Making Sense Out of Wine

You taste wine with all five senses.

The sense of feel is the first sense to deal with. It is very important that when deciding on the wine you have a feel for the occasion. If your Aunt Blanche comes over for dinner and she is of the Chateau Aqua Velva persuasion I would leave your bottle of '82' Lafitte Rothschild in the wine cellar. On the other hand if your boss is invited over for dinner and he is a wine connoisseur, you don't want to serve the highlights of your wines from the Passover Seder (unless of course you want to be passed over for promotion). Bottom line is not only should you match the wine with your food but also with the occasion and the people who will be drinking it with you.

Next is the sense of sight. Hold your glass of wine, (unlike beer a wine glass should never be more than half full), against a white background. (Don't spill any; generally the host is not impressed with red wine over her tablecloth). Check first to make sure the wine is not cloudy and then check the colour. Generally, the older a white wine the more it deepens to a gold colour and the older a red the more it gets a caramel colour particularly around the edges.

Now that you have brought out that bottle of wine your spouse has asked you to save and have spilled some on her new tablecloth, you want to kick in the sense of smell. Swish the wine around and put your nose well into the glass and take a deep breath. (Don't get any on you). What do you smell? Describe to yourself the various components. Don't get too carried away. I have one friend who describes the smell of a great Cabernet Sauvignon as "essence of Moroccan change purse." (I wonder what he does in his spare time)?

Finally, use your sense of taste. (Of course by this time your guests have probably gone home). Swish the wine around in your mouth. (Don't imitate the sound of Niagara Falls while you are doing it). Describe to yourself what you are tasting. Do you like it - why, or do you not like it - why. What would make the tasting experience even better, (besides not having to purchase the wine in the first place)? You may wish to keep a record of what you have found. There are a number of fine wine journals on the market.

Finally if you can get the senses of feel, sight, smell and taste just right when you finally swallow you should hear the gods sing.

One more thing, to paraphrase the great Michael Brennan, "Have you hugged your Sommelier yet today"?