8 Basics Of Wine Tasting For The First Time

Wine is among the most popular beverages in the world. Those who enjoy drinking wine have acquired a taste for it over time. Generally, the more you explore the different wines available, the better you’ll understand the uniqueness of each kind of wine.

The art of wine tasting has been around for quite a while. Most wine lovers enjoy wine tasting as it allows them to visit beautiful wineries and taste various wines. Typically, different wines have different taste profiles. Therefore, the main objective of wine tasting is to explore these different varieties of wine created by vineyards and wineries.

There’s nothing complicated about wine tasting. So, if it’s your first time, you need not be anxious. However, there are a few basics you ought to know when planning to visit a vineyard or winery for wine tasting. Here’s a list of some of those:

1. Dress Comfortably

You must pick out the right clothes when going wine tasting. Yes, you may opt to wear elegant clothes on that day. However, you want to ensure that your clothes are comfortable because you’ll be walking around the vineyard occasionally. Comfort is perhaps relative. Nonetheless, you want to wear an outfit that won’t affect your mobility and confidence. 

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There could be an exception if it’s an organized event with a dress code. But it’s generally advisable to stick with darker colors in case you spill wine on yourself. Darker colors can hide wine stains better. Also, if possible, avoid wearing heels. 

2. Establish A Plan

Ideally, before you go to a wine tasting event, you need to have a budget in place. Going to a wine tasting place without planning isn’t a good idea. Without a budget, you may spend more than you can afford. Also, you need to know which wineries you want to visit beforehand. So, for example, if you want to visit local wineries in Kansas City, you need to account for logistics and fuel costs.

Note that most wine tasting destinations will have plenty of wine options. So, losing track of your budget during wine tasting could be easy because of the abundance of choice and excitement which could cause you to get carried away. Therefore, you must have a budget to regulate your spending.

3. Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask the tasting room staff questions about the wines they serve. You could enquire about things like wine storage and how they make their wines among other things.  These people are typically well versed in the wines on offer, and you’ll benefit from knowing the rich history.

Moreover, there’s usually a lot to know about the origin of a wine. Some vineyards have been around for a while. So, when walking through them, understand that you’re exploring places with rich histories. Plus, you may want to ask about how they grow their grapes, maturity, and other things. This shows them that you’re enthusiastic, and they’ll likely receive it well.

4. Mind Your Drinking Technique

This may seem inconsequential initially, but how you hold a wine glass matters. The reason is that if you hold it by the bowl, you could warm up your wine, affecting how it’s supposed to taste. Ideally, you need to hold your wine glass by the stem. Then before drinking it, you need to swirl it a bit to heighten the oxygen content in the glass, allowing it to breathe. This will enhance the taste of your wine.

5. Use Your Nose

Wine tasting isn’t only about tasting the actual wine with your tongue. The aroma of the wine is also essential. Smelling the wine could enhance the wine tasting experience because it stimulates your olfactory receptors. That’s why you should avoid wearing strong perfumes when wine tasting as they could impede your ability to pick up the aroma of the wine. It’s good wine tasting etiquette to smell your wine before taking a sip.

6. Eat Before Wine Tasting

Before you go for wine tasting, make sure you eat something. You certainly don’t want to drink wine on an empty stomach since it could cause you to get drunk quickly. Alternatively, you may end up feeling quite nauseous. These scenarios could mess up your whole wine tasting experience. Therefore, you have to eat something beforehand.

7. Stay Hydrated

If you plan on drinking a lot of wine, you must keep yourself hydrated. If you’re drinking more than one glass of wine, you want to drink water between every glass to prevent light-headedness.

8. Enjoy The Moment

If it’s your first time doing a wine tasting, you must observe the wine tasting etiquette as much as you can. However, it’d be best if you tried, by all means, to stay in the moment and have fun. Stop fussing too much about how the professionals do it. Learn at your own pace. If you make a mistake, don’t beat yourself up. You probably won’t acclimatize to everything in one single session. But make it a session to remember by having fun.

Conclusion Attending a wine tasting event or a winery could initially seem daunting for first-time wine tasters. But it’s not that complicated. You must prepare for the event beforehand. Call the winery if you need to enquire about the prices and dress codes if possible. Then establish your budget. Also, it’d help if you had someone like a friend or family member to accompany you if it’s you