Happy National Drink Wine Day!

“There is wine you like, wine you don’t like, and free wine.”
– Beverly Barnes, Co-Owner

Wine tasting can be intimidating and subjective but to me I will always see it as a personal experience. There is always something to learn, new wines to try, and of course those wines that bring you back to a special occasion or experience. Most of all, let’s appreciate everything that goes into the bottle and take a moment to savor.

So – open a glass and remember your senses are valuable tools and the more you take time to look, smell, and taste, the quicker you will improve your ability to identify and remember those aromas and flavors. This means you won’t just guzzle it down; but will taste it!

Here are a few tips on using your senses to taste wine:

Touch
I recommend holding your wine glass from the stem. Not only will keep it fingerprints off of your glass, but you will keep the wine the appropriate temperature.

Sight
Take a look at the color and clarity of the wine. It can give you clues to the vintage and varietal. I recommend finding a white backdrop and having good lighting.
Fill your glass about 1/3 the way up and tilt the glass away from you at a 45 degree angle.
White wines tend to range in color from pale straw to deep gold while red wines can range from light ruby reds to deep dark purples. If you are drinking a Syrah or Zinfandel the wine shows deep, purple colors where the Pinot Noir may have a lighter pale brick hue.  As a general rule of thumb, white wines will get darker with age while reds tend to get lighter. Wine-making techniques and barrel-aging can impact the wine too!

Smell 
Your nose is one of your greatest assets when tasting wine! Did you know that your olfactory nerve can register as many as 10,000 different aromas! Now the key is remembering all those.
One of my favorite pieces of advice from a winemaker was, “Stick your nose in everything – it is just pairing those smells to what you know.”
Make sure you give your glass a light swirl. Swirling is going to increase the surface area and helps release those wonderful aromas that you find in wine.

Taste
Take a slightly larger sip than usual and instead of swallowing immediately, hold it in your mouth for 3-5 seconds and swish it around. Think of the body/weight of the wine, the flavors that greet you, the textures, and the balance. Pay attention – does your mouth want to drink water? If so, you may be experiencing the acidity in the wine or if you feel a dry pucker – hello tannins!

Hear
Clink your glasses, listen to others and what they say. After all, wine provokes conversation and laughter. Enjoy!

and for the love of wine we added some more specials… https://booneswineandspirits.com/specials