Wine tasting is a popular pastime in Melbourne because it allows people to try a variety of wines while also learning about different grape varieties and wine styles, as well as the complexity of selecting and tasting wines.
However, before attending such events, it is vital to understand some basic wine-tasting etiquette. Attending a wine-tasting event prepared to make the most of the experience is easier. Here are some wine-tasting guidelines that may be useful.
If there are more than thirty wines in a room, don’t try them all! If you do, you will have a scrambled intellect as well as jumbled flavour notes.
Spit because even a modest taste of a variety of wines will impair your mind a little. Even spitting contains some alcohol because it is absorbed in the mouth.
Do not rush outdoors for a fast smoke, not only for the sake of the smoker’s palate but also for the sake of the other tasters.
When tasting, utilize your intuition and avoid starting with the most recent vintage Shiraz/Syrah. Begin with sparkling dry white wines and progress through the white wine styles, from light to full-bodied. Reds come next, starting with lighter kinds and progressing to more strong varieties, with fortified wines coming last.
While tasting, eat some bread, dry cookies, and drink some water; it helps to refresh the palette after a few tastes. When switching from whites to reds, rinse your glass with water.
Do go in with an idea of what precise varieties you’re looking for. If you are a private buyer with a cellar full of Pinots that will last you the next several years, search for other kinds you appreciate since you may have some gaps to fill. And if you’re a shop with a stack of Pinot to move, the same goes for you.
While tasting, utilize a basic rating system. Taste the wines you’re interested in, then go back and revisit the ones you liked most and take tasting notes – and do the whites first!
If there are back vintages of wine on the tasting, taste age before youth. This is usually a good policy, though a winemaker may propose trying a new vintage outside of the usual order.