What Are the 7 S’s of Tasting?
May 29, 2023
The ritual of wine tasting has grown popular across continents. Enjoying the different varieties of wine, paired properly with your meal, can enhance your experience so you can savor the quality and flavor of your wine.
The 7 S’s of Wine Tasting
Wine tasting isn’t just drinking a glass of wine. There’s a subtle science to making the most out of it. Here are the seven S’s of wine tasting to keep in mind the next time you dine out.
#1
Swirl
Swirling your wine before you take a sip can help you understand the density of the wine you are about to taste. Some denser wines may leave a streak on the glass as you swirl it around. Usually, the denser a wine, the sweeter it is. Swirling helps you understand the intensity of the wine before you take a drink.
#2
Smell
After swirling the glass, go ahead and smell the wine. Some wines may have a stronger aroma than others, and taking in the full scent of the wine through your nose before tasting can give you a hint at the level of quality or flavor. The smell is the “nose” of wine tasting, a crucial component of the 7 S’s of wine tasting.
#3
See
The color of a wine can also be a key element to wine tasting. When you look into the glass, color saturation will let a taster know about the flavor before they even try the wine itself. When you see the wine, you can also hold your wine up to a white or clear background to see the color clarity in more detail.
#4
Sip
Once you assessed the color and density, it’s finally time to take a sip of your wine. Take in every flavor combination and enjoy the sensation you feel on your tastebuds. Taste how sweet or how bitter the wine is, and perhaps even pair it with a dish of steak or seafood, depending on what kind of wine you are sipping.
#5
Swish
During your sipping experience, swishing the wine in your mouth can bring a new level of abundance to the flavors you taste. You’ll coat the thousands of taste buds that exist in your mouth with different notes of the wine and fully be able to smell and taste the specific scents embodied in the wine.
#6
Savor
The experience of wine tasting must be savored. From the moment you look at the wine, smell it, and are tasting it in your mouth, enjoy each moment and the pleasure it brings. A great tip from many wine-tasting experts is to simply be in the moment when you taste your wine. Don’t rush the experience. Take your time, and cultivate a beautiful experience.
#7
Swallow
Once you’ve indulged in all of your senses, it’s time to swallow the beverage. The flavor hints will melt down your mouth as you proceed to take another sip or take a bite of the accompanying meal. However, if you are limiting your alcohol intake, you may spit the remaining wine out before trying a new wine.
What Food Pairs Well With Wine?
While the kind of food that will go well with your wine choice is very individual, some menu options that tend to pair well with a wine tasting include:
For informational purposes only.
