Their sense of smell and taste are more sensitive than ordinary people, and they have also undergone special training, so they are definitely more professional than us. If you have this ambition to be a wine or tobacco taster, you can learn it.

Wine Tasting

Some people say: "The difference between tasting wine and drinking wine is thinking." In the West, wine tasting is regarded as an elegant and delicate taste, and appreciating red wine is more It is an elegant act of the leisured class. Wine tasting can be divided into 5 basic steps: looking at the color, shaking, smelling the wine, tasting and aftertaste. As long as you have a keen sense and spirituality, and spend the corresponding patience and time, you will definitely be able to appreciate the mystery and leisureliness.

A Watch

Tasting red wine starts with the eyes, because the appearance of red wine is an important indicator of its health, quality characteristics and storage level. First, check the wine bottle packaging to see if the international barcode on the label on the back of the bottle begins with 3. The French international code is 3. Check if there is a Chinese symbol on the label on the back of the bottle. Open the bottle and look at the text on the wooden stopper. Is it the same as the text on the wine bottle label? In France, wine bottles and wine stoppers are exclusive. When drinking red wine, the wine label is equivalent to the wine’s ID card. The wine label usually includes information such as the name of the winery, the name of the wine, the variety of the wine, the capacity of the wine, the alcohol content, the country of production, the year it was grown, and where it was bottled. For experienced customers, this information is very important. For example, through the growth year of the grapes, you can know whether the growth process is perfect, and you can also decide whether it is better to drink it immediately or need to store it for a few more years.

There are also distinctive patterns on wine labels. In the past, this was mostly the logo of the winery, or even the aristocratic logo passed down, the royal logo, or the winery's scenery and buildings, etc., all of which have unique charm. In addition, since every year's wine is stamped with the year, many drinkers keep the particularly beautiful vintage wine labels for aftertaste or even to show off to friends. Gradually, collecting wine labels has become a popular hobby among wine drinkers.

After inspecting the appearance, you can gently remove the cork, being careful not to shake the bottle. Pour a small amount of red wine into a clear and transparent tulip-shaped wine glass, and pour it until it is about 5 feet away from the base of the glass. centimeters is enough. Under bright light, hold the stem or bottom of the glass, tilt it 45 degrees, and face the white background to observe the appearance and color of the wine.

The appearance of red wine is evaluated mainly based on factors such as color, clarity, concentration, and luster. For good-quality red wine, its clarity, translucence and luster are the first impression given by people, and they are also the basic qualities of good wine. The color of young wine is clear and distinct, while the color of old wine is slightly yellowish brown.

Til the wine glass 45 degrees to observe. At this time, there is a layer of water at the junction between the wine and the wall of the glass. The wider it is, the higher the alcohol content of the wine. Different colors can appear at the junction between the water body and the wine body, thus showing the age of the wine. Blue and lavender are equal to 3 to 5 years of wine age; red brick color is equal to 5 to 6 years; amber is equal to 8 to 10 years; orange color indicates that it has expired.

Under most normal circumstances, the color of dry red wine is bright red, which means the wine is very young, usually between 1 and 4 years old; the color of dry red wine is purple, which means the wine is very young. It has reached middle age, about 4 to 8 years old; when the color of dry red wine turns brown, it means that the wine has reached the prime of life or old age, usually above 9 or 10 years old. Different wine-making procedures and different wine-making styles have varying degrees of impact on the color change of wine.

B Shake

Hold the bottom of the wine glass and shake the wine in the glass continuously to make the wine hang on the wall of the glass. Shaking will release the esters, ethers and acetaldehyde in the wine, allowing oxygen to fully integrate with the red wine, maximizing the release of the unique aroma of the red wine, allowing tasters to judge the quality and characteristics of the wine based on the aroma of the wine. . Look at the horizontal direction from the side of the wine glass, shake the wine glass, and watch the speed of the wine flowing down evenly from the wall of the glass. The thicker the wine and the slower it flows, the better the quality of the wine.

C Smell

The nose is the most sensitive organ when we taste wine.

In fact, the breath smelled through the nose is closely related to the taste tasted through the mouth, and the sensation in the mouth will confirm the experience of nose smelling. When you smell the wine without shaking it, the smell you perceive is the "first smell" of the wine, also called the "front aroma". Before smelling the wine, it is best to take a breath of fresh outdoor air, then hold the cup by the foot, tilt the cup 45 degrees, and put the tip of your nose into the cup to smell the original smell of the wine. At this moment, the delicate, pleasant, elegant and rich aroma will hit your nose. Take a few short sniffs instead of long, deep breaths, as your sense of smell can easily become blunted, especially when you are trying several lighter red wines. Ask yourself if you like the smell, is it light? Is it fresh? Is it sour or sweet? Rich or sweet? Is it strong or graceful?

After rotating and shaking the wine glass, quickly smell the smell released from the wine. This is the "second smell" of the wine, also called the "after aroma". Remember, the smell of a red wine, like its color, reflects the variety of the wine and the maturity of the wine itself, partly due to the production method. New wine releases the unique “aromas” of the grapes it was made from. "Fragrance" traditionally refers to the smell people smell from light red wine, while the term "mellow aroma" is usually used for Tibetan red wine. For Tibetan red wine, its aroma is long-lasting and rich, with floral, fruity, earthy, oaky, fur, barbecue and many other flavors.

