Taste is an art, a science, a technique.
An art which doesn´t create, but evalluate; a science with proper concepts and: a technique, because it has rules to be fulfilled. It is a fundamental procedure to evaluate the quality, once the chemical analysis gives us a number of the chemical composition of the wine, but it doesn´t have the brain´s capacity to recognize some sensations and tell us about the whole.

The taste is done through our sense, sight, smell, taste and touch. In spite of existing a technique for that, there is a subjective fraction which is connected to physical conditions, psychologyc and habilities of each taster. For all of that, it is absolutely normal the same wine receive different concepts from different tasters.

The sight gives us a pré condition of the wine. Through its clearness and shine of the product is possible to identify the stability of the wine. The opaqueness isn´t a good sign. The shade and intensity of the color are about its origin, process and age of the product. Usually a white wine, when young, has a light yellow color, almost green. As the time goes by, the intensity increases and it gets close to gold. The young red wines have a vivid color, close to red. As the time goes by, some yellow touches appear, going to some kind of orange; its intensity vary with the variety of the grape and the process it had been done. Pinot Noir or Pinotage are less colorfull than Cabertnet Sauvignon or Merlot, for exemple.

The aroma tells us the quality of the wine and it can be classified in three basics types.

Primary aroma: related to the variety of the grape. It is the varietal aroma, present in young wines, specially in white wines.

Secondary aroma: are all those aromas related to the process, since fermentation to the time going by in wooden recipients. They are more noticed in red wines than in whites ones, in which we find the primary aroma.

Terciary Aroma: also known as “bouquet” is the fragrance that is formed after being for a long term in a bottle, rare in white wines, it is the product of sterifications and condensations that occurs in the presence of oxygen. It gives to the product a great sensation (taste), enjoyed by some people.

In the mouth, a taste might prove, or not, an expected quality. It is formed, basically, by four compounds.
Sweet: recognized on the front part of the tongue. It is given by the sugar, the glycerin, and the alcohol.

Doce: recognized on the posterior part of the tongue; it is given by tanine and some mineral compounds. All wines are this way, but in some it is hidden. In the not long term elderness red wines it is more easily realized.


Acid: it is felt on the lateral sides of the tongue, and is formed by all organic acids from grapes or formed by fermentation. It is a very important item for the qualification of any wine. In white wines it gives a cool flavor, while in red ones it may unbalance the taste when it is in excess.

Salty: understood on the postero-lateral part of the tongue, is given by the salt. Its intensity is almost unrecognized. One can still have a tactile sensation, recognized on the center or on the middle part of the tongue, on the internal layer of the mouth and on the gum, and the perception of tanines, constricting substances, temperature, greasiness and, in sparkling wines, the carbonic acid.

At the end of the tasting session comes the most important part: the final opinion, the harmony between the sensation and the feelings of pleasantness given or not by the wine. In a technical flavor session, a wine that might satisfy ones’ wishes may be the main wish.