Wine Tasting - The Sense of Sight
Wine tasting basics begin with knowing how to use your senses to understand, interpret, and enjoy the wine. The ability to recognize what you see, and furthermore describe it in clear terms, is a very important wine tasting skill.
Although some may say the appearance of the wine is the least important aspect with regard to the senses, it is still worth noting. When examining appearance, we are looking for clarity and color. We want the wine to be free of any sediment, leaving it clear and brilliant. Red wines tend to lose their color as they mature, while white wines tend to grow darker with age. A good quality wine generally will be intense in color. The "legs" seen running down the sides of a glass after being swirled, are an indication of flavor density. It is best to use a plain white background, and tilt the glass slightly as you observe clarity and color.
Wine Tasting - The Sense of Touch
Touch is an important category of taste sensation. This is where we try to feel the wine on the palate. Here we seek to find impressions of such things as texture, body, temperature, and astringency. The aftertaste, finish, and length of a wine are all things we feel on our palate. We are looking for how the wine feels in weight (light, medium, full) and texture (silky, coarse, velvety). Try to observe how long the sensations last in your mouth. Most will tell you the longer it lasts, the better the wine!
Chardonnay & Oak Aging
This dry white wine, made from the Chardonnay grape, is the most popular of its variety. Chardonnay ranges in style, with some oakier versions contributing to taste. The purpose of Chardonnay aged in oak is to add some of the oaks characters, along with helping the wine develop its texture. Winemakers may lightly toast the inner surface of barrels, allowing the smoky oak or toasty characters to be detected in the final product. Oak gives the taste a dimension of spiciness and adds a hint of vanilla or coconut to the grapes aroma. The oak and Chardonnay combination is a favorite that is sure to last!
Wine Tasting - The Sense of Smell
There are a few very important things to note when we "nose" a wine. It is suggested to first smell the wine before swirling, noticing the delicate aromas. Next, swirl the wine and smell again after it is at rest. Depending on the bouquet, you may then notice a profound difference in the odors emerging. Aroma is a smell that originates from the actual grape, with very clear cut characteristics. Aroma is most prevalent in young wines. The bouquet of a wine refers to smells generated as a result of aging; smells found particularly in mature wines that were aged in a bottle. The bouquet generally has much softer and complex characteristics than aromas. Identifying what you smell is usually the most challenging part in wine tasting. Although there are many smell categories used to describe characteristics of wine, none have been exclusively agreed upon.
Sierra Foothills Winery List
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Amador Foothill Winery
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Argonaut Winery
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Baldinelli Vineyards
Bantam Cellars
Black Sheep Winery
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Boeger Winery
Butterfly Creek Winery
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Cairn Canyon Winery & Vineyards
Camino di Vino
Cantiga Wineworks
Cedarville Vineyard
Charles B. Mitchell Vineyards
Charles Spinetta Winery
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Chateau Rodin Winery
Chatom Vineyards
Chevalier Winery
Clos du Lac Cellars / Greenstone Winery
Convergence Vineyards
Coulson Winery
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Deaver Vineyards
Dobra Zemlja
Domaine Becquet
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Domaine de la Terre Rouge and Easton Wines
Double Oak Vineyard & Winery
dkcellars
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Ficklin Vineyards
Fitzpatrick Winery
Fleur de Lys
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French Hill Winery
Frenz Vineyard & Winery
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Gerber Vineyards
Gerwer Winery
Gold Hill Winery
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Granite Springs Winery
Green Family Winery
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Holly's Hill Winery
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Il Gioiello Winery
Indian Rock Vineyards
Indian Springs Vineyards
Indian Springs Vineyards Tasting Room
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Irish Vineyards
Iron Mountain Winery
Ironstone Vineyards
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Jodar Winery
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Karly
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Kelson Creek Winery
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Latrobe Vineyards
Lava Cap Winery
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Le Mulet Rouge
Lucchesi Vineyards & Winery
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Madrona Vineyards
Maison Basque Winery
Milliaire Winery
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MonteVina
Mt. Vernon Winery
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Naggiar Vineyards & Winery
Nevada City Winery
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Nine Gables Vineyard
Nua Dair
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Oakstone Winery
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Perry Creek Vineyards
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Quady Winery
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Rabbit Hill Winery
Renaissance Vineyard & Winery
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Renwood Winery
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Sauber Vineyards
Secret Ravine Vineyard and Winery
Serenidad Winery
Shenandoah Vineyards
Sierra Knolls Vineyard & Winery
Sierra Starr Vineyard & Winery
Sierra Starr Winery Downtown Tasting Room
Sierra Vista Winery & Vineyard
Silver Fox Vineyards
Single Leaf Winery & Vineyard
Smith Vineyards & Winery
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Sobon Estate
Sogno Winery
Sonora Winery & Port Works - Sonora
Sonora Winery and Port Works
Stevenot Winery
Stone's Throw Vineyard & Winery
Story Winery
Stover Oaks Vineyard & Winery
Sunny Oak Vineyard
Sutter Creek Wine Tasting
Sutter Ridge Vineyards
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TKC Vineyards
Thompson's Mining Camp Winery
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Twisted Oak Winery
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Van Der Vijver Estate
Venezio Vineyards & Winery
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Villa Toscano Winery
Vino Noceto
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Windwalker Vineyards
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Young's Vineyard
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Zucca Mountain Vineyards
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