A wine expert. There’s one at every party. You know the person: they usually have a small crowd around them who listen with rapt admiration as they swirl and sniff their wine and go into great detail about grape variety, tannins, and the best wine regions in the world. Part of you will roll your eyes, but another part of you will be envious of their talent. Face it: everyone wishes they knew a little bit more about wine. There is something inherently dignified and sophisticated about being a wine connoisseur.
But, it must be difficult to gather so much wine knowledge, right? Not necessarily! All you need is a little time, a little patience, and a lot of love for wine. Follow these steps to forge your path to wine expertise:
Learn How To Drink Wine
The first thing you need to do is learn how to drink wine like a connoisseur. You can’t just throw it to the back of your throat anymore; you need to take your time when drinking it and get to know it. That means you need to learn the 4 S’s of wine drinking.
See- After you pour a glass, examine the look of the wine. The colour of the wine will tell you about the age and the process of how it was made. As a starting tip, know that white wine will be darker as it ages and red wine will turn a colour closer to brown.
Swirl- Swirl the wine around the glass; there is an actual function to this. The swirling releases the aromas.
Sniff- Smelling the wine will help you to identify some of the tastes that you can expect. Take your time sniffing it and try to determine what exactly you smell.
Sip- Again, don’t just swallow the wine. Take your time and swish it around your mouth. What do you taste? What are the flavors?
Develop Your Palate
To know wine, you need to taste wine. Lots of it! The only way to really develop your palate is sampling as much wine as you can. At every opportunity, try something new. The more you sample, the more you will be able to tell the difference with notes and flavors. Remember- you don’t want to get drunk! If you are developing your palate, drink small amounts of wine (as opposed to glasses) and try to avoid swallowing it, spitting is acceptable. You only need to taste and smell wine to develop your palate. Go outside your comfort zone; don’t just stay with what you know you like. A wine expert doesn’t specialize in just one kind of wine.
Study Time!
Now that you know how to drink wine, you need to start absorbing as much knowledge as possible. Read books; check out blogs; read descriptions; listen to recommendations; attend classes and workshops; talk to people. It is a good way to learn the wine-tasting lingo. Becoming a wine expert is as much a cerebral exercise as it is one in taste.
Don’t Miss The Point
Unless you work in the hospitality industry, the point of becoming an expert is to have fun and maybe impress your friends. Don’t take it too seriously; you will take the fun out of it. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and enjoy the ride!
Of course, the best way to learn about wine is with friends. Imagine a wine-tasting event with your entire staff? Or how about a wine appreciation course with your best customers? At SommEvents, we can make it happen. We will pair your event with just the right wine. Whether it is a team-building party, product launch, customer appreciation, or just an evening with friends, SommEvents will make it better with wine. Some of our events include wine-tasting classes, chef-prepared dinners, and vineyard experiences. Whatever your needs are, we will match. Contact us today!
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