How to taste a wine in a restaurant step by step

This post is also available in: Spanish

How to taste a wine in a restaurant is not something simple, but not complicated.
Firstly, we will indicate the parameters in which we should look.
Without being an expert in the matter, we can get out of the way if we have to taste the wine.

 

How to taste a wine in a restaurant step by step

Cork (TCA)

See very often that wine connoisseurs the first thing they do when they open a bottle of wine, is to smell the cork.
But we really know what they are looking for by doing that.?

Simply what they are after is to find out, if the wine smells like cork or wet cardboard, the famous TCA, which is a clear indicator of which the wine has a defect.

It can also be detected in the mouth, but this is something that professionals do and it is not up to anyone.

In these cases, if we are in a restaurant, just tell the waiter or the sommelier, and immediately after checking, they will change the bottle.

Most of the wineries assume this defect, and therefore does not represent cost for the restaurant.
But we must not fall into the error of permanently searching for wine cork defects, and the controls made by the wineries are quite rigorous, and we can ridicule them without necessity.

The Temperature of Wine

The second thing to look at is the temperature at which wine is served.
This is checked, tasted the wine, and savored in the mouth.

It is usual that in restaurants, wines are stored in the same space reds, whites and rosés, and generally at room temperature.

Well, the characteristics of each type of wine requires that, in order to taste all its properties and qualities, wines according to type should be served at a different temperature.
-Red wines must be served between 15º and 18º
-White wines between 6th and 8th
-The pink ones between 8º and 10º
This is nothing more than a mere indication.

In red wines, it influences in an important way its natural: young, aging, reserve, etc.

Consequently, the taking of the wine at room temperature is a fallacy.
In summer in a hot area, the wine will be at an exaggerated temperature. And if we are in winter in a cold area, it will be too cold.

Therefore, it is best to ask the waiter.
If we see that the wine is not cold, it is to request a bucket. Sometimes with a cold shirt, to put it to the bottle, is enough.
To think that 15º or 16º for the red wine, the bottle must be fresh when touching it.

Conclusion

We can detect and know if the wine we are taking in a restaurant is in good condition or not.
Just look at the smell of cork, and the temperature of service.
The one that we like more or less one wine or another will depend on our preferences.