1, observe the label of wine.

The wine label is the file of a bottle of wine, through which we can understand the story of wine; Moreover, the design of wine label can also reflect the style and characteristics of wine (depending on the preferences of the brewer). Generally, the relevant state departments will make detailed provisions on the contents to be marked on the label of wine; Basically, the better the wine, the more descriptions there will be on the label, but it is not the only standard.

In general, wine labels will indicate the following:

Trademark grape varieties (proportion)? What is the year of brewing and packaging in the producing area?

Name of wine-alcohol content-special design of bottle capacity.

Name and address of brewery Name and address of sub-packaging plant

Note: For some professional tasting activities, relevant personnel are not allowed to know anything on the wine label before the tasting activities are over.

2. Breathing of wine

Before tasting, wine is usually transferred to another container, which not only separates the wine from the sediment produced in the bottle, but also allows the wine to "breathe". Because a bottle of wine stored for a long time is in contact with the air before drinking, in order to better show its characteristics; Just like people who have been in the dark for a long time, there is an adaptation process when they see the sun for the first time.

Generally speaking, according to the characteristics of wine, the breathing time of wine varies from 0.5 to 2 hours.

In addition, like fresh wine, there is no need to change the container, but it is still necessary to open the bottle mouth and let it breathe for a while before drinking.

3. Serving temperature

According to different product characteristics, the best drinking temperature of wine is also different. In order to make wine fully display its characteristics and bring the greatest pleasure to the tasters; Pay attention to the temperature of the wine when serving.

The following are the approximate suitable temperatures for various wines:

Rich red wine (long storage)? 15-20 degrees Celsius

/kloc-List of red wine (fresh drink) around 0/2 degrees Celsius?

Dry white wine and pink wine 10- 12℃.

Sweet white wine, sweet rose wine

Champagne and other sparkling wines are about 5 degrees Celsius.

At this time, a special ice bucket and thermometer came in handy.

4. The order of wine tasting

In the process of wine tasting, it is often impossible for us to taste only one kind of wine, and there are usually different kinds of wines that need to be tasted in turn; Therefore, in order to minimize the taste masking between wines, the order of tasting is also very important.

The general procedure is white before red, aged before fresh, and generally follows the principle of light before heavy, fine before thick.

5. Preparation of wine glasses

To appreciate the aroma and charm of wine, a suitable wine glass is essential. In addition to serving wine, the most important function of a wine glass is to show you its charming body and color, and at the same time let the wine get the best breath and gather aroma. So a good wine glass should be colorless and transparent, even and thin, with high feet, large capacity and relatively small mouth.

Commonly used wine glasses are: Bordeaux, Flower Ball, Paris Goblet, Burgundy and Alsace.

2. wine tasting

Tasting wine requires three senses: sight, smell and taste.

1, visual

The first step in evaluating a wine is simply to look at it, starting from the time of pouring the wine; After serving good wine, the sommelier should hold the foot of the cup at a 45-degree angle and observe it at a suitable distance; Then shake the glass and observe the state of wine flowing on the glass wall (wine column). The ideal environment is to observe the white plane in good light.

By observing the clarity, color and concentration of wine, we can initially reflect the characteristics of wine.

Step 2 smell

The use of sense of smell is very important in tasting. It captures and analyzes aroma more than taste.

After the wine stops pouring into the cup, you can smell it for the first time, and then shake the cup (combined with vision) to smell it again.

A good sommelier can basically judge the characteristic quality of wine after he has a good understanding of wine's vision and smell.

Step 3 taste

In order to confirm the sense of sight and smell and get a comprehensive feeling, we also need to taste wine with our tongue and mouth.

When tasting wine, you should drink a proper amount of wine, preferably with your mouth full, and fully stir the wine with your tongue to experience the structure and aroma of the wine; Breathing in through the nose can make the characteristics of wine more obvious.

Finally, spit out the wine or drink it, and then enjoy the length of the aftertaste. It takes about 10- 12 seconds for the wine to be drunk from the entrance.

Mouth movements

After drinking the wine, the tongue is stirred in slow motion, so that the wine is fully contacted with the position of the tongue, the upper jaw, the lower jaw, the inner cheek and the base of the tongue.

After chewing the wine with your tongue, swallow one or two bites, and then inhale some air into your mouth to make the wine more fragrant. When inhaling, the shape of your mouth is similar to the English letter "F". Inhale gently, and don't use too much force to avoid choking your throat. )

When wine acts on various taste sensitive areas in the mouth, we should concentrate on understanding and recording the structure (alcohol, acid, tannin, etc.). ) and the taste of real wine. ?

Retention time of wine in mouth

It depends on the quantity and quality of wine in your mouth. Experts suggest that the wine stays in the mouth for about 15-20 seconds. If the wine stays in the mouth for too long, it will gradually be diluted by saliva. ?

General procedure:

Serve wine (pay attention to observation)-observe the smell-shake the glass, observe the smell again-taste at the entrance-aftertaste-write a tasting record.

