Tasting Wine: A Step-by-Step Guide
Professional tasters prefer a day-lit, odour-free room with white walls and table-tops to allow for optimum viewing of a wine's colour. However, most people enjoy tasting wine with friends at a dinner table, and don't worry about any possible distractions such as food or noise.
However you conduct your tasting, it is essential that your wines are served at the right temperature. If the wine is too cold, you won't be able to taste it. If it is too warm, it will seem out of balance: a white wine may seem too sweet, whilst a red wine will taste too acidic or alcoholic.
Blind tasting is carried out by concealing the wine's identity. This eliminates any pre-conceived judgements that might be made about the wine, based on its bottle or label.
