The visual examination

1. The wineglass should be taken by the stem so as not to leave any marks that may distort the examination.

2. The glass has to be tilted 45º over a white background, to see the wine's color and shade, that is, the different colors that can be seen from the center outwards (in good wines, there is a difference as the edges are clearer).

3. Take the glass in a vertical position to see its clarity against the light and the presence of bubbles.

4. Next, look at the glass from above to see the wine's intensity. Try to see the bottom of the glass.

5. Shake the glass gently in a counter-clockwise direction and check the marks on the glass's inside walls.

What to put in a tasting note.

Color is the first item to write about in a tasting note. Its tone and shades should be noted, and details about its viscosity (refers to the wine's body), clarity and age.

Olfaction

After inspecting a glass of wine, the adventure continues with the olfactory phase – assessing the wine’s aromas. The sense of smell is far better developed than taste in humans. Moreover smell enhances the appreciation of flavors, as we not only smell through the nostrils but aromas also waft up the passage at the back of the mouth. Try a little experiment. Eat something familiar while pinching your nostrils. Flavors seem to disappear.

Novices frequently find analyzing wine aromas daunting because at first they never sense the hundreds of notes an expert can. There’s no need to worry though, as everybody has the ability to detect different aromas and practice will bring rapid rewards. But you need to be prepared and willing to try a variety of everyday things around you. You may be surprised at how a bottle may evoke typical food, flowers, leaves, and even places, bringing back memories of far off lands or the perfume of someone close to you. A smell connects our entire being with a memorable experience. Another bit of magic comes into play at this stage of wine tasting; olfactive memory. It is instant, true and almost infinitely rich. Perhaps this is the importance of tasting wine in a relaxed setting so you can fully enjoy the experience.

Explanation

How can wine deliver such an array of aromas (ie spices or chocolate) that do not apparently come from the grape? The wonder of it all lies in wine’s remarkable complexity. A plethora of volatile chemical compounds are produced throughout the winemaking process, which have the same molecular structure as the foods or plants that you are familiar with. Experts have catalogued every possible aroma found in wine. This list of terms is a great relief for a novice who stumbles across damp straw or green peppers.

Wine aromas are classed in three groups.

Primary aromas: these are the most obvious, fresh and fruity. They are mostly from the skins and pulp - straight from the grape. Different grape varieties can be distinguished through their primary aromas.

Secondary aromas: are more complex and are the products of vinification. Here are the typical wine smells of fermented yeasts. Aromas become richer and more interesting the longer the fermentation progresses.

Tercery aromas: are the most mysterious since they come from physico-chemical changes as the wine ages, and more markedly during bottle aging. While these aromas are the most elegant and complex, they are trickiest to name or identify. The French use the word bouquet to describe just these aromas.

Practice: How to evaluate aromas

Not all wine aromas are given off instantly. Lighter, more volatile scents appear immediately, the rest emerge later. For this test, draw a glass of wine to your nose. Make sure the far rim touches the bridge of your nose. The idea is to cover the glass completely. You will notice the lighter fragrances at once. Then, after swirling the wine sharply, new aromas appear. A wine’s description is never limited to just one fragrance. Even when a single aroma dominates, all the lesser notes are included. At first it is difficult to pinpoint an aroma, in part because while you are sure you know it, (it’s on the tip of your tongue) you just can’t put a name to it.

So before checking a reference to find that a wine has an apple aroma for example, approach the job one step at a time:

* First, think about the general fragrance. It’s fruity.

* Then, close in on what kind of fruit it is. Is it fruit of the forest (berries), dark soft fruit (morello cherries or damson plums), light soft fruit (peaches or apricots), white fruits (apples, pears or quince), tropical fruit or others such as rose hip?

* Finally, practice will guide to selecting correctly whether the specific aroma is apple, pear or quince.