General criteria and precautions for grading:

There are several general criteria for wine tasting scoring, including 10 scale, 20 scale and 100 scale.

This paper introduces the score of 100, and the distribution of 100 is as follows:

Appearance 20 points-(color and transparency each 10);

Aroma score 30-(aroma intensity and quality each account for 15, which can be judged by smell and lip feeling);

Taste 40 points-(ingredients include sugar content, acidity, body, aftertaste, etc. );

Typical characteristics of varieties-10 (mixed wine is also applicable).

The grading results are used to compare and judge the grades of wine samples: excellent, good, passing, failing and inferior.

Third, the use of vocabulary in the process of tasting.

colour

Liquor: light yellow, straw yellow, green straw yellow, yellow, dark yellow, amber yellow, golden yellow, lead color, brown (the older the wine, the darker the color).

Red wine: bright red, ruby red, latosolic red, crimson, dark red, purplish red, tile red, brick red, brown red, brown red, black red (the older the wine, the lighter the color).

Brightness of wine body

Clear, bright, clear, crystal clear, transparent, dim, dim, turbid, with precipitation (suspended matter) and loss of light.

sweet taste

The aroma of wine comes from three sources: grape fruit flavor, fermentation and aging. At present, more than 500 kinds of aroma substances have been found in wine, and the general practice is to divide them into eight categories.

Fruit aroma: cherry, raspberry, strawberry, green apple, pineapple. ...

Floral fragrance: rose, rose, clove, lily. ...

Plant (mineral) flavor: grass, mushroom, granite, cream. ...

Baking taste: toast, roasted coffee beans, biscuits and tobacco. ...

Animal flavor: game, fox, raw meat ...

Chemical odor: sulfur, rust and oxidation. ...

Spicy taste: pepper, ginger ...

Woody smell: vanilla, pine, oak. ...

According to the source and formation of aroma, it can be divided into three categories.

An aroma (fruit aroma or variety aroma): it mainly belongs to floral fragrance, fruit aroma, plant and mineral odor.

Class II aroma (wine aroma or fermented aroma): mainly chemical odor.

Three kinds of aroma (mellow or aged): mainly animal aroma, balsam smell and baking smell (mainly tannin change or dissolution)

Odor and spice smell formed by decomposing oak components.

Taste and balance

Due to the differences in varieties and brewing methods of each wine, the factors that affect the quality, such as residual sugar, acidity, bitterness, alcohol content and aroma, have different feelings after fusion.

The words used to describe the wine body are: mature, mellow, soft, pleasant, balanced, stinging, bubbling, plump, heavy, light, meticulous, young, plain, thin, broken, bitter, empty and raw.

The above words are for reference only, as long as the method is correct and you have experience in the actual tasting process; You will be immersed in the charm of wine and get the greatest physical and mental enjoyment.

Attachment: Typical Aromas of Some Major Brewing Varieties

Red grapes

Cabernet Fran? Chocolate, blackcurrant, green pepper, raspberry

Cabernet Sauvignon? Cabernet? Sauvignon-blackcurrant, cedar, mint, chocolate, tobacco

Gamay- fresh, strawberry and cherry

Ganxi Gehenna-Pepper, Rubus, Herbs, Linseed Oil

Merlot Merlot-Rose, Plum, Incense

Black Pi Nuo Pi Nuo? Black-cranberries, roses, violets, wild animals

Syrah-raspberry, blackberry, leather, spice

White grape

Chardonnay-butter, apples, pears, herbs

Bai Jian nan Chen ning? Blank-apricots, apples, nuts

Gewurztraminer- fragrant litchi

Misijia musk-exquisite floral fragrance, refreshing.

Riesling-apples, oranges, toast

Sauvignon Blanc? The smell of white grass, gooseberry

Semillon-grass flavor, orange, honey, toast

Bai Youni? Blank-fresh and meticulous

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Different kinds of wine? With different shapes of wine glasses

First to third in the picture, tulip type, wine. In fact, the white wine glass is not very clear. Like a red wine glass, it has a big mouth and a curved belly. It is a habit of westerners to take wine as the table, and it is also common knowledge that red wine with meat and white wine with seafood. The difference between the cups of red wine and white wine lies in the different shapes of the cups. Because white wine is green and has a faint fragrance, the white wine glass is in the shape of a cup. On the one hand, it can retain the fragrance of liquor, on the other hand, it will not turn green in the mouth.

Champagne cups are also shaped like tulips, which are the thinnest and tallest. Such a noble and romantic glass can be sipped slowly and fully appreciate the pleasure of sparkling wine in the glass. The cup is slightly thinner than the lower mouth of the wine glass.

Fourth, pear-shaped, short-legged cup, brandy. Brandy cups are born with a noble taste. They are really designed to hold brandy. A mellow figure can keep the fragrance of a century-old nectar in the cup. Relax, let the temperature in your hand slowly warm this century-old nectar, and savor the delicious food on earth.

Fifth, the Shawa Cup is used to make sweet and sour cocktails. Adding special lemon juice to whiskey or almond wine, mixing it thoroughly and putting it in a Shawa cup really has a special flavor.

