Advice
Look at the wine -
Smell at the wine -
Taste the wine -
Discuss wine -
Tasting Champagne |
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Look at the wine
First we get pleasure from admiring wine in our glass : let us note the vividness of the colours, how it catches the light. Passionate wine lovers judge the colour of a wine by placing it in front of a white cloth. That way it is easy to see if its robe is dark or pale.
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Smell the wine
You must not hesitate to dip your nose deeply in a glass of wine. By developing your sense of smell, you become capable of associating aromas to the smell of wine. Of course if your neighbour is smoking or wearing a strong perfume, if the contents of your plate exhale a strong aroma it is a waste of time trying. Smelling a wine is preparing oneself to taste it really well.
see also:
Wine and Aromas
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Taste the wine
Always with small, careful sips. With each one you discover, through the reaction of your tongue and your palate, a new subtility, a new strength,a new shade of its bouquet. Take a sip of wine, pinch your lips, suck a little air with your tongue and make the wine travel in your mouth. Different parts of the tongue identify different sensations: sweetness is identified by the end, acidity by the sides and bitterness by the back. By making the wine circulate for a few seconds, you give your brain time to analyse the information it receives: sweet, acid, bitter.
see also:
Food and Wine and Wine and Aromas
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Discuss wine
When the glass has left your lips the spirit of the wine endures. You must celebrate the magician who elaborated it, the earth which bore it. Because we like to speak of things which thrill us, because we love to exalt. What better than feeling your enthusiasm is shared, what more exhilarating than confronting your judgment.
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Tasting Champagne:
Champagne is traditionally served in a typical glass called flute or
in a tulip: a long stem with a tall glass. This kind of glass
prevents the aromas to unfold. The height of the glass is necessary
for the bubbles to rise to the surface and keep a constant
temperature.
It
is not recommended to pour Champagne to the top of the glasses but
only up to 2/3 of the glass.
Champagne is always served cold and chilled. But not too cold,
otherwise the wine is not able to release its aromas.
A
non-vintage Champagne should be drunk at 8 °C (46 °F). A vintage
Champagne at 10 °C (50 °F)
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