How to Taste Wine

1. Notice the color of the wine as you tilt your glass, against a white background, to see the wine from its very thinnest and lightest to its deepest in color.

2

. Bring the wine to your nose to inhale the aroma and take note of what scent first makes itself known to you.

3. Gently swirl the wine inside the bowl of the glass to coat the sides. Notice how quickly or slowly the wine filters down after you stop swirling (this is called LEGS). Then lift the wine to your nose to inhale the aromas. Take note of the scent you get and compare to the first time you nose it.

4. Take a sip and slosh the wine throughout your mouth. This method helps to bring the wine to all parts of the mouth and tongue, allowing each taste sensation to be detected. You may allow a little air through your mouth; this further intensifies the flavors.

5. Take note of how long the flavor of the wine stays in your mouth. This is referred to as the “FINISH” and will leave the last impression of the wine with you

6. Enjoy and have fun

Does Jancis not like Portuguese wines?

Jancis Robinson's list of countries for an up-and-coming grand taste in Hong Kong, includes wines from Brazil, but not Portugal. Does Jancis not like Portuguese wines???

Wine list for Jancis Robinson Grand Tasting at Winefuture Hong Kong.

Augusto Gabriel • In 1999 Jancis Robinson was asked by “Livros Cotovia” to write a book about Portuguese table wines, taste the best Portuguese table wines, it was her first major publication about table wines of Portugal.
She was not very impressed with the white wines then, saying “…a lack of cleanliness on the nose, a lack of fruit on the palate, an excess of alcohol, phenolics or astringency…” That perhaps was true many years ago, as the cellar conditions in Portugal were very poor, not today. I have been fortunate to visit many wineries in Portugal displaying state of the art wine-making equipment and techniques. From pressers to temperature controlled stainless steel vats as well as extremely high quality labs to monitor every step of the wine’s journey from the vine to the bottle. Resulting in very clean, fresh white wines with great fruit and acidity. Problem will always be the name of the grape varieties when in comes for commercialization of these white wines in other markets.
As for the red wines it was the Douro region that stood out over all other regions for the MW, even then, she wasn't too excited about the consistency from winery to winery, “…There was thrilling evidence of Terroir in some examples, and chilling lack of it in others…” That, I do believe to be true… Douro Valley is indeed an amazing wine region, with a breath taking landscape and an unique terroir that can’t be found anywhere else, yet the style of wines that come from there are very different from each other, you really have to know your wine producers to be able to drink the style of wine you desire. The prices and styles of wines from the Douro Valley range greatly from one extreme to the other.
So, I am not surprised that Jancis Robinson MW, would not include Portuguese wines in her list, she has shown evidence that she is not very fond of Portuguese wines. It is just one opinion from one person it does not mean that wines of Portugal are not of worldwide top quality and a great value. augusto