service. They will also store any wine you purchase throughout the day. If you plan to drive on your own, ... Sip. Draw
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Wine Tasting Guide Learn some helpful tips to enhance your enjoyment of the wine tasting experience.
Napa Wine Train, Napa CA
Introduction
Preparing for Wine Tasting
You may be wondering w hy the first image I include in a Wine Guide is that of a train. Well, this isn’t just any train. It is the place where my w ife and I had o ur first wine tasting experience. This happens to be the Napa Wine Train in Napa CA, which is a lot of fun to try if you are in the Napa area.
What I am about to share here is not new to anyone who drinks alcohol. The difference is that your w ine tasting day can start as early as 9 AM, so if you are planning to taste wine all day, there are steps you should take so you can enjoy your tasting experience for the full day.
I remember thinking on the drive up to Napa from my home in Southern California what this wine tasting stuff was all about. I had never even tasted wine before, so how out of place will I look next to all these wine drinkers who are experts? What ended up happening, which is the same experience that I have had in all the wine tasting experiences since then, is finding out that this wine tasting thing is not a big deal at all. Most wine drinkers are very roll-‐with-‐the-‐flow type people and are really out w anting to be with friends and family to have a nice relaxing day. With that said, there are some things you can do to enhance your wine tasting experience. This is where a guide such as this o ne can help. The steps you are about to learn are not necessary to have an enjoyable experience, but they you will certainly help create a memorable experience and move you from a novice to looking like a wine tasting expert in no time.
The first step is to plan your day in advance. One of the most important decisions is to choose if you will be driving on your own, or hiring a local wine tour guide. Tour guides are the way to go if you plan to visit wineries throughout the day. They also normally provide meals, snacks, and water as a part of their service. They will also store any wine you purchase throughout the day. If you plan to drive on your own, you should also be fine, as long as you make some preparations ahead of time. Go to the Internet and print out a map of the area you will visit. Also decide on your eating options. One option is to eat at restaurants or have a picnic for each of your 3 main meals for the day. Another option is to purchase some bottles of w ater and snacks that you can eat and drink as you drive between each w inery. Now that you have planned your day, d o not skip the most important meal of the day: breakfast. And I am not just talking about eating a piece of fruit. You need to eat something that w ill sustain you for a few hours. This will hold you over at least until the early afternoon. You should now be set for the day. If you skip lunch, you should be fine as long as you have w ater, snacks, some French bread, lunchmeat, and cheeses to eat as you are travelling between wineries. Most w ineries also let you have a picnic on their grounds, but you may w ant to check with them to ensure it is OK to do so.
“Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it!” anonymous
I Made It To Wine Country, Now What? So you’ve made all the preparations and you are in w ine country. And now you are wondering where to go next? W hat w inery should you go to first? Remember, don’t stress o ver this. You are not going to make a bad choice. Over time you will find out which wineries are your favorite ones to visit, but if this is your first time, you have no idea where to start. If you are doing a wine tour w ith a local operator, let that person know you are new to this experience. A good tour operator will ask you what you like, and don’t like. They should be able to take it from there. If you are unsure of what tour operator to use, please contact me and I will be glad to help you out. My contact information is at the end of this guide. If you decided to drive on your own, again, don’t sweat it. If you are new to the wine tasting scene, I would start w ith a larger w inery that has a nice look to it. While you are tasting, ask the wine expert behind the bar what wineries they would recommend. Also see if you can get a map of the wineries in the area. Most of the time these maps are free. You can use this map or the one you printed out prior to going on your trip. I also recommend not trying to visit a lot of wineries your first time o ut. Take your time at each winery. Enjoy the surroundings; ask questions of the wine pourers, and most importantly enjoy yourself and those who are with you! Now learn about the 5 S’s to Wine Tasting!
The 5 S’s to Wine Tasting See Pick up the glass and notice how the wine shimmers in the glass. Most w hites are slightly yellow in color. A new w hite may exhibit pale yellow-‐green hues. The color of red wine is equally important. Young reds are frequently bright berry red or purple. As red wine ages the color lightens.
“Beer is made by men, wine is made by God” Martin Luther
Swirl Raise the glass to eye level and swirl the wine to bring out the natural aromas in the wine.
Sniff After swirling the wine, place your nose at the rim of the glass. Take long and short sniffs. Savor the wine. Take note of the aromas you notice.
Sip Draw in a small but comfortable amount of wine enough to coat your mouth easily. The wine should be able to touch every part of your tongue. Drawing in a bit of air w ill further release the flavors present.
Swallow Focus on the flavor that lingers in the mouth. Some refer to this as aftertaste. A good wine leaves a lingering flavor after you swallow it. This is known as the finish.
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“Wine is constant proof that God Duis odio ante, suscipit sed, semper quis, adipiscing ut, loves us Pellentesque vitae lectus. Pellentesque justo. diam. In velit. and wants us to be happy!” Benjamin Franklin
Conclusion Hopefully you found this guide to wine tasting helpful. It was not meant to provide tons of information, but just enough to arm you with the basics to have an enjoyable wine tasting experience. If you require assistance in planning your wine country getaway, please do not hesitate to call us at World and W ine Getaways. CHEERS!
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