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Wine tasting

post #1 of 14
11/29/10 at 6:14am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, new to the forum with a question on wine tasting.

I have a friend, we are both 25 and he is friggin ridiculous when it comes to tasting wine. He doesn't really smell it or anything, he just puts it in his mouth and sucks air through it. Kinda like a bong I guess. I don't really know how to describe it. Anyway, it annoying as shit and everyone tells him to quit, but he is hell bent on thinking he is a wine expert when he clearly isn't.

I have searched but can't find a definite 'guide' I guess you'd call it, on proper wine tasting. I always tell him if he is gonna do that, then spit it into a bucket like the rest of the snobs.

Anyone have any comments on this?
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post #2 of 14
11/29/10 at 9:48pm
That's actually the correct way to drink wine. It aerates it, and enhances the flavor.
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post #3 of 14
11/29/10 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reevolving View Post
That's actually the correct way to drink wine.
It aerates it, and enhances the flavor.

Yup.

You can do your own google search for wine tasting information. But especially if the wine has just been taken from the bottle (as opposed to put in a decanter and let sit for awhile) the suck/aerate trick works to enchance the flavor.
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post #4 of 14
11/29/10 at 10:32pm
Thread Starter 
Damn, well its still disgusting when he is the only one doing it in a room with 8 other people drinking beer.
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post #5 of 14
11/30/10 at 12:51am
it's supposed to oxygenate the wine helping enhance aromas, but it is a little disgusting and kind of unsocial and without common sense to do that with a group of friends that's not doing a wine tasting.

it helps with tasting the wine, but not with just drinking and enjoying it.
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post #6 of 14
11/30/10 at 12:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by indesertum View Post
it's supposed to oxygenate the wine helping enhance aromas, but it is a little disgusting and kind of unsocial and without common sense to do that with a group of friends that's not doing a wine tasting.

it helps with tasting the wine, but not with just drinking and enjoying it.


+1. Anyone doing this in a social setting is being a pretentious prick.
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post #7 of 14
11/30/10 at 12:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben85 View Post
Damn, well its still disgusting when he is the only one doing it in a room with 8 other people drinking beer.

don't invite him over to watch the game anymore!
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post #8 of 14
11/30/10 at 11:06am
If you're 25, in a room full of people drinking beer, odds are good the wine is not worth "tasting" anyways. Drinking wine and tasting wine are two completely different things and the latter does not fit well with sitting around and drinking with friends.
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post #9 of 14
11/30/10 at 12:03pm
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Originally Posted by Piobaire View Post
If you're 25, in a room full of people drinking beer, odds are good the wine is not worth "tasting" anyways. Drinking wine and tasting wine are two completely different things and the latter does not fit well with sitting around and drinking with friends.

+1

The friend is technically correct, but that doesn't mean he's correct in terms of context. Drinking a few glasses of the $20-a-bottle "good" wine with friends who are drinking beer is not "tasting," and pretending it is makes one look like a tool.
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post #10 of 14
11/30/10 at 10:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jojoe View Post
That's actually the correct way to drink wine.

taste, yes. Drink, not really. It is kind of weird.

Having said that, it's one of those things I do without even thinking about quite a bit. And it probably annoys plenty of people.
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post #11 of 14
11/30/10 at 11:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrG View Post
+1

The friend is technically correct, but that doesn't mean he's correct in terms of context. Drinking a few glasses of the $20-a-bottle "good" wine with friends who are drinking beer is not "tasting," and pretending it is makes one look like a tool.


I guess he is correct, but the wine is less than $20 a bottle. It almost seems like he is just forcing it down like when you start drinking beer as a teenager. And ya, he is definitely a tool when doing that. hahaha, thanks for the comments guys!
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post #12 of 14
12/1/10 at 12:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jojoe View Post
That's actually the correct way to drink wine.

Hi, jojoe. Welcome to the board. What type of wine do you like? I like Pinot Noir from France.
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post #13 of 14
12/1/10 at 12:50am
I actually think the bigger crime here is not smelling the wine.

Kevin Zraly wrote that you can smell many times more nuance than you can taste - and much of what we attribute to taste is actually smell. I concur - if you stick your nose deep into the glass and inhale deeply, you can pick up a lot.

With all of that said, here are the keys to looking like you know what you're talking about when tasting wine.

1 - Learn the routine. Check the color, hold it to the light, hold to to a white background. Then sniff, take a deep breath through your nose. Then place the glass on the table, swirl the wine around and sniff again. Then taste - do the aerating thing and look pensive.

2 - Be declarative. Never waiver, never apologize.

3 - Be specific and use lots of modifiers. If you think it smells like grass, say it smells like early-summer red fescue. If you think it smells like blueberries, say it smells like ripe Maine blueberries. If you think it tastes like seashells, say it tastes like crushed oyster shells. Leather? Aged Spanish leather. See if anyone challenges you. If so, refer to point #2.

4 - Learn the lingo. Instead of "it smells like [blank]", say "I get [blank] on the nose". If it's not very tart, call it "flabby" or "unctuous".

Only true oenophiles will argue with you, and they will likely appreciate the argument.
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post #14 of 14
12/1/10 at 1:40am
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