1/5/09 Lessons on Wine Tasting

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and I am excited about 2009. During the coming year we want our programs to address areas interesting to you the listener. Visit our website at Vine to Wine dot net and give us your suggestions for program topics. In the meantime, we are going to discuss the basics of wine tasting, and learning more about wine in 2009. For many of you wine is a pleasant accompaniment to a meal or a moment of relaxation and conviviality. To others it is a serious topic and studying and collecting wines is a preoccupation. Either way - it is fun to know how to taste a wine and accurately describe it. It also helps to understand a written description of a wine you may be considering for purchase. Visually examining the wine and swirling and smelling it are important to gaining knowledge. It is really our sense of smell that most contributes to our ability to perceive flavor. But today let's talk about tasting. The surface of your tongue is covered with little sensors we refer to as taste buds. Over time we have learned that the taste buds, rather than specializing in a particular taste sensation, all are capable of detecting sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavors. Although the taste buds may differ in sensitivity you still want to get the most out of these sensors. So be certain to start by swishing the wine around your mouth, which will allow all of your taste buds (and your sense of smell) to participate in the detection of the flavors of the wine. Remember to send your wine questions and ideas for new topics to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.