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Wines 101

Tasting Wine: The swirl, the sniff, the sip and the finish Swirl the wine in your glass to increase the surface contact to air and release the esters. While you do this, notice the color and viscosity of the wine. Sniff the wine and think of what comes to mind. A flower, fruit, spice, herb, nut or other substance. Sip the wine by taking a small amount into your mouth. Let it roll over your tongue and sense the different tastes. Sweet, salty, sour and bitter. Then swallow and feel the lingering sensations left in your mouth. This is the finish. Dry vs. Sweet Dry wine is the opposite of sweet. Dry wine has less than .5% sugar. Semi dry and semi sweet wines have a small and larger percentage of sugar respectively. Tannin Tannin is an astringent element naturally found in the skin, seeds and stems of grapes and plays an important role in the preservation and aging process of wine. Vintage The year found on wine labels is the vintage of the wine. The vintage is the year the grapes that were used to make the wine were harvested.