Ever been to a restaurant where you order a bottle of wine and the waiter quickly brings it back and presents it to you, then hovers waiting to see what you think? Should I drink it? What am I expected to do?
Wine and beer are remarkably similar in that there is a definitive process to get the full experience. It is a procedure done over and over, and the best part is, it enables you to get the most from your beverage. Now glassware aside (which is a whole different topic that can affect the enjoyment of your drink), different varietals of wine and beer each have distinct profiles.
Step 1 is fairly simple, and involves your basic sense of sight. Examine the glass in front of you. For wine, reds range from bright incarnadine to cherry red to a deep, almost black purple. White wines can be of various opacity, and range from a pale yellow to dark gold, with tinges of blue or green, etc. Beer too comes with a range of appearances, clear Pale Ales with a golden hue, sometimes those with unfiltered yeast bearing a thick swirling cloudy look, and dark beers so thick they look like motor oil. Depending on the type of beer, the head (the foam on top of the beer), may be large or frothy, or in the case of a flat beer, it might be minimal, potentially suggesting the beer is under-carbonated. Some beers have yeast in the bottle, which may or may not be meant for consumption, depending on the style.
The next step involves smelling the liquid. 90% of what is perceived as taste is actually smell, so this is an important part of the sensation process. Like any other scent, wine and beer have the potential to evoke childhood memories, and polarize opinions before the beverage ever reaches the mouth. Long deep inhalations or quick sniffs, everyone has different preferences for this. Since the perception of smell is dulled by just four sniffs, don't go overboard. Make sure to stick your nose deeply into the glass to maximize the full aroma. Is there hay? Peaches? Caramel? Oak? There really is no wrong answer, it is all about what you perceive. There are two different aspects of what is described as "the nose," the aroma and the bouquet. However, wine and beer differ slightly in this aspects. For wine, aroma derives from the varietal aroma (AKA the primary aroma) which is determined by the type of grape, and from the vinous aroma (AKA the secondary aroma) which develops pre-fermentation and during the fermentation process. Those that develop after this process (for example when the wine is aging in a barrel or in the bottle), are responsible for the bouquet (AKA the tertiary aroma). Accordingly, the bouquet can take time to develop, but can lend itself to increased complexity. An example, would be that the initial smell may be fruity or floral, but eventually might give way to the yeasty, woody, and buttery bouquet. Although beer may have a somewhat similar differentiation related to the time of fermentation process, with the primary ingredient (malt) contributing to the aroma, and the fermentation process developing the bouquet, hops in the beer tend to confound this process. The hops can lead to pungent scents like pine, floral, or citrus-y notes, depending on the varietal used.
Next, swirl the glass on a flat surface 3-4 times to allow the aromatic compounds in the wine to vaporize and to release some of the wine's natural scents. Similarly, doing this with beer is important to agitate the volatiles. Then smell again. It can be surprising how the aroma changes.
Finally it is time for tasting. The first sip is a defining part of tasting process, and can be described as a neurological process of differential receptor activation. The tongue is organized into a rudimentary map, and as various sections are triggered through ingested compounds, we begin to derive what we perceive as taste.
Is it sweet? Bitter? Sour?
Upon the initial flavor tasting, the next important part of gustation involves the mouthfeel, which is the overall texture derived. A number of factors can contribute including the viscosity, carbonation, the sensation, the chemical effect (I.E. astringent or sharp), the substance (I.E. rich or watery), after-feel mouth, and temperature. In wine, tannins can contribute to a rougher mouthfeel. For beer, this is the perception created by the residual proteins and dextrins. Is it dense and chewy? Light and fizzy?
The final component of tasting is the finish, which is the afternotes. There may be no residual flavor, indicating a crisp finish, or there could be a lingering flavor. Sometimes this finish may be completely different from the original taste, and it may sit on the tongue long after the liquid has been consumed.
There really are no wrong answers about what you taste in wine and beer, and everyone has their own preferences. However, there are some common descriptors that frequently emerge.
For red wine: Plum, cherry, blackberry, raspberry, currant, chocolate, raisin, fig, pepper, clove, tobacco, licorice, leather, mocha, and smoke
For white wine: Green apples, apricot, grapefruit, lemon, lychee, mango, butter, honey, vanilla, lime, banana, and pear
With beer this is far less clear cut, as it really depends on the style. Some examples of this are hefeweizens often taste like banana, stouts typically have coffee or cocoa notes, and IPAs frequently are citrus-y. Again, though none of these descriptors are absolute, and it really just depends on the varietals used to produce the beverage, the fermentation method, and the aging process.
So what to say when the waiter presents the wine? Well use the process described above and be weary of dank or musty wines (suggesting a bad cork and in which case send it back), but otherwise, just enjoy! Wine and beer tasting can be really enjoyable, and while there is no guarantee that you will like everything you try, the only way to learn your favorites is to experiment.
