The Five 'S' Steps in Wine Tasting - Part 2 of 2

Alright......as promised below are the last two steps in wine tasting.

Step #4 Sip

As you take your first sip of the wine, try to draw air through the wine or incorporate air into the wine. This act will oxygenate and enhance the wine flavour. The first sensation when doing this is actually a more direct smell of the wine through the olfactory receptors in your nasal cavities (retro-olfaction).

On the second sip you will try to taste the wine. Allow the wine to flow over your tongue from front to back and from side to side. The tip of the tongue detects sweetness, the inner sides of the tongue detect sourness and/or acidity, the outer sides of the tongue detect saltiness and the back of the tongue detects bitterness and/or alcohol.

Wine has three components: acidity, alcohol and richness/smoothness (molleux). Red wine also has astringency due to the tannins in red wine. Each of these tastes can be scored on a scale of 1 to 5. The goal is to create a wine in balance, where no one taste outshines the others.

Step #5 Savour

The final step in the tasting process is to savour. After you have swallowed, try to see how long the wine aroma (not taste) stays in your mouth. The persistence of a good quality wine can last many seconds after you swallow.

Now, go over your notes about the wine and decide if you liked the wine. There is no right answer for this question - except your own preferences!

So what wines will you be drinking this summer?