What to look for in the glass when tasting wine

Imagine you are in a winery in the heart of Australian wine country. The atmosphere is filled with the fragrance of oak barrels and, in front of you on a rustic table, there is a glass of wine waiting to be discovered. This is your moment to learn to read wine through observation, the first step to becoming a wine connoisseur.

Ready to get started? Let's dive into this journey.

1. Colour and Tonality

Think of the colour of wine as the first chapter of a story. Each hue and tone tells you something about its origin and age. Hold the glass against a white background and look carefully.

- White wines: Imagine a young Sauvignon Blanc. Its colour will be pale yellow with greenish reflections, almost like sunlight filtering through the leaves in a vineyard at dawn. As it ages, those tones transform into deep golds, like a sunset on a summer evening.

- Red Wines: Now, visualise a young Shiraz, with its bright ruby colour. Over time, this colour darkens and takes on browner tones, like fallen leaves in autumn, revealing its age and maturity.

2. Clarity and Brightness

The clarity of wine is like looking through a clean glass. A bright, clear wine is a sign of quality, like a polished window that lets in unobstructed light. However, some natural wines can be a little cloudy, reflecting their artisanal method and unique character. It's like finding a gem in the rough, interesting and authentic.

3. Body of the wine

This is where the magic starts to become visible. After swirling the wine in your glass, watch the "tears" or "legs" slowly form and descend. These tears tell a story about the wine:

- Light-Bodied Wines: The tears fall quickly, like light spring rain, indicating a fresh, light wine.

- Full-Bodied Wines: Tears fall slowly and are thicker, like molasses, suggesting a robust, fuller-bodied wine. This is the wine that has weight and presence, like a good story full of detail.

4. Colour intensity

Colour intensity is the preface to the book you are about to read. A red wine with a deep, dark colour prepares you for an intense and rich flavour experience. On the other hand, a lighter red suggests a more subtle and delicate story, full of nuance and elegance.

How should you hold a glass of wine?

Indeed, there is a formality to the way we should hold a glass of wine. Moreover, there are also formalities related to the shape and the material, with respect to the wine to be served. However, it is sufficient to start from the principle of holding the glass by the lower part of the stem, using the thumb, index and middle fingers to hold above the base and the others below. Holding it in this way allows you to move the glass flexibly, to oxygenate, view or taste it. By keeping your fingers away from the goblet, your body heat will not influence the temperature of the wine, an aspect we will discuss in another article.

Practical Example

Close your eyes and visualise a scene: you are holding a glass of young Shiraz, its deep ruby colour inviting you to discover more. As you shake it, you see dense tears slowly fall down the walls of the glass, like raindrops on a window. You know this wine has body and character. You are ready to smell and taste, primed by the visual story you have just experienced.

References:

Wiens Cellars (https://www.wienscellars.com/)

Overproof (https://overproof.com/).