleptic characteristics")... A practice that involves, besides a good knowledge of wine, also remarkable individual skills and sensitivity obtainable only through the exercise and experience.
Senses in tansting
Knowing how to taste wine and how to evaluate the nuances of color and aroma is definitely to better savor each sip.
Taste, smell and sight are those between the sense organs that provide better connection between the body and the outside world. External stimuli (relating to odor, color, flavor) are incorporated by specific nerve cell bodies located in these same "receptor cells" or "receptors" which are responsible for transmitting to the brain by means of electrochemical impulses that pass along the nerves.
The brain receives signals and processes them in the form of a certain color, a certain taste, a smell, that is what is actually perceived.
However, not all external stimuli are perceived by human senses, but only those of a certain intensity, that is, only those over a certain threshold, which is partly subjective; also, sense organs, subjected to sensory analytical work, tire with a swift, each time becoming less sensitive to smells and tastes, until they only perceive very strong smells and tastes, that is very intense stimuli.
That's why you can not properly taste one after the other several different wines, but after a few ones you should wait adequate time to allow tired organs to restore, by resting, normal efficiency and sensitivity.
Different tastes of wine
The basic tastes perceived are four and their various combinations originate all the other flavors.
The sour taste is given by the hydrogen ions liberated by acids; some have sweet taste, others sour, some bitter. Sour taste is felt only in the areas between the center and sides of the tongue, and laterally near the tip.
The salty taste is typical of sodium chloride (salt adds also some bitterness) and is perceived primarily on the sides of the tongue.
The sweet flavor is given by many substances, but more typically from sugars and alcohols; it is the flavor to which man is less sensitive, and is perceived primarily on the tip of the tongue.
Different groups of chemicals are responsible for the bitter taste, particularly alkaloids and some salts: this is the flavor to which man is more sensitive, and is perceived primarily at the base of the tongue.
By visual inspection we judge the appearance of wine begining to have an idea of its characteristics. During testing we also provide useful information for further tests.
The characters to consider are the color, clarity and effervescence.
Color
The color of a wine depends largely on the variety of origin, but also the nature of cultivation soil and the method used for winemaking.
The colors most frequently found in white wine are:
- paper white consists of a very discharged yellow (eg Blanc De Morgexj);
- greenish, indicating the presence of chlorophyll and is a color that usually indicates the youthfulness of the wine (eg Montescudiano Trebbiano);
- straw yellow is the typical light yellow, as straw, of many white wines (eg GAVI);
- golden yellow is a deep yellow (eg Moscato d'Asti);
- amber, is the normal color of sweet wines.
The colors most frequently found in rose wine are:
- pink is the color of thepetals of homonymous flower (eg Alto Adige Moscato rosa)
- The color called "gray" which is actually copper, such as Pinot Grigio fermented on the skins, is considered pink;
- claret, approaches the red (eg Gardone Riviera Chiaretto).
The colors most commonly found in red wine are:
- cherry red, is a color reminiscent of some cherries (eg Cerasuolo di Vittoria);
- purple red, is the color of young wines;
- ruby red, this color is found in many wines (eg, Dolcetto d'Asti, Barbera d'Asti, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti);
- garnet, is the tipical color of a wine derived from the Nebbiolo grape (eg, Barolo, Gattinara), but is also found in many other wines;
- orange color have this characteristic wines that were aged for a rather long (eg, Barbaresco, which is garnet red with orange highlights when sold and is completely orange after a few years ).
Usually the intense color accompanies a strong bouquet, sometimes rich in nuances, and full flavor; conversely a low color is typical of the wines with light and fresh perfumes and taste.
During the visual examination of color you should, also, control the brightness and intensity of color, slightly tilting the glass against a white background (eg paper), so you can capture the full transparency of the wine.
The color depends largely on the method used for winemaking, as the amount of dyes extracted varies with the length of maceration on the skins in the must.
Clarity
The new wine, just product, is generally cloudy, but then with aging becomes more clear by decanting.
A cloudy wine is not only aesthetically unpleasant, but also bad , because the substances that cause turbidity can interfere on bouquet by absorbing some fragrant substances and can overpower the taste buds and interfere with the taste.
A good way to assess the degree oof the wine clarity is to look through the glass the folds of the fingers, or a sign placed behind the glass: if the wine is clear, the lines of the fingers or the letters of the inscription should appear, by transparence, clear and sharp.
Effervescence
This feature depends on the amount of carbon dioxide, in the form of gas bubbles, present in wine; an abundance of this gas is typical of sparkling wines, and especially of Spumante.
Carbon dioxide, produced by natural fermentation of sugar or added artificially enhances the scent of wine, but during visual examination they considered for their aesthetic aspects evaluating the three foloowing characteristics:
- The texture of the bubbles, which can be very thin, such as points, that is a special characteristic of great sparkling wines, medium, rather large (the bubbles of this size are tolerated only to sparkling wines but depreciate a Spumante), or coarse .
- The number of bubbles, which can be very numerous, as in the finest Spumante wines, many, quite numerous, scarce (this is a sign of unsuccessful sparkling wine making or that the wine has been stored for too long), or very scarce.
