With a view to completely appreciating the distinctions and subtleties in Prosecco wine, over the past few months we have looked at the detailing behind successful wine and Prosecco tasting; using the senses available  to explore and identify wine and perceive the slightest nuances in the intricacies. The 5 techniques involved are colour, swirl, smell, taste and savour. Only after completing these 5 tasks can you have a fully informed idea of the work of art you are drinking!

Looking at the intensity and opacity of the colour can help discern the acidity and age of the wine.

Swirling the Prosecco or wine vapourises the aromatic compounds in the wine, so the aromas can be detected and identified through the sense of smell. The tasting of the wine involves swirling it around your mouth to ensure it coats the whole tongue to detect the different elements. Remember, 90% of taste is smell!

Only once all these techniques have been applied is it possible to put together the results from the 5 stages and truly get an idea of what you are drinking. There are then a series of questions to ask yourself:

Do the flavors correspond with the smells from earlier, and are they as you expected? What food would you expect the wine to compliment and why is this? If the wine wasn’t to your taste, why is this? If you did like it, why?

It is handy to keep a notebook handy to jot down all your notes though the tasting, to allow time to get an overall feel for the wine, and to note your final thoughts for future reference. Remember, everyone has the facilities available to be a master of wine tasting, the difference in a wine tasting ‘expert’ is that they pay attention to detail and they have learned to describe their sensory experience, something that all of our Prosecco enthusiasts are capable of becoming!