You don’t need an expert, as it’s all there to be found online these days – all you need is a bunch of friends, some good bottles, a little guidance and the fun will bring itself.
First of all you need to remember the basic principles which include pouring small portions of wine each time – you need to leave enough room in the glass to swirl the wine and release the aromas.
In most cases you will know the condition of a wine by the look and the smell. If the wine appears cloudy then don’t go near it. I’m not talking about bits of cork: you can just flick those out of the glass and crack on.
Once you’re happy with the way the wine looks, the next thing is to smell it, and this is where you will discover if the most common fault affecting wine has hit your glass: a bark infection called TCP. It leaves the wine smelling like a week-old rank dishcloth.
The next thing is to actually taste it with your nose . Take a small sip and then purse your mouth so it looks like a cat’s bum and then draw air in rapidly to aerate the wine and release all the aromas which you then want to exhale through your nose (the aromas, that is, not the wine). Next of course, you swallow the wine. All that poncey spitting out is strictly for professionals and only then so you don’t get too tipsy and end up agreeing to buy a year’s worth of rubbish. So, what wines should you try for an entertaining tasting at home? First of all, start with whites if you prefer reds and vice versa, because as well as having fun, you should always try to get through a wine-tasting having tried at least one wine you probably wouldn’t have picked for yourself.
So, if we were tasting together what would the line-up be? I think I would keep the first social tasting to single varietal grapes as that helps you to develop taste references for the varying styles which you can build on later with blends. Here’s my suggested line-up:
Sauvignons are great for use as aperitifs for the latter reason and as palate cleansers. Much better than a mouthwash.
A good Gewurztraminer like this will definitely make your eyes water.
For the last red before the grand finale, a Shiraz would be an easy bet but as I said earlier, I like to make sure tastings are both fun and a learning experience so I would go for a pinotage or a zinfandel.
Now, for the finale! I like to finish with something left of field such as a really unusual sherry or madeira but a magnificent sweet white such as Klein Constantia from South Africa will also offer plenty of surprises. I’m going to stick with my old favourite though which is a...
Burra Brook Sauvignon Blanc, Australia: A fresh aromatic dry white with the distinctive crisp refreshing gooseberries of a classic Sauvignon. Marks and Sparks, £8.50.
Sanchez Romate PX Old and Plus Sherry: Quite simply one of the wines everyone should have on their bucket list. Treacle toffee with dates and soft sticky vanilla. Perfect as an evening fireside drink and quite decadent poured over ice cream.
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