Wine Tasting: Palate
Once you have assessed the nose of the wine, it is then time to move on to the tasting. You can learn how to taste a wine by watching the red wine and white wine tasting tutorial videos.
We all have different abilities when it comes to tasting as each person is more or less sensitive to the different components present in a wine, for example, sweetness, acidity or tannin.
Taste is also complimented by smell and it is actually the nose that detects many flavours or smells which we are familiar with.
These components can all be detected in different parts of our mouths so by learning which areas of the mouth and tongue are more sensitive to different components, you will be able to recognise them more easily when you swirl a wine around your mouth during a tasting.
Sweetness
Sweetness is detected at the front of the tongue and the sweetness of a wine will indicate how much sugar is present. Nearly all red wines are dry and most white wines are dry but a white wine that tastes slightly sweet will be considered ‘off-dry’. However, wines made from very ripe grapes may seem slightly sweeter when there is actually no sugar.
Acidity
Acidity is what makes lemons sour and is present, at varying levels, in all wines. Acidity is detected by the sides of the tongue and causes the mouth to water and makes wines taste fresh and vibrant.
Some grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc have higher levels of acidity. Acidity will also be higher in grapes that have been grown in cooler climates. It is important to have acidity in a sweet wine, as it balances the sweetness/sugar levels and prevents the wine tasting over-sweet.
Tannin
Tannin is present in strong black tea and is what makes it taste bitter and astringent. It causes a drying sensation at the back of the tongue and around the gums.
In wine, the tannin comes from the grape skins so is always present in red wines due to the contact the grape juice has had with the skins during production. White and Rose wines undergo very little, if any, skin contact so it is very rare to find tannins in these wines.
Thicker skinned grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah have higher tannin levels than varieties with thinner skins such as Pinot Noir or Grenache. Wines produced in hotter climates will often have higher levels of soft, ripe tannins. When unripe grapes have been used, there are lower levels of tannins but they will be astringent and mouth-drying.
Body
Body is the sensation of richness, fullness or viscosity caused by a combination of the alcohol, tannins, sugar and flavour compounds extracted from the grapes skins. Note that wines with higher alcohol wines can be light in body if the grape variety has lower tannins.
Flavour characteristics
It is actually the nose, not the mouth and tongue, which detects flavour characteristics. When tasting, the aroma components evaporate off the tongue and into the back of the nose - this is why a common cold or nasal congestion affects the sense of taste so profoundly.
The most popular way to taste wine is to take a slurp and then draw air into the mouth whilst swirling it around the mouth. This enables the flavours characteristics to reach the nose and also for the different areas of the mouth and tongue to detect other flavour compounds such as acidity or tannin.
Length
‘Length’ or ‘Finish’ are the terms used to describe how long the flavour of the wine lingers in the mouth after the wine has been spat out or swallowed. Length can be short, medium or long and complex.