1
Match the glassware to the wine.
Stemware/drinkware comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. The more experienced wine drinkers and connoisseurs often enjoy wines out of stemware or bulbs that are tailor-made for a specific varietal. When starting out, the basic rule of thumb is that you want larger glasses for reds and smaller glasses for whites.
2
Know how wines change with age.
Wines have a myriad of components that can be generally categorized into aromatic or tactile. Aromatics relate to what you smell. Tactile elements include bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, tanginess/acidity, and savory elements.
- Aging will soften tannins, which is the bitter taste in some wines.
- Perceived Acidity will soften throughout the life of a wine as it undergoes chemical changes, including the breakdown of acids.
- Flavor and aromatic intensity will rise and then fall throughout the life of a wine, going into a cocoon stage mid-life and reemerging.
- Alcohol content will stay nearly the same. All of these factors contribute to knowing when to drink/decant a wine.
3
Remember some common flavors for different wines.
There are some commonly found tastes for each of the most common varieties. However, remember that the growing region, harvesting decisions, and production choices have a great impact on a wine’s flavor as well.
4
Know how common wine flavors are produced.
There are a lot of decisions a winemaker must make when designing a wine, and it would be impossible to explain them all. Some of the most common methods, and the taste they produce include:
- Malolactic fermentation (the natural or artificial introduction of a specific bacteria) will cause white wines to taste creamy or buttery.
- Aging in oak will cause wines to take on a vanilla, caramel, or nutty flavor.
- The minerality and earthiness of a wine comes from the soil the wine was grown in.
- “Tannins” refers to the astringent, bitter compounds found in grape skins, stems, and seeds as well as the oak barrels in which the wine is aged. If you want to know what tannins taste like, bite into a grape stem or eat a cabernet grape off the vine. In young red wines, tannins taste bitter and drying, but they get silky with age.
5
Try pairing wines with new ingredients and note how it enhances or diminishes the flavors of the wine.
With red wines try different cheeses, good quality chocolate and berries. With white wines, try apples, pears, and citrus fruits.
- Pairing wine with food is more complicated than “red with beef and white with fish.” Feel free to drink whichever wine you want with whatever food you want, but remember a perfect pairing is a highly enjoyable experience
