Valentine's Vineyard Tour & Wine Tasting

How to Judge Wine's Colour, Aroma, Taste

Looking for something to do on Valentine's Day? Wine tasting is a great way to get out of the house and try something fun with your partner or even just a close friend! Many cities have small, locally run wineries and wine experts that host fairly inexpensive wine tastings.

It's a great opportunity to try something different while supporting local vineyards and businesses. Remember this step-by-step guide to wine tasting and your date will be impressed! Often a wine tasting will start out with a tour of the vineyard and distilling equipment. This may depend on the season, so dress for the weather just in case.

Wine Colour and Clarity

Tilt the glass of wine and look for cloudiness or bits floating in the wine, which would indicate less clarity. Next, look at the wine colour as the edges will look different than the middle. White wines can be pale, yellow, gold, or brown, and red wines can purple, ruby, brick red, or brown. The colour depends on what kind of grapes were used, how long they were left to ferment, the acidity of the grapes, and the vintage.

Identify Wine Aromas

Before swirling your glass, smell the wine. Try to pick out specific tones, for example, hints of floral, pear, apple, citrus, oak, or berry.Now swirl your wine and smell it again. This time stick your nose right into the glass and breath deeply through your nose. The smells may be more obvious now and it may change your initial impression.

After swirling your glass, look at your wine again. Look for the 'legs' of wine dripping down the inside of your glass. Wider, slow moving legs indicate a high sugar, low alcohol content wine. Thinner, fast moving legs, or quick evaporation and no legs, indicates a low sugar, high alcohol content wine.

Critiquing Wine Tastes

Be patient while tasting the wine, and don't swig back half the glass on the first go. Take a small sip and hold the wine in your mouth for a moment to fully experience the flavours. Adding oxygen to the wine as you drink it can enhance the flavours, so as you are taking a sip, breathe in. This may create a sort of slurping noise, so do this gently.

If it's a red wine, you may taste berry, plum, prune, or fig or you may taste pepper, clove, cinnamon, or smokiness. If it's a white wine, you may taste apple, pear, tropical or citrus fruits or you may taste honey, butter, herbs, or earthiness.

Wine Aftertaste

After swallowing the wine, take note of how long the taste lingers and of your final impression. Evaluate the balance of acidity, sweetness, and tartness to determine a good wine.

On a side note, if you are driving home after consuming a lot at a tasting session, opt out of swallowing the wine so you are not impaired, or arrange for someone to pick you up. Instead of swallowing, you can spit the wine into a 'spittoon,' a container they provide at wine tastings for this purpose. Some wine connoisseurs, recommend spitting out the wine because, "The alcohol you consume will cloud your judgment."

Each person interprets wine slightly different, so the final decision is up to you. If you find a particular wine that you like, buy a bottle and bring it home to continue your date!