Evaluating wine involves the five S’s:  Sight, Swirl, Smell, Sip, and Savor.     

SIGHT:  If for no other reason than to enjoy its beauty you should take the time to look at your glass of wine.  Remember the first impression a wine makes, like everything else, is its appearance.   Of course you can tell a lot about a wine by just looking at it.  The best way to do this is to pick up your glass and hold it away from you slightly tilted over something white.  Examine its color, and clarity.  Is the color a shade of Red, Pink, or White?  Does it have bright rich colors, which are signs of a youthful aromatic wine?  Does it have Bubbles?  If so, are they large and everywhere, or are they small and form streams that flow upward.  The small bubbles are a sign of quality.  

SWIRL:  Air is a wines greatest enemy and friend.  A wine that is exposed to much air will oxidize and turn into vinegar, but wine also needs to be exposed to air “breathe” in order to open up and release its aromas.  This is why there is so much talk about cork closures.  There are two easy ways to swirl ones glass.  Place your glass down on a flat surface.  Then hold the glass down firmly against the surface by place your fingers over the glass’ base.  Now that it cannot get away spin/swirl the glass around in a tight smooth circle making sure the base remains flat against the surface.  The second way is to hold the glass up at the bottom of the stem and swirl the wine in a tight smooth rotation while keeping the glass level.  Practice with water is recommended.  

SMELL:  To many wine lovers the greatest joy is spending time smelling and deciphering all the nuances of a wines aroma and bouquet.  Let’s face it; the sense of smell is key to the enjoyment of wine.  Who wants a beautiful looking wine that smells like gym socks?  Now before you plunge your nose into the glass, take a moment and sniff the wine about an inch or two above the glass’ rim.  Be careful, not all wine smells good - for example it could be corked.  There are two main ways of smelling a glass of wine.  Take two or three series of quick smells, or a long gentle inhalation.  On your first pass take note of what you smell?  Then on your second smell see if you can smell anything else.  Then smell one more time, this time remembering what aromas you already discovered, look even deeper to see if there are any other aromas.   

SIP:  Sip a small amount of wine in your mouth but don’t swallow.  How much depends on how much you can comfortably hold in your mouth while aerating and swishing, usually about ½ ounce.  Aerating is like a backwards whistle.  You suck in air through our lips while the wine is up against them without dribbling.  This is another thing I suggest you practice with water over the sink.  Now exhale through your nose and move the wine around in your mouth.  Take note of the wines flavors and mouth feel.  Was it Acidic – tart, harsh feeling in the mouth caused by excessive acid in the wine, Flat – dull flavor and character due to a lack of acidity, Hot - excessive alcohol content creates a burning, prickly sensation in the mouth and throat, or Tannic - detectable by a dry, sometimes puckery sensation in the mouth and back of the throat.  On a side note: the human tongue can only detect four basic things:  Sweetness, Acidity, Saltiness, and Bitterness.  So, all those flavors you are picking up are really oratory smells.  Now the big question to spit or to swallow? And YES ladies do spit.    

SAVOR:  There are two reasons to spit a wine while judging.  The first is your mouth will overflow with all the aromas the wines has.  Remember SMELL and how air affects wine?  Well your mouth is now coated with the wine which means more surface area.  So after you spit take a deep breath in through your lips and exhale through your nose.  You will be amazed at how clearer and more concentrated the aromas are.  The second reason to spit when judging or sampling a lot of wines is “alcohol”.  Wine has alcohol in it.  Now when you swallow the wine pay attention to how it felt going down.  Was it smooth, or have a slight burn, maybe it tickled?  How long do the tastes and sensations last?  Take a moment to reflect on the wine and everything you just experienced.   Did you like the wine?   

Repeat.

Anthony Fisher                                                                     anthony@bottlebarnwines.com