HOW TO TASTE
Tasting is both simple and highly complex. A child can do it (I’m not talking about wine, obviously), and yet it’s a vast subject whose intricacies could fill many books. So how do you go about getting the most out of your wine glass? I’ve talked to some of the world’s best tasters to discuss the tactics that they use when assessing, or just enjoying, a wine.
Professional athletes are keenly aware of what affects their form. Wine tasters – especially those on the buying and writing side of the fence – are more likely to promote the myth of the infallible palate (theirs, naturally). Happily, that conversation is now changing as we learn more about our olfactory and taste systems. ➢
‘The wine taster’s instrument is not only the nose but the entire body,’ says Ann-Sophie Barwich, a cognitive scientist, empirical philosopher and the author of (£28.95, Harvard University Press, 2020). ‘The expert nose measures the volatiles in the wine, while their sensation is an expression
