Wine Tasting can be a pleasurable experience, and also quite fun. However,  a lot of people tend to be afraid, because they don’t know exactly how to do it, nor how to act on a wine tasting event. There is no big secret to wine tasting, only some key things to keep in mind.

When it comes to etiquette, ladies are usually served before the gentlemen. Often, Wine Tasting Events offer bottled water. You use this to rinse you mouth between each tasting, so your palate is clean. Crackers without taste and salt are also common, to help with the rinsing as well. Always pick up your wine glass by the stem. Holding the glass in any other way will heat the wine, and alter the taste. Powerful perfumes and colognes are not recommended as they have an affect on the smell for you and for the guests. Avoid smoking, gum and mints before and during a wine tasting event to be able to completely lose yourself to the aromas of the wine.

The color of a wine says a great deal of things about it. When attending Wine Tasting Parties, it is necessary to have clean transparent glasses. A smart tip is to cover the table with white table cloth, so you can see the color more clearly. Don’t get fooled by the wine names. For example, white wines are not white in color. They can be anything from brown to yellow. Red wines range in color from a light pale red color, to a more dark brown red and usually becomes paler with age. Sometimes, but now always, the color of the wine can tell about it’s flavor and aroma, and what kind of grapes were used. You may be able to tell the age of a red wine by doing a rim test. Tilt the glass slightly towards the rim of the wine glass and watch the wine. If the red wine color is purple, it is usually a young wine. If the color of the red wine is brown, it is an older wine.

Often, when you se wine tasters, they swirl the wine in the glass before they taste it. The swirling helps with opening the wine, bringing all the flavor out. Remember that the wine was bottled a long time ago, anywhere between 6 months to several years. When you swirl the wine, you release all of the flavors that have been hiding throughout the wine storage. It is much in the same way that when you are cooking at home, you stir the food to blend the flavors and spices.

There are other aspects of wine tasting than the color. The next important sense is your smell. After swirling, this is the next step in the tasting process. You have probably often seen people smelling their wine, and wondering why they do it. Smell is an important part of the tasting sense, they are both connected. Scientists have found that perhaps as much as 75% of what we taste is based on what we smell first. You can smell your wine one of two ways: taking a small whiff to get an idea of how the wine smells, then a deeper whiff or take one deep whiff. Take a minute to think about the smell. You want to give yourself time between the smelling and tasting so as to explore what you just smelled.

Lastly, you will need to know how to taste the wine properly. The taste buds are located both at the front and back of your tongue. These taste buds can detect bitter, salty, sweet, and sour flavors, and there are some that are more sensitive than others. Here are the 3 steps of tasting a wine: the first impression, the taste, and the aftertaste. The first impression occurs when you take your first drink and the wine hits and surrounds your taste buds. This awakens your sense of tasting. Now, it is time to swish the wine around in your mouth for a little while, to let all your taste buds discover the full flavor of the wine. Think about what the wine tastes like, and enjoy the experience. Is it light or heavy? Is the smooth or harsh? The aftertaste is the sensation that remains in your mouth after swallowing the wine. How long did it last and was it pleasant?

Before going to a wine tasting, you will feel more comfortable to read about the different types of wines, wine characteristics and classifications. This will give you a better idea of what to look for as far as flavor and taste. So the next time someone invites you to  wine tasting events; don’t fear it, but embrace it. You may be missing a great oppurtunity!