Quality wine goes beyond the mixes that you love to consume. Instead, experts use indicators to separate good and exceptional wine. Identifying great wine goes beyond looking at the bottle and reading its back label. Alternatively, popping out the corkscrew and pouring some wine in a glass will help you assess the drink accurately.
Whether or not you like a wine because of its taste, it boils down to preference. However, you must be objective in determining whether or not the wine is universally good.
That said, here are four ways that connoisseurs use to find wines of highly commendable quality.
1. Smells like delicious spirit
Wine experts notice the smell before everything else. Therefore, it pays to smell the drink before taking a sip. If the wine smells fruity or floral, it means that it is in good condition. In contrast, blends that feel like wet newspapers or cardboard are below the required standard. Chances are, the wine is already suffering from cork taint wherein the chemical compound, trichloroanisole, makes the wine smell undesirable. Wines with unpleasant aroma are still safe for drinking, but enjoying the experience is another matter.
2. Excellent balance
When a wine passes the sniff test, you must taste it to determine whether or not the ingredients blend well. Having too much acidity, alcohol, or fruit in every sip is an indicator of imbalance wine that will not be an enjoyable experience to consume. A well-balanced wine means that none of the components stand out from the other ingredients.
Drinking a highly acidic wine can make your eyes water, while a blend with excessive tannins content leaves a taste of consuming fabric. Fresh wines contain the right proportion of alcohol and tannins, which makes its aftertaste balanced and not overpowering. If the blend passes the first two tests, then you have reasonably good wine.
3. Going in-depth
After taking a sip, analyzing the depth of its flavours will help you guarantee the quality of the wines. Let the drink linger in your mouth and think about the other flavours that you can detect aside from fruit. You may encounter traces of nuts, coffee, or chocolate in red wine, making its layers of flavour more enticing.
Wines with deep flavours are not dull, and they change as you consume another serving. If different flavours and aromas stand out depending on what you eat, then you have a great wine regardless of the occasion.
4. The finishing touches
Swallow the wine to assess how long the flavour lingers on your mouth. You have exceptional wine if the taste stays longer. In contrast, the sub-par ones lose their flavour the moment you let it pass your throat. Meanwhile, you got yourself a quality wine if you can still taste it after ten seconds or more.
Become a wine expert
Developing great judgment for wine takes time. Even connoisseurs practised for years before becoming masters at their craft. If this is a skill that you want to develop, you must join every wine tasting tour that fits your schedule. Once you’re there, use the four indicators to separate the bad, the good, and the glorious wines.
If you’re looking to visit the best wineries in Mornington Peninsula, get in touch with Wilsons Wine Tours to book your tour today!