D Tasting

Do not eat sweet food before tasting red wine, otherwise it will feel sour, bitter, and astringent. To most people, wine tasting means taking a sip of wine and gulping it down quickly, but that’s not wine tasting. Wine tasting is a matter of using your taste buds. Remember, let the wine cover the sides of your mouth, the sides of your tongue, the back of your tongue, the tip of your tongue, and extend to the bottom of your throat. Taste buds on the tongue can distinguish four basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. The tip of the tongue tastes sweet, the sides of the tongue taste salty, the sides of the upper tongue taste sour, and the base of the tongue tastes bitter.

Simply speaking, a good wine should have the following characteristics: moderate aroma, rich and complex enough; the wine taste should also be rich and complex; the aftertaste should be long enough; wine and oak flavor Be balanced. The above four points are the basic conditions for good wine, and each one is indispensable.

Sip a small sip of the wine and place it in the front of your mouth. Let your tongue and related parts warm the wine, allowing the various aromas to slowly escape, gradually entering a better state. Usually, you will feel the following flavors mixed with each other: sweet or not sweet is called "dry". Wine that stops fermentation early will leave some natural sugar. If the sugar is clearly felt on the tongue, it is a slightly sweet to very sweet wine; sour taste, It can be felt on both sides of the tongue and the palate; astringent taste, red wine has the highest tannin content and a strong dry feeling; alcoholic taste, when the wine flows into the throat, a warm feeling will fill the air. The more alcohol, the greater the warmth.

What you taste is the stimulation of the mouth and the texture of the entrance. Different wines have different brewing methods, some are smooth, some are strong, some are charming...

It is true that wine is like people and people are like wine. The taste can only be appreciated by tasting it carefully.

E Aftertaste

At this moment, the taster can quietly experience the wonderful aroma, taste and characteristics of the wine: harmonious, mellow, sweet, delicate, full, lasting, pure... truly The wine is flawless and unforgettable. Is the wine light? Is it medium-bodied or rich? Is red wine too tannic or too astringent? Is it enjoyable? How long does the aftertaste last? The most important thing is do you like this bottle of wine? The feeling you get after tasting fine wine is wonderful and warm.

Adhere to three steps when tasting red wine

A fine red wine is like a perfectly harmonious symphony, with every note and tone clearly discernible. Good red wine is indeed a glorious art treasure in the wine world.

Observe the color of the wine. One is to appreciate its charming color, and the other is to judge the freshness of the wine based on the color. Pour the glass half full of wine and hold the base of the glass with your thumb and forefinger to observe the color. The most ideal situation for observing colors is to do it in daylight. If it is indoors, ordinary light bulbs are suitable. First, tilt the cup forward and look at the liquid level from the side of the cup to observe the transparency and clarity. The red wine at its peak has the richest natural grape red color; the older red wine will appear brown in color. The higher the transparency, the healthier it is.

To smell the aroma, first bring the cup to the front of your nose at an angle, smell the aroma of the still wine, then gently shake the wine glass in a small circle, then bring the cup to the front of your nose, and take a deep breath. Inhale, and this time you smell the various intoxicating aromas that come out after the wine is shaken and heated.

In addition to the sour grape tannins, red wine also has oak barrel flavor, pepper flavor, fruity flavor, light vanilla flavor, and black currant flavor. It is mellow and fragrant, which is the unique style of high-quality red wine.

Taste When drinking the best vintage red wine, don’t gulp it down. It is best to take a small sip and hold it in your mouth, then stir it with your tongue a few times to allow the wine to fully contact the surface of your tongue and let the taste slowly spread in your mouth. Then open your lips slightly and take a breath, letting the aroma of the wine fill the entire nasal cavity. At this time, hold your breath for a while, and then exhale from the nasal cavity. At this time, you will feel the exciting and rich glycol filling the entire nasal cavity. Finally, let the wine slide gently into your throat and savor the aftertaste. A good glass of wine should have an even blend of acidity, sweetness (alcohol) and tannins.

Cigarette tasting

The quality of cigarettes can be judged from six aspects: gloss, oil content, aroma, irritation, miscellaneous flavor and aftertaste. In terms of fragrance alone, there are flue-cured tobacco, cigar, mixed types, and there are also types such as rich, full, and substantial. Each type is further subdivided, and there are dozens of fragrance types in total.

, "When tasting cigarettes, you should mobilize every part of the mouth to experience it carefully." Every time you take a puff of cigarette, the amount of smoke should be sufficient, then swallow it back, and then slowly exhale from the nasal cavity, through the tip of the tongue, tongue Look for sensations on the face, tongue base, palate, throat and nasal cavity to feel the aftertaste, aroma and irritation of cigarettes

Irritation refers to the impact of smoke on the senses. In terms of sensation, it is divided into three types: oral stimulation, nasal stimulation and throat stimulation. It feels like a diffuse, single (like countless needlepoints) impact on the roof of the mouth, throat and nasal cavity. It is highly irritating, with a "spicy" taste in the mouth, causing tears or a tearing sensation in the nasal cavity, and constricting the throat and causing coughing. The identification of irritation is completed by three organs: the oral cavity, nasal cavity, and throat.

The irritation of smoke is mainly caused by the excessive acidity and alkalinity in cigarettes. It is also related to the moisture and tightness of the cigarette. The greater the moisture in the cigarette, the less irritating it is; in addition, it is also related to the smoker's puff volume and the air inlet and outlet speed