Some people just don’t realise that a good bottle of wine does not have to cost a fortune and it doesn’t need to be a certain number of years old. You can, if you know what you’re doing, pick up some great tasting wines at great prices. We’ve all heard of or have some vague idea of swirling, sniffing and sipping the wine but we may not know exactly what it is that we are looking for. There is a lot more to know other than the three stages above, it is important for you to be able to tell if a wine is really worth spending your money on. You will be able to find some great wine in bottle shops, they will also be able to help in your selection. Here are some expert tips for testing if a bottle of wine is a good one.
Take a look at the label
We’re not talking about the appearance here, we’re talking about the information provided. Don’t be dazzled by some fancy designs or attractive labels when you are trying to make an informed decision. You should read the labels, check for any notable awards or maybe even reviews that might be published on there.
The Smell
This is when the good old fashion swirl and sniff comes into play, you should do the two most basic wine tasting rules as the send part of your test. When you swirl the glass you will be able to see how it reacts, the way it drips along the side of the glass will give a clue to the alcohol content of the wine. A general and simple rule about the sniff testing is that the more things you can smell the better the wine is likely to be.
Let your tongue do the work
Your tongue is the best thing to use when testing the taste of the wine, don’t worry you don’t have to stick your tongue into the glass. All you need to do is to take a sip of the wine and let it surround your tongue inside your mouth. You should try to guess what type of flavours that you can identify from the wine. Once you have swelled the wine, the longer the wine stays on your tongue then the better the wine is. If the taste lingers on your taste buds then you know you are onto a winner.
Take note of the year
It is always important to note the digits on the cork. If you do some research you will be able to find out what year is good for each wine region. They can predict good years by taking a look at the weather and climate in a particular year. There are a lot of wines out there that are produced to be consumed when they are young, you don’t always have to by a vintage wine to get a great bottle.