How to Approve a Bottle of Wine

Perhaps you’re on a date or meeting a new client. You want to impress by ordering a nice bottle of wine, but then the server brings it out and presents you the label. How do you proceed through the approval/tasting process without looking either flummoxed or like a wine snob? This guide will teach you all you need to know for basic, fluid wine approval.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. When ordering, make a mental note of the wine’s year, name and grape. These are important keywords.

2. When the bottle is presented, quickly look over the label, making sure that those keywords are on it. If you ordered a 2004 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir and the bottle says 2005 Fischer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, something is amiss. This is rare, however. Most of the time, you will be able to quickly identify at least two of those three keywords within a few seconds, in which case nod to your server, or provide verbal confirmation that it is the bottle you want.

3. Allow your server to pour a small amount of wine into your glass.

4. Gently swirl the wine, keeping the base of the glass on the table if possible.

5. Hold the glass below your nose and subtly smell the wine. If you get an intensely off-putting sour scent, there is a chance your wine is corked, which means the seal was not perfect and the wine has gone bad.

6. Take a small sip of wine, holding it in your mouth for a second or two before swallowing. If the wine smelled bad and it also tastes bad, inform your server that you think the bottle is corked. You should be brought a new bottle. If it is okay, say “thank you” or otherwise indicate that the wine is passable.

7. Enjoy your meal.

Tips & Warnings

• For a truly thorough wine tasting, there are steps not mentioned here, such as observing the wine’s color. These are best skipped by anyone who is not a wine connoisseur and experienced in tasting. Of course if you are having a casual dinner with friends, feel free to have fun with the tasting.
• Do not gulp the wine when tasting. It is not necessary or recommended to empty your glass when approving a bottle. There will be time for that later

[grapegirls]

on 3/28/2009 Great tips, we concur... Cheers!