Wine Tasting

A whole new experience

Welcome to our new blog series on wine tasting as we learn about the Sixth S which is “Savour”.

The first five steps, which were See, Swirl, Smell, Sip and Slurp have led to this step where you’ll take some time to savour the wine.  This is where you’re going to evaluate the finish using your senses of smell, taste and touch.

The Finish

The finish of a wine refers to the length of time flavours linger in your mouth after swallowing or spitting.

A long finish means the flavours persist for a time in your mouth. The lingering flavours should be pleasant but if they are unpleasant, there may be faults in the wine. If you perceive pleasant flavours for a very long time, you’re experiencing a memory rather than a sensation.

If the finish is short, it means the flavours disappear quickly.

Common descriptors for the finish of a good wine include:

• Balanced where sweetness and fruitiness are in balance
• Complex where the wine has several different flavours
• Intense where the wine is very flavourful but still pleasant
• Smooth where the mouthfeel is silky, soft, supple, velvety
• Crisp where the wine is light and refreshing

How to Savour

When tasting a wine, you want to experience it at each stage which requires pausing in between each one. You’ll concentrate and focus on what you’re trying to evaluate along the way. In this step, using your senses of smell, taste and touch gives you more information on assessing the wine.

To savour a wine, take a sip and hold it in your mouth to saturate your taste buds. You can even swish it around over your teeth and into your cheeks. Then either swallow it or spit it out and focus on the flavours, how your mouth feels, how long it lasts and whether it was pleasant.

Remember to take notes at each stage of the wine tasting process.

We hope you’re enjoying our new blog series on wine tasting and that the Sixth S has you intrigued to learn more.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels