WWine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards. Modern, professional wine tasters use a constantly evolving specialized terminology which is used to describe the range of perceived flavors, aromas and general characteristics of a wine. More informal, recreational tasting may use similar terminology, usually involving a much less analytical process for a more general, personal appreciation.
WThe aromas of wine are more diverse than its flavors. The human tongue is limited to the primary tastes perceived by taste receptors on the tongue – sourness, bitterness, saltiness, sweetness and savoriness. The wide array of fruit, earthy, leathery, floral, herbal, mineral, and woodsy flavor present in wine are derived from aroma notes sensed by the olfactory bulb. In wine tasting, wine is sometimes smelled before taking a sip in order to identify some components of the wine that may be present. Different terms are used to describe what is being smelled. The most basic term is aroma which generally refers to a "pleasant" smell as opposed to odor which refers to an unpleasant smell or possible wine fault. The term aroma may be further distinguished from bouquet which generally refers to the smells that arise from the chemical reactions of fermentation and aging of the wine.
WThe California Wine Club is a wine club co-founded in 1990 by Bruce and Pam Boring in Ventura, California and is considered one of the largest mail-order wine businesses in the United States. The club offers hand-selected wines on a monthly basis from boutique and small, family-owned wineries in California, Oregon and Washington State, and other countries such as France, Italy, and Austria. While most of the wine is from California, the majority of the wine is shipped to club members out of state.
WThe title of Cape Wine Master is one of the most sought after formal qualifications in the wine industry. The qualification was first instituted in 1983, and over the last 38 years only 106 candidates have qualified to become Cape Wine Masters, and a further 3 were awarded the title of Honorary Cape Wine Masters. The Institute of Cape Wine Masters (ICWM) is an active group of knowledgeable people who are formally qualified, objective, passionate and informed on local and international wine matters. The Institute runs wine tastings and other wine events. The purpose of the ICWM is to harness their collective ability as Cape Wine Masters to open the world of wine and brandy to others through their knowledge, deep understanding and love for wine.
WEnoteca is an Italian word that is derived from the Greek word Οινοθήκη, which literally means "wine repository", but it is used to describe a special type of local or regional wine shop that originated in Italy. The concept of an enoteca has also spread to some other countries.
WThe Great Chardonnay Showdown, held in the spring of 1980, was organized by Craig Goldwyn, the wine columnist for the Chicago Tribune and the founder of the Beverage Testing Institute, with help from three Chicago wine stores. A total of 221 Chardonnays from around the world were selected for the blind wine competition. France and California were heavily represented, but entries from many countries around the world were included.
WItalian Sommelier Association, 'AIS' is an Italian non-profit organization founded in Milan on July 7, 1965, officially recognised and legally acknowledged by the Italian government on April 6, 1973, with formal President of the Republic decree #539 in 1973. Its founding members were Prof. Gianfranco Botti, Jean Valenti, Leonardo Guerra and Italian sommelier Ernesto Rossi. Italian Sommelier Association is part and founding member of the Worldwide Sommelier Association (WSA), which is officially recognized across the world, wherever it is present with an affiliate. AIS is one of the oldest and actually the largest sommelier association in the world.
WMouthfeel refers to the physical sensations in the mouth caused by food or drink, as distinct from taste. It is a fundamental sensory attribute which, along with taste and smell, determines the overall flavor of a food item. Mouthfeel is also sometimes referred to as texture.
WMunskänkarna is a Swedish and Finnish wine tasting organization with over 20,000 members. The Swedish word "Munskänk" is synonymous with "cup-bearer". It is used to refer to a single member, with the organisation's name "Munskänkarna" being the plural definite form. The organisation was established in Stockholm in 1958 and has continuously expanded with chapters in other locations, some outside of Sweden. In 2000, the chapters in Finland had become numerous enough to split off to form their own Finnish language organisation, Suomen Munskänkarna. In 2002, a Swedish language organisation in Finland called Svenska Munskänkarna i Finland was also formed. All three organisations are established as non-profit organisations.
