Using This Wine Tasting Workout To Become A Fine Wine Connoisseur

Provided By: Brix 33 | Wine Bar in New Port Richey FL 

If you want to practice using your new-found wine tasting skills, you came to the right place. Use this exercise to gain experience and develop your skills. As a quick recap, lets go over some four common aspects of wine you will be assessing when you taste wine.

Tannin is the compound in wine (and many other foods/beverages) that contributes to the 'dry' taste. When you eat cranberries, do you notice that your mouth has a slight dryness? That is due to tannins.

Acidity is the agent in many foods and beverages that contributes to a pucker. In wine, lemons are commonly used to increase acidity in order to make the wine less bold.

Sweetness refers to the level sugar present. Wine should have a balanced sweetness and should not have a concentrated amount at the bottom of the glass.

Alcohol is ethanol present in wine that has the ability to cause inebriation. It has a very distinguished flavor and has a strong effect on the taste/texture of wines.

So when you are attempting to train your ability to taste each of these components of wine, it will help to keep practicing with the same wine for a while. You will be adding these compounds to the wine so that you can see how it affects the wine. To begin, get used to tasting the wine without any additives. Then you will need to use these items for these compounds:

Tannins: Black Tea Bags (opt for cheaper brands, as they tend to be higher in tannin)

Acidity: Lemon Juice (concentrated is better)

Sweetness: Pure Cane Sugar

Alcohol: Pure Grain Alcohol or Vodka (high alcohol content)

Palate Cleanser: Saltines (other bland crackers will do)

Use these substances in the wine and taste the difference in the wine. As you do this repeatedly you will begin to notice how certain compounds affect wine. Use the crackers between tastings to help clear your palate for the best effect.

And there you have it, this is a sure-fire way to improve your wine tasting skills. By using this method, you will be able to understand the more complex wine-tasting topics in the future. Many other methods exist as well however this is a great starter-exercise. Once you've developed your skills we urge you to visit Brix 33 in New Port Richey FL for our fine wine tasting events every Wednesday.