Wine and beer are remarkably similar in that there is a definitive process to get the full experience. It is a procedure done over and over, and the best part is, it enables you to get the most from your beverage. Now glassware aside (which is a whole different topic that can affect the enjoyment of your drink), different varietals of wine and beer each have distinct profiles.
Step 1 is fairly simple, and involves your basic sense of sight. Examine the glass in front of you. For wine, reds range from bright incarnadine to cherry red to a deep, almost black purple. White wines can be of various opacity, and range from a pale yellow to dark gold, with tinges of blue or green, etc. Beer too comes with a range of appearances, clear Pale Ales with a golden hue, sometimes those with unfiltered yeast bearing a thick swirling cloudy look, and dark beers so thick they look like motor oil. Depending on the type of beer, the head (the foam on top of the beer), may be large or frothy, or in the case of a flat beer, it might be minimal, potentially suggesting the beer is under-carbonated. Some beers have yeast in the bottle, which may or may not be meant for consumption, depending on the style.
The next step involves smelling the liquid. 90% of what is perceived as taste is actually smell, so this is an important part of the sensation process. Like any other scent, wine and beer have the potential to evoke childhood memories, and polarize opinions before the beverage ever reaches the mouth. Long deep inhalations or quick sniffs, everyone has different preferences for this. Since the perception of smell is dulled by just four sniffs, don't go overboard. Make sure to stick your nose deeply into the glass to maximize the full aroma. Is there hay? Peaches? Caramel? Oak? There really is no wrong answer, it is all about what you perceive. There are two different aspects of what is described as "the nose," the aroma and the bouquet. However, wine and beer differ slightly in this aspects. For wine, aroma derives from the varietal aroma (AKA the primary aroma) which is determined by the type of grape, and from the vinous aroma (AKA the secondary aroma) which develops pre-fermentation and during the fermentation process. Those that develop after this process (for example when the wine is aging in a barrel or in the bottle), are responsible for the bouquet (AKA the tertiary aroma). Accordingly, the bouquet can take time to develop, but can lend itself to increased complexity. An example, would be that the initial smell may be fruity or floral, but eventually might give way to the yeasty, woody, and buttery bouquet. Although beer may have a somewhat similar differentiation related to the time of fermentation process, with the primary ingredient (malt) contributing to the aroma, and the fermentation process developing the bouquet, hops in the beer tend to confound this process. The hops can lead to pungent scents like pine, floral, or citrus-y notes, depending on the varietal used.
Next, swirl the glass on a flat surface 3-4 times to allow the aromatic compounds in the wine to vaporize and to release some of the wine's natural scents. Similarly, doing this with beer is important to agitate the volatiles. Then smell again. It can be surprising how the aroma changes.
Finally it is time for tasting. The first sip is a defining part of tasting process, and can be described as a neurological process of differential receptor activation. The tongue is organized into a rudimentary map, and as various sections are triggered through ingested compounds, we begin to derive what we perceive as taste.
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| Courtesy of http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/taste/taste.html |
Is it sweet? Bitter? Sour?
Upon the initial flavor tasting, the next important part of gustation involves the mouthfeel, which is the overall texture derived. A number of factors can contribute including the viscosity, carbonation, the sensation, the chemical effect (I.E. astringent or sharp), the substance (I.E. rich or watery), after-feel mouth, and temperature. In wine, tannins can contribute to a rougher mouthfeel. For beer, this is the perception created by the residual proteins and dextrins. Is it dense and chewy? Light and fizzy?
The final component of tasting is the finish, which is the afternotes. There may be no residual flavor, indicating a crisp finish, or there could be a lingering flavor. Sometimes this finish may be completely different from the original taste, and it may sit on the tongue long after the liquid has been consumed.
There really are no wrong answers about what you taste in wine and beer, and everyone has their own preferences. However, there are some common descriptors that frequently emerge.
For red wine: Plum, cherry, blackberry, raspberry, currant, chocolate, raisin, fig, pepper, clove, tobacco, licorice, leather, mocha, and smoke
For white wine: Green apples, apricot, grapefruit, lemon, lychee, mango, butter, honey, vanilla, lime, banana, and pear
With beer this is far less clear cut, as it really depends on the style. Some examples of this are hefeweizens often taste like banana, stouts typically have coffee or cocoa notes, and IPAs frequently are citrus-y. Again, though none of these descriptors are absolute, and it really just depends on the varietals used to produce the beverage, the fermentation method, and the aging process.
So what to say when the waiter presents the wine? Well use the process described above and be weary of dank or musty wines (suggesting a bad cork and in which case send it back), but otherwise, just enjoy! Wine and beer tasting can be really enjoyable, and while there is no guarantee that you will like everything you try, the only way to learn your favorites is to experiment.
