Wine Tasting Procedure

As a Food & Beverage Service Professional you need to know the procedure to taste wine. This article will give you a good overview on wine tasting.

For more Food & Beverage service tutorials and SOP check our training manual HERE.

Things to remember:

• The perfect measure for a wine testing glass is:

1. 6 in (152 mm) High.
2. Able to hold 7 fl oz. (215 ml).

• The glass is usually filled about 1/5 of the capacity for tasting purposes.
• The tall funnel shape is designed to hold aroma or bouquet so that the taster can smell.
• Ensure there is a long enough stem to keep the hand away from the bowl since professional tasters often hold the glass by its foot.
• Arrange a thin glass for testing as the wine could be tasted vividly from thin glass.
• Remember the more watery and brown the wine, the older the wine.

Wine Tasting Procedures

Ensure the following things:

• Appropriate arrangements and guidance are provided.
• Wine testing glasses are clean, polished and spotless.
• The labels of the wine bottles are easily observable.
• A verdict form is to mark off each section is handed out.
• The waiter must be professional and efficient.
• The look of a wine must be able to describe:

1. It’s vintage.
2. Hint at the grape.
3. Origin.

• Tip the glass away from you to give a first look to ensure:

1. Perfect color.
2. Clearness.
3. Visual texture of the wine.

• Look at the rim of the liquid by keeping it on a piece of white paper.

Swirl

• To remove any unwanted odor, forcefully swirl the wine around the glass for a moment.
• Continue to swirl the wine to volatize its aroma.

There are two types of processes for testing:

1. Vertical: To taste same wine from different Vintages.
2. Horizontal: To taste different wines of the same type in a single vintage.

Remember while testing

The ideal conditions for a testing should be:

• Clean.
• Well lit place without the Suggestive power of Atmosphere.
• No smell of wine barrels.
• Away from friendly gossip.
• Do not contain the chunk of cheese, ham, salami or bread.

Sniff

• You must sniff a wine before tasting which can tell you more about a wine than anything else.
• While sniffing, concentrate only in sniffing since first impressions are crucial and vital.
• To determine whether the wines fresh and clean, take one long sniff or a few brief ones.

Sip

• Take a liberal sip, a third of a mouthful, suck air between your teeth and through the liquid and “Chew” it so that it can reaches all parts of your mouth.
• Hold the wine in your mouth for a little longer so that you can realize as much flavor as possible.
• Concentrate on the flavor to identify is there just one flavor, or do several contribute to a “complex” overall effect.
• And then focus on the texture of the wine.
• The final verdict comes if the volatile compounds rise into the upper nasal cavity.

Spit

• Spit a wine out to get rid of a lengthy tasting.
• If you want to have the tasting for long time then do not spit.