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Wine tasting

Sommeliers tasting wine

The ultimate pleasure of wine lies in tasting it.
To reap full enjoyment from this pleasure requires only a moment's concentration, the use of three senses:

 - sight - smell - taste -

...and another moment to sum up your impressions of the wine:

German Sommelier-World-Champion Markus Del Monego showing how to rotate the wine glas.

How to taste wine

  • Holding the glass by the stem - to avoid warming up the wine and unsightly fingerprints (watch the Hollywood stars - most of them don't know about that).
  • Look at the colour of the wine.
  • After observing the colour, swirl the wine by rotating the glass in slow, steady circles (you may rotate the glass on the table, glass is filled not more than one third with wine.). This exposes the wine to air and helps to release the wine's full bouquet.
  • Next, sniff the wine. Is it flowery, or fruity, or rather neutral? The aroma should be clean and pure and at the same time complex, emitting scents reminiscent of apples, berries, peaches or other fruits, of spring flowers or fresh, green fields - each aroma is unique.
  • Finally, sip the wine and swirl it around your mouth to enjoy its full flavour.
  • In the same way, the aftertaste, or finish of the wine after you swallow, should be a pleasant, lingering sensation.
Former German wine queen Susanne Völker

Jotting down your tasting notes can serve as a very useful reference, particularly if you have discovered certain wines which you feel go well with some of your favourite recipes or meals.

Nearly all German white wines are pale yellow-gold, often with a tinge of green, with those from the Mosel being the palest of all, while the sweeter German wines tend to be a slightly deeper, pure gold shade. All should be brilliantly clear.

Water and tasting wines

Don't forget to drink at least the same amount of water as wine and have some white bread during your tasting. 

 

As a general rule, drink a light wine before a full-bodied one; dry, crisp wine before sweet; mild, dry white wine before red, but serve a dry red wine before a sweet white wine. Experience has shown that after intensive exposure to many tastes, the tongue is no longer able to discern subtle nuances. This is why wines are served in ascending order, from light to full-bodied, according to alcohol content.

Photos: ©Hofmaier.com, Text: ©DWI
Alcohol should be consumed in moderation, abuse may damage your health. The consumption of alcoholic drinks during pregnancy, even in small amounts, can have severe consequences to the health of your child.

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German Wine - Wine from Germany