From The Cellar

Whether you’re new to wine, or an avid wine lover, you may not know the importance of properly tastingwines. Having good tasting technique will help you get the most out of your wine and help you judge wines properly and consistently. Here are a few quick and easy steps to help you on your next wine tasting:

1. Notice the color of the wine and make sure it looks right for its age. White wines tend to get darker with age, while red wines lose some of their color.
2. After examining the wine, give your glass a nice swirl. Swirling your wine releases and oxidizes the aromas. Next, place your nose into the glass and slowly and softly smell. Wines either have an “aroma” or a “bouquet.” An aroma refers to the smell of a younger wine, while a bouquet refers to the scent of an aged wine that is past the fermentation stage.
3. Now you’re ready to taste! Take a small sip of the wine followed by a small breath. Then swish the wine around your mouth. Be sure the wine touches all parts of the tongue in order to get the full experience and flavor of the wine.
4. Next you can either spit or swallow the wine. Spitting is not necessary, but if you taste several wines at a time spitting will help refresh your palate.

Fun Fact: When picking the best gender for wine tasting, women actually make better tasters than men. This is due to the presence of estrogen in women which causes an increased sense of smell, one of the most important aspects of wine tasting. Sorry fellas but you can still learn!

Now that you are an expert on wine tasting, be sure to come by Messina Hof for a tour and tasting. We’d love to see you put your new knowledge to work. For more information on tours and tastings, click here.

Also, for the finest wine tasting experience, check our Paulo Premium Wines. Our Paulo Collection Wines are perfectly aged, rich, and flavorful. You definitely don’t want to miss out on this line of beautiful wines!