Have you ever attended a professional wine tasting? Not all tastings are the same but often the wine color is noted, the wine swirled, noses sniff into the glass and tasters proclaim “strawberries, raspberries, roses ” all before they taste the wine. Puzzled onlookers may wonder what’s in that glass?
I can’t help but think of my 80-year-old cousin Rocco. He drinks sweet red jug wine. He’s one of the most happy-go-lucky people I know. He sat across from me at a wine tasting in Sicily bewildered and confused, as I observed the color of the wine and proceeded to swirl, sniff, taste and spit (not ingested) my wine. Neither the color of the wine nor the nose entered into his wine appreciation equation.
I don’t use wine vocabulary like nose, tannin and acidity to confound or confuse readers although my editor at theAmerican may not believe me. Wine knowledge and terminology do not equal wine pleasure. There are no rights or wrongs in wine appreciation. It’s subjective.
Enough said. This month I am happy to share 3 steps to wine tasting on theAmerican. Now grab a glass of your favorite sparkling, red or white wine, bring a clear nose and open mind. Enjoy!
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