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Articles » Home & Kitchen » Food & Stuff
Get ready to taste wine this party season
 With the month Mangsir on our Nepali calendar, every one of us is eagerly looking forward to all kinds of wedding parties and receptions. And yes, of course, not to forget Christmas and New Year! With all kinds of drinks flowing in parties, wine is the one liked by both men and women alike.
There is a lot more to tasting a glass of wine than just throwing it down your gullet. So here are few tips to know your wine better before you gulp it down!
- First of all wine glasses should always be held by the stem of the glass rather than the bowl since the heat of your hand will quickly warm the liquid.
- So pinch the stem between your index finger and your thumb. If holding the glass by the stem feels uneasy, check the portion: A wineglass should be only a quarter to a third full.
- Know the color of your wine by holding your glass over a white background, like a napkin or tablecloth.
- Color varies with age, varietals (i.e. Chardonnay is darker than Riesling) and time spent in the barrel.
 - White wines range from almost clear to pale yellow-green, straw/yellow, light gold, gold or old gold, to maderized (over matured) brown.
- Reds can be magenta, purple, ruby red, red, eggplant, brick red or orange, red brown.
- Some are sweet - some are dry (Dry is the wine world's way of describing non-sweet wines).
- If there's a moldy, wet cardboard aroma it may be "corky" or tainted. Drink not, or suffer the consequences. Sulfur (burnt match) aromas may dissipate with a little air time or may not even bother you too much, but too much sulfur dioxide is a problem.
- If your wine smells like Sherry but isn't, that's a problem.
- If a wine smells clean, fresh, and ripe to you, get out of the embarrassing tasting spotlight and motion for the waiter to pour. The "nose" should also be faithful to the grape's variety, which is something you have to learn over time.
Soak your taste buds by taking a decent mouthful and rolling it around.
- Some feel very thin in the mouth - others are heavy (what wine drinkers refer to as "body").
- Sweetness is detected at the tip of the tongue, so you'll be aware of residual sugar right away.
- Varietal characteristics are picked up in the middle of the tongue; tannin (in most reds and wood-aged white) starts there.
- Acidity hits the sides of the tongue, the cheeks and the back of the throat.
- Aftertaste is what lingers after you swallow. A long pleasing aftertaste with a nice balance of the other components is the sign of a high quality wine.
So drink wine in style this party season and last but not the least, drink responsibly and no under age drinking pleaseee!
P.S. Don't drink if you are driving or don't drive if you are driving!
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