Sixth, the steady and generous old-fashioned wine glasses always feel a manly spirit. Because of this, you can definitely find fun in an old-fashioned wine glass with ice cubes that are usually used to hold spirits, an ounce of whisky and a little ice cubes.

Seventh, Colin's straight glass is much taller than the tall glass (similar in shape, thick in bottom and hemispherical in internal shape), which is why such a tall figure can make the cocktail taste different. Take Commander Singapore as an example. In Collins cup, the change of taste can be fully exerted. In addition, straight cups can also be used to drink green tea.

In exquisite western-style dinners, the table is often filled with all kinds of crystal cups, both straight and with necks, with different sizes, which makes people unable to start at once. In fact, wine glasses, like knives, forks, plates and bowls in western food, are all part of etiquette, but there are rules to follow and it is not difficult to master them. After understanding, you don't have to stick to etiquette, because the way to eat is to enjoy the food better after all.

Wine is usually drunk in a tall crystal glass. In ancient times, straight cups without necks were used, but now few people use them like this. This kind of cup has been used to drink whisky.

Hold the neck of the cup with your thumb, forefinger and middle finger instead of your body, so that you can fully appreciate the color of the wine, and the heat emitted by your palm will not affect the best drinking temperature of the wine. ?

Basically, most types of wine (red, white and pink) can use tulip-shaped cups, long necks, round bowls and narrow bodies. But exquisite drinkers not only choose different glasses according to the type of wine, but also the same wine. Because of the different origin and year, glasses should also be different.

Champagne cups are usually long and straight, and slender tulips can also be used, which will make beautiful bubbles have a longer journey, gather into bundles and float to the top of the cup.

A cup with small body and small capacity is suitable for drinking liqueur and port wine.

When drinking brandy, you use a short-necked cup. The curvature of the cup mouth is larger and the cup mouth is wider. Don't hold your neck and drink, but gently hold the cup and bowl in your palm, so that your body temperature can accelerate the volatilization of wine.

Some wines need wine (bottles) to remove sediment. The shapes of decanters used in different kinds of wines are slightly different.

A good cup is as thin as paper, as loud as a rock, and crystal clear?

The original wine glasses, usually made of wood, tin or other opaque materials, were originally made of glass, just to show off. But the mellow wine in the cup is really intoxicating by candlelight. Adding lead into the cup to make a crystal cup is not only pleasing to the eye, but also pleasant in color.

/kloc-in the 0/8th century, glass glasses with round bottoms and necks came out. The exquisite and elegant appearance made European aristocrats flock to it.

The original glass goblet is carved bronze, which is unrealistic. Paying attention to function seems to have only started at the beginning of last century. But there are exceptions-Riesling wine glasses made in Mo Ze are engraved with flowers to increase refraction and make golden yellow wine more crystal clear; Alsace wine glasses are a long green bottleneck, which is also to set off the color of wine.

What is a crystal?

The so-called crystal products are usually lead-containing glass. /kloc-in the British glass factory in the 0/7th century, lead oxide was added to the glass to lower the melting point, and transparent, high refractive index and heavy crystal glass was made. All-lead crystal (all? Leadership? Crystal is the most beautiful glass with a diamond-like luster. The name crystal product can only be used for products with lead content exceeding 30%, and it is called lead crystal in Europe. Crystal) generally refers to products with lead oxide content exceeding 24%, but Japan has not complied with such regulations.

Usually, when you say "crystal", you don't say how much lead there is. You should ask clearly when you buy it. The price difference between all-lead crystal and pure crystal may be dozens of times.

Cooking of wine glasses

A good wine container needs careful care to keep its best condition, which helps to enhance the pleasure of appreciating fine wine and in turn affects the real quality of fine wine.

The so-called best state is tasteless, dust-free and watermark-free. ?

The crystal glass "as thin as paper and as loud as a chime" is easy to be damaged, so be extra careful when cleaning.

Wash separately, do not use ceramic utensils, and do not put them together with metal utensils (such as knives and forks).

The cup is thinnest at the mouth and neck of the cup, and the bowl and bottom of the cup are thicker. So when washing the cup, hold the cup and bowl in your hand, and put the sponge with handle into the cup and wipe it gently.

The glass will not be too greasy, just wash it with a small amount of neutral detergent and warm water. If the detergent remains on the glass, it will not only affect the taste, but also hinder the formation of bubbles in sparkling wine and champagne.

After washing with hot water, turn the glass upside down and drip dry. It is best not to dry it with a cloth, so as not to leave the smell or fiber of the old rag in the cup.

When collecting glass glasses, you should avoid direct sunlight, otherwise it will affect the tension of the glasses.

Wine glasses stored in sideboards for a long time are easy to be contaminated with the smell of cabinets or wood, so it is best to rinse them with clear water before use.

The wine glass used for the first time should be washed with vinegar or lemon juice before use, which is worthy of the jade liquid and nectar in the cup.