Wine is a beverage produced by human hands for one or two years. Behind a wine there is a story, a man and/or woman, a life and a passion that are transcribed and captured through the senses. The wine tasting in Barcelona therefore it is not a simple tasting. It comprises a whole technical and real procedure that allows the quality and defects of a particular wine to be judged, through an objective analysis carried out with sight, smell, taste and touch. .
Tasting is analysing wine, studying it, describing it, judging it and classifying it. Of course, it also encompasses a pleasant sensory experience, thanks to the fact that it connects us with a torrent of aromas and flavors capable of captivating us.
The wine tasting in Barcelona It's not just about drinking, but it has a deeper artistic connotation. Now, how to carry out this tasting rite? At CosmeVins we will break down important information on how to get the most out of this experience.
Phases of a wine tasting in Barcelona
A wine tasting uses four of our five senses: sight, smell, taste, and touch. There is no lack of those who describe the wine tasting in Barcelona as a sensory journey, witness to a history, a terroir, a know-how, etc.
The fact is that each person has their own definition, what we all agree on is that becoming an experienced taster requires practice, experience and memory. In addition, it is necessary to know the three essential phases of this technical procedure. Be:
1. Visual analysis
The visual analysis represents the first phase of the tasting and allows, at a glance, to identify the family to which the wine belongs based on the color (white, red or red). rosado) and give an initial assessment of the product.
The premises that are observed are:
- Colour: The tonality of the drink will always be the first characteristic that catches the taster's attention.
- Clarity or transparency: The presence of suspended particles or the so-called "bottom" is evaluated.
- Consistency (does not apply to sparkling wines): It is the classic evaluation made by tasters by turning the contents of the glass upside down. This allows you to observe the rate of descent of tears and arcs on the glass wall, in order to understand the alcohol content and structure of the wine.
- Effervescence (only for sparkling wines): It indicates the amount, size and persistence of the carbon dioxide bubbles that characterize this type of drink.
2. Olfactory analysis
While an olfactory analysis suggests the nose as the primary organ for judging or describing its aroma, this type of test can also be performed by bringing the wine directly to the mouth.
The stimulation of the Olfactory mucosa, nasally or retronasally, during a wine tasting in Barcelona It allows you to identify:
- Perfume: It is described using the aroma family to which it belongs (floral, fruity, spicy, woody, mineral, yeast, etc.). Depending on their origin, they are divided into:
- Primary: The aroma comes directly from the type of grape used.
- Secondary: It is formed from the triggering of particular chemical reactions during the fermentation process
- Tertiary: Derived from the aging process like the typical yeast aroma of Champagne.
- Intensity and duration: It consists of determining the potency and longevity of the aromas of the drink.
- Complexity: The purpose of this process is to detect the presence of numerous different aromas, all individually identifiable.
3. Taste Analysis
In a wine tasting in Barcelona The taste buds act as sensors to recognize and distinguish four basic tastes: sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. In this way, an in-depth analysis of different aspects is carried out:
- Hardness: Divided into tannins (specific to wines obtained with red vinification and specific white wines aged in barrel), acidity and flavour.
- Softness: It depends on the perception of sugar, alcohol or sugar alcohols.
- Body: In this parameter, the structure (or dry extract) of the wine is evaluated. That is, its components excluding water and alcohol.
- Taste. It refers to the intensity of tactile and tasty sensations.
- Persistence: It corresponds to the number of seconds in which the flavors of the wine remain in the mouth, after its ingestion.
- Quality: It is more of a value judgment than a parameter and summarizes what has been tested.
If you want to put this quick theoretical lesson into practice and try to taste a wine like a real sommelier, it is essential to participate in a large number of tastings throughout your life.
Type of tastings
There are several types of wine tasting in Barcelona. These are horizontal tasting, vertical tasting and blind tasting, each one has its particularities that make it easy to distinguish:
- Horizontal tasting: It allows you to compare different wines from the same vintage and the same appellation. In short, it is a tasting of wine from a winery but from different crops.
- Vertical tasting: It is a type of tasting in which different wines are offered, but they correspond to the same vintage and designation of origin
- Blind tasting. Different wines are tasted here for which no information has been obtained.
Conclusions
After all, a wine tasting in Barcelona It makes it possible for us to discover a lot of information about a wine, its origin, its ripeness, its grape variety and much more in a few minutes. The objective of this sensory journey is, mainly, to make us live a pleasant experience and express the emotions and feelings that each drink awakens in us.
The more wines we taste, the easier it will be for us to become gurus of the art of tasting, as it is necessary to sharpen the senses involved and have the gift of the verb to make the general description of the wine.