- The persistence of perlage, which can range from very persistent to evanescent.
To capture the olfatory component of a wine, you sould bring the glass near to the nasal mucosa, which perceives the fragrance and then transmit sensations to the brain.
Olfactory inspection
The assessments of the bouquet of a wine is in three stages:
- directly through the nose, that is, through direct inhalation;
- indirectly, when the wine is in the mouth, but the perfume comes equally to the nose;
- just after swallowing
It should be noted that the perfume of a wine has many components, of various origins.
The primary bouquet is the scent originated from grapes; for those wines made from aromatic grapes is called flavor, while for all the other wines, it is called fruity and is typical of young wines.
The secondary bouquet, resulting from reactions occurring in just harvested grapes and continue during the fermentation.
The fermentation bouquet, which is given by substances that are formed as a result of fermentation, is virtually odor or fragrance called "vinousity". In wines that undergo a certain kind of ageing and maturation, new compounds are formed that arise, then, the post-fermentation bouquet; the bouquet is a characteristic of aged wine.
With the olfactory test we must analyze and assess in wine these characteristics of aromas: persistence, intensity, quality. Among the judgments that depend on olfactory examination, the quality of the perfume is undoubtedly the most important: as it expresses the degree of pleasantness perceived during tasting.
To better illustrate the idea of the different scents perceived in the wine usually we refer to known perfumes, such as those of flowers, fruits, spices and other odors that are commonly recognized.
We find, therefore, the scent of roses in Carema, Brachetto and Freisa, the smell of violets in Ghemme, Gattinara and Lessona, that of peach in Moscato, vine flowers in Riesling Oltrepò Pavese. A further description of the perfume can be made through the following adjectives: large, clean or true, penetrating, fruity, winy, spicy, ethereal, fragrant.
- large refers to a perfumee that has various shades and therefore seems to come from more than one substance;
- clean or true is the scent that did not have smudges or interferences;
- penetrating is a scent that is so intense as to be almost pungent (like some new wines);
- fruity is that scent reminiscent of the grape from which the wineis (eg Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Prosecco, etc.). and not to be confused with a generic "fruity flavor";
- winy aroma is typical of new wine;
- aromatic is the wine where the smell of grapes is highly concentrated as is found in Moscato and all the wines resulting from aromatic grapes;
- ethereal is the smell of an aged wine in which the fruity and winey perfumes have given way to new aerial and light odors;
- fragrant is a wine with a bouquet of flowers and fine fruits, delicate but also quite intense and extensive.
During olfactory analysis can be found also negative notes caused by various defects, such as the smells of cork, mold, wood, sediment, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell), garlic, evaporated, oxidized, vinegar, mouse.
All these smell depreciate the wine
The taste examination is the most complex, because it includes, in addition to the analysis itself, an olfactory analysis and various tactile sensations.
The gustatory inspection
This analysis will evaluate the taste intensity, persistence, the general flavor (ie sugars, acids, tannins, alcohol, body, and the degree of softness) and then harmony, quality and evolutionary state, typicality.
Sweetness and acidity of wine
The degree of sweetness and acidity of a wine can be defined in the higher or lower sugar content and acidity. In the first case is the wine is called:
- dry, if the sweet sensation is not perceived;
- sweetish if the sweetness is perceived separately (eg Orvieto);
- lovable one with a clear sweet note(eg Cesarese Affile kind of sweet ),
- sweet when the sweetness is the main feature (eg, Moscato d'Asti),
- very sweet, finally, is tipical of ripe wines and fortified wines.
Per quanto riguarda l'acidità, un vino può essere:
- flat when the acidity is weak, making the product's taste unpleasant
- slightly tasty,
- tasty,
- fresh when acidity is significant, as desired for white wines;
- acid, indicating the flavor typical of red wines just made.
The body of wine
The body is the part of the wine that is, so to speak, the physical "thickness", the almost solid consistency, white wines are generally weak in body, and red wines are richer, but in both cases there are exceptions with opposite characteristics. The substances that make up the body of a wine are: acid, tannin, sugar, salt, alcohol, colloids.
Depending on the greater or lesser feeling of fullness and texture that a wine transmits when it is tasted we call it:
- thin,
- light,
- bodied,
- full,
- structured,
- heavy.
Thinness is not always a negative characteristic, as the total value of the wine depends on the strength and balance of other components.
The softness and harmony
The degree of softness of the wine depends heavily on the relationship between substances that give soft sensations (sugar, ethyl alcohol, glycerin) and those conferring hardness (tannin, acid, carbon dioxide).
- Aged red wines should be soft, because they must have a good degree of alcohol, while the acidity and tannins should be more limited;
- young red wines seem harsh due to the high levels of acidity and tannins;
- dry white wines have instead the balance slightly shifted toward acidity, tending, usually, to decrease the softness.
Harmony is the typical balance that must be struck between the different components of wine and not just among those who bring softness or hardness.
Furthermore, it should be added, that the balance between softness and hardness can be, also, present at low levels (ie low sugar and low alcohol, but few tannins and acids) or at high levels, but in both cases, the wine tends to be not harmonious due to defects in the body
