Bonvin.se tells you all you need to know to arrange a private wine tasting
Under the tab Plan Tasting you can read about what is needed for a successful wine tasting. Six to ten friends, four wine glasses and a glass of water per person that is really all required. You can make it exciting by testing blind or half blind. Open wine tasting may also be interesting. This is explained further under the tab Plan Tasting.
Under the tab Wine Assessment you will find how the assessment of the wines is carried out. Senses like sight, smell, taste and touch are used to assess the fullness (body), astringency, sweetness, acidity, alcohol content and age of the wine. Yes, even the grape variety and wine style are possible to determine with little experience, just by using these senses.
The result of the sensory examination and evaluation is written down in a form, Tasting Notes. A proposal of such a form is found under the tab Tasting Notes. Print a copy for each person.
The various symbols used to describe the wines are explained here.
For red wines there are four taste symbols. These symbols are placed on a background of different shades of red, depending on the body (fullness) of the wine and the astringency. If the wine has matured in oak barrels it has one to three vanilla symbols depending on the degree of oak character.
For white wines there are four taste symbols. These symbols are placed on a background of different shades of blue, depending on the fullness (body) of the wine. The symbols for fruit acid, lemon, and the symbol for sweetness, sugar lump, are placed on these backgrounds. If the wine has matured in oak barrels one to three vanilla symbols are also placed on the background, the number depends on the degree of oak character.
Symbol for oak character is vanilla. One symbol means minor oak character, two symbols medium oak character and three symbols mean distinct oak character.
Knowing the components of wine will help you understand and enjoy wine better.
The balance of tannins, body, acidity, alcohol and other components like sugar and oak of a wine is important to know. These components are all described under the tab Wine Components.
To all wine tastings under the tab Wine lessons come power point images which facilitate the presentation. It is also easier to remember information that you have seen.
The purpose of this tasting is to get to know different wine styles. What conclusions you can draw from the colour and smell of the wine are described here. In this lesson it is also disclosed how you can assess the astringency, acidity and sweetness of the wine. The wine styles presented are wines from Bordeaux, Rioja, Valpolicella and the New World.
The purpose of this tasting is to get to know the four typical white grape varieties, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay.
This tasting includes five wines from Valpolicella made from the same grape varieties but produced by different methods. The purpose of the tasting is to show how the production methods impact the wine. The production methods of Amarone, Recioto, Ripasso, Valpolicella Superiore and ordinary Valpolicella are described in text and images.
This tasting will show how different wines made from the Chardonnay grape can taste. Wines included in this tasting are white Burgundy, Chablis and wine made from Chardonnay grape only, from Australia and the United States.
Sparkling wines from different countries are presented along with a champagne. The purpose is to learn and identify differences in origin, dryness and age and get to know different production methods of sparkling wines. The tasting includes one Champagne, one Cava, one Spumante and one sparkling wine from Limoux.
Under the tab Brief lessons are wine tastings without power point images. The information is also shorter.
This tasting includes rosé wines from Provence, South Africa and Italy all made from different grapes and a self-made rosé wine made of white wine with the addition of a little red wine. The intention is to get to know different styles of rosé, how these wines are produced and which grapes are used. The significance of the colour differences is explained followed by a short presentation of the wine district Provence and its importance for the development of rosé wines. Finally, recommendations of suitable food dishes are given
Under the tab Barrel aging, the storage in oak barrels is described and what impact it has on the taste and aroma of the wine. This tasting includes wines from Rioja of different storage times, like crianza, reserva and gran reserva.
Quality wines from two small Australian producers are included in this tasting, three wines from Paracombe Premium Wines which is located in Adelaide Hills in South Australia, and one wine from Quarisa Wines in New South Wales.
The properties of the Pinot Noir grape are described. Wines from Burgundy and New Zealand are compared in this tasting. The impact of origin, storage and price on the wines are investigated.
The grape variety Syrah or Shiraz, as it also is known, is featured in this tasting. Wines made from Syrah (Shiraz) from France, Australia and Bulgaria will be compared. We will also try to guess the price of the individual wines.
Which wine will match the food?
You have chosen food for dinner but what kind of wine should be served? The answer can be found below. Both the flavours of the food and the properties of the wine have to be taken into account.
Under the tab Flavours you will find how the wine is affected by different flavours in food like sweetness, saltiness, acidity, bitterness, umami and spicy food.
Under this tab you will get some general advice regarding wine and food.
Here you will find which dishes go well with different types of red and white wines, rosé and sparkling wines. Food which is suitable to common green and blue grape varieties are also suggested here.
Here is a tasting that aims to investigate which white wine goes best with different types of cheese and seafood. White wines of varying sweetness are included in this tasting.
Different types of cheese, their taste and production methods and which wines are most suitable to the cheeses are described here.
Recipes of bread and food included in the tasting Cheese and Seafood are presented under this tab.
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