WThe Oxford University Wine Circle (OUWC), founded in 1962, was a wine society in the University of Oxford. The society organised frequent tastings and tasting dinners for its members and their guests. In the course of over six decades, the Wine Circle hosted many of the reference-point estates from the wine world. While the Wine Circle was a sociable group, the emphasis at meetings was on the wines themselves: as a former President, Tom Bromwich, noted: "It's certainly not pretentious – most people, including me, have always liked wine and just want to know more about it." Along with members of the more recently established Oxford University Wine Society and the Oxford Blind Tasting Society, members of the society often participated in blind tasting competitions. A team including members of the Wine Circle took first place in the SPIT Competition at Champagne Bollinger in April 2011. Notable former members include Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac, Arabella Woodrow MW, Jasper Morris MW and Alex Hunt MW. Until the mid-2000s, the OUWC ran the Oxford blind tasting training and oversaw team selection for the Varsity Match, and there are numerous wine professionals who discovered their love and talent for tasting wine while preparing to compete against Cambridge such as: Oz Clarke and Charles Metcalfe. The Varsity Blind Tasting Match is the oldest organised blind tasting competition in the world ; Champagne Pol Roger UK has sponsored the Match since 1992.
WHardy Rodenstock was a publisher and manager of pop and Schlager music in Germany and a prominent wine collector, connoisseur, and trader, with a special interest in old and rare wines. He became famous for his allegedly uncanny ability to track down old and very rare wines, and for arranging extravagant wine tastings featuring these wines. It has been alleged that Rodenstock was the perpetrator of an elaborate wine fraud. In 1992, a German court found that Rodenstock had "knowingly offered adulterated wine" for sale. On appeal, the case was settled out of court.
WThe subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness; acids (sourness) and bitter tannins counteract it. These principles are outlined in the 1987 work by Émile Peynaud, The Taste of Wine.
WA tasting room is a part of a winery or brewery, typically located on the premises of the winery or brewery's production facilities, at which guests may sample the winery or brewery's products. Originally an informal public relations outreach effort of wineries and breweries to encourage visitors and build brand awareness and loyalty by dispensing free wine, beer, whiskey, sake, etc., tasting rooms have increasingly become sophisticated profit centers of winery operations, earning money by charging tasting fees, selling products directly to consumers, signing new members to the winery or brewery's members club, hosting weddings and other public and private events, and selling various wine, beer, whiskey, sake, etc. gift-related goods.
WThe phenomenon called tears of wine is manifested as a ring of clear liquid, near the top of a glass of wine, from which droplets continuously form and drop back into the wine. It is most readily observed in a wine which has a high alcohol content. It is also referred to as wine legs, fingers, curtains, church windows, or feet.
WVinitaly is an international wine competition and exposition that is held annually in April in the Italian wine region of Verona in northeast Italy. The event is exclusively for wine professionals featuring an average of 3000 wines from several dozen countries. First held in 1967, VinItaly has been called the "most important convention of domestic and international wines" and the "largest wine show in the world".
WVinopolis was a commercial visitor attraction in Southwark, London, England, operated by Wineworld, London that presented the subject of wine and oenology through exhibits and wine tastings. Vinopolis closed permanently at the end of 2015.
WWine for the Confused is a documentary hosted by John Cleese. It is a light-hearted introduction to wine for novices. Cleese guides viewers through the basics of wine types and grape varieties, wine making, wine tasting and terminology, buying and storing wines, through direct narrative and interviews with wine makers and wine sellers. The film duration is 92 minutes and includes visits to wineries in California. The film concludes with a large group conducting a blind wine tasting. One of the tasting results was the fact that most tasters could not distinguish between red wine and white wine. Another was that most tasters rated an inexpensive wine equal in taste to an expensive prestige wine, and both of these out scored the rest of the mid-priced and high-priced wines in the blind test.
WThe International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society Limited, commonly referred to as The Wine Society, is the world's oldest wine club having been founded on 4 August 1874 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, United Kingdom.
WThe use of wine tasting descriptors allows the taster to qualitatively relate the aromas and flavors that the taster experiences and can be used in assessing the overall quality of wine. Wine writers differentiate wine tasters from casual enthusiasts; tasters attempt to give an objective description of the wine's taste, casual enthusiasts appreciate wine but pause their examination sooner than tasters. The primary source of a person's ability to taste wine is derived from their olfactory senses. A taster's own personal experiences play a significant role in conceptualizing what they are tasting and attaching a description to that perception. The individual nature of tasting means that descriptors may be perceived differently among various tasters.