Wine tasting

A glass of wine like this, if it's any good, is a fine thing! So how do you judge whether it's any good? Because everyone knows that what tastes good to one person makes another frown. Apart from personal taste, how do you get to the bottom of a wine? Tasting!

The wine tasting can be confidently divided into three different sections:

Eyes, nose, palate.

These are our most important instruments for getting to grips with the wine. Our greatest wine critic is the palate, as it perceives both flavour and texture and thus reflects the characteristics of the wine.

Eyes : See

The appearance of the wine can say a lot about its character. An important factor in determining the quality of a good wine is its clarity. In addition to this, the colour and its intensity can provide information about the variety and/or vintage of the wine. The so-called ‘windows’ - meaning the residue that remains on the inside of the wine glass when it is swirled - can help to provide information about the alcohol content of the wine.

Nose : Smell

After the visual check, you can move on to the odour tasting. Here you should swirl the wine glass to release the many aromas of the drop better. The aim is to ‘smell’ as many individual wine aromas (fruit, flowers, spices, etc.) as possible. If the bouquet has a clean aroma, it is time to take a deep breath and let the aromas sink in. Characteristics such as freshness, aroma quality and fragrance intensity play an important role here.

Palate : Taste

Then it really gets down to business and the time has come to moisten the palate. First, a small sip is taken - which is not everyone's cup of tea, as it seems a little unappetising, but it helps the wine to develop in the mouth. This is where the texture of the bouquet can provide the first clues as to how the wine was made. An indicator of quality is the development of flavour from the first moment the wine touches the tongue until after swallowing. A long finish is a positive sign of quality.

At the very end, the wine is savoured in its entirety. One thing always remains true: it's only good if it tastes good. Ask your neighbour.