As usual, the famous month of January arrives, and along with discounts, chores and new beginnings, we accompany this cold winter with a lot of new resolutions. It is a custom and partly an ideal and for some, even a utopia, to propose a change or a new routine for the new year. Mastering the art of tasting and pairing may be one of those secrets that we always put on the back burner, but this year may be the definitive one.
From our blog, we propose a mini-training to “graduate” and succeed with these five basic skills. Let’s leave aside for a moment the noble art of serving, of choosing the glass, of aerating the wine, of noting our sensations, of distinguishing flavors and let’s focus for a moment on the basics, the most important. What points do you need to focus on to enjoy a wine tasting?
- To be sure of ourselves. Do you like wine? Do you feel that a previous score may interfere with an appraisal? We invite you to enjoy, above all, a moment of relaxation. You are not a professional, the tasting is a fun moment that teaches us a lot about the great food that is wine. The first thing you must internalize to master the secret of tasting is to be honest with yourself and your tastes.
- Moving from theory to practice. Do you want to master this art? Travel and get to know. There is nothing like wine tourism, or taking advantage of trips to discover local wines. On many occasions you will meet people to whom you will recognize a good knowledge about the world of wine, but in reality, everything is learned, and in many cases, they have traveled a path in the world of wine that goes beyond a glass.
- Knowing how to look beyond the bottle. In the same way that when you choose a garment you know how to investigate beyond the design (qualities, origin, utility of the garment); we are sure that when you pour a glass of wine, you already know more about that wine than you think. The view is essential, how the wine shines in the glass, the color, how the movement flows… Maybe it is a hackneyed saying, but more than ever in the world of wine… what matters is the content and not the container.
- Prepare your nose and mouth. Many times, the impact of labels, marketing, spaces… attract our attention so much from a visual point of view, that we forget the importance of “listening” to our nose. Just as hearing is not the same as listening, smelling is not the same as “sniffing”. Shake the glass, enjoy its smells and begin to know which wine and which grape variety you are able to distinguish and recognize. When you taste wine, you don’t need to spit, you don’t need a protocol. Just taste it…enjoy it… and recognize flavors.
- No one is born knowing. The Internet is a great source of knowledge, but professionals are an infinite source of wisdom.
