We’re all brought up with manners not to slurp, but wine tasting is one case where the rule is actually thrown out the window. “Sniff, swirl, sip” is my favorite phrase to use when explaining the wine tasting process to newbies—an easy-to-remember, 3-step good ole-fashioned alliteration. Sipping is where the slurping comes in, though it is more sophisticatedly referred to as “suckling.” But it’s how you get the true flavors of the wine. But don’t worry, there is absolutely no need to know the proper way to wine taste in order to vacation and explore in Napa Valley and its varietals on a Best Vacations Ever promotional vacation package (bestvacationsever.com), you’ll learn it there and enjoy the educational process of growing grapes to actual wine-making at spectacular wineries, some that even resemble Medieval and castle-like architecture sitting atop scenic Californian mountain ranges. But if you want a head’s up, Best Vacations Ever has a few tips for you, as wine tasting is one of the top perks and really is as simple as swirl, sniff, sip.
WINE & MORE IN NAPA
California’s Napa Valley is one of the most intriguing destinations, filled with activities, atmosphere and attractions, with an eternal epicenteral flame that burns in Napa Valley with its sophisticatedly vibrant atmosphere, and extensive menu of wineries, attractions, culture, geysers, architecture, the Wine Train dinner tour and sweeping vineyards rooted amid scenic mountainsides. Napa is a fascinating and thriving California destination for couples and families alike, and there’s no better way for everyone to get a taste of such a privileged destination than with a Best Vacations Ever promotional vacation provided by Preferred Guest Resorts (800-656-2780). Napa makes for an incredibly romantic couple’s getaway, but it also is chock full of adventures to entice families as well. Wineries even have grape juice and non-alcoholic grape concoctions just for kids so they can join in on the fun and experience of wine-making and tasting right along with their folks.
HOW TO WINE TASTE
Here is a heads up and list of tips on how to wine taste and evaluate a glass of wine while on your low-cost Best Vacations Ever journey to Napa Valley.
- SETTING. Make sure you are in the right wine tasting environment and does not have any negative influences, such as noise, fragrances from cooking or perfumes, pets, etc. that can affect things such as aroma and enjoyment. The best place to taste wines is a winery, where it specializes in wine tastings and makes sure that the environment is ideal, and that glasses are sized to perfection and clear of detergents that may affect the true flavor of the wine.
- VIEW. Use visual acuity and angling of the glass to get a true depth of the color of the wine. Tilting the glass allows you to see the wine’s color range and not just the dark center. The depth of the wine’s color actually gives you a sense of the wine’s density and saturation, from pale to dark wines. Pale wines are usually thinner while dark’s are thicker –more full-bodied. Viewing through the side also shows the wine’s clarity. At a winery, an expert will help show you how to perform the angling process.
- SWIRL! Giving the glass a good roundabout swirl shows the “legs” or “tears” of the wine. “Legs” or “tears” form and run down the sides of the glass. Wines that have good legs have more alcohol and glycerin content, which typically means they are bigger, riper, more mouth filling and denser than those that don’t. You’ll often here professional wine tasters or sommeliers say that the wine “has good legs, when describing a wine.
- SNIFF! After a good swirl, take a series of a few good sniffs while hovering just over the top of the glass and evaluating the wine by finding hints of florals, fruits, herbs, vegetables and spices and many of the influences, ingredients and embodiments that make up the wine. I’m sure you can recall wine evaluations that are called “fruity” or “earthy,” common classifications. Looking for the aromas helps you understand the wine and its makeup. A good wine-tasting expert will teach you how to identify those aromas as wall as fragrance flaws like vinegar (SO2), mustiness, burnt matches and more that indicate a bad wine. Too much of a “mushroom” fragrance often indicates that the grapes were not ripe enough for wine-making yet. Discovering the aromas you like will help you determine the types of wine you will enjoy when out dining or purchasing a certain bottle of wine.
- FINALLY…SIP! Don’t chug, but take a decent sip and suckle on the wine as if you drank it through a straw so you absorb and taste the flavors, using the aromas still your brain to evaluate the wine. A good wine should be well balanced and proportioned, another technique a good wine-tasting expert can teach you how to do. Besides identifying flavors, you are also using your taste buds to determine balance, harmony, complexity, evolvement of the wine, and if it is complete. Your taste buds will dance as they determine whether a wine is sweet, sour, salty or bitter, and you find your favorites. A complete wine will linger in your mouth after swallowing, with satisfying results.
USING YOUR NEW WINE-TASTING KNOWLEDGE
The fun part about having wine tasting knowledge is applying it while out dining in one of the trendiest, gourmet-based dining areas, Napa Valley. While going through professional wine tastings in Napa, you should also learn what types of wines best compliment and enhance certain dishes, like steak, chicken and seafood. Dining is also another great activity of travelers in the atmospheric Napa Valley destination that pulls wine and food aficionados year-round with its temperate climate. Renowned and award-winning chefs have established themselves in Napa Valley, catering to the wine and dine experience, making for unforgettable Best Vacations Ever experiences among some of the most spectacular scenery and at accommodations right in the heart of Napa’s social centerpiece. Call 800-656-2780 for more information.
BOOKING A TRIP TO NAPA VALLEY
Best Vacations Ever promotional vacations provided by Preferred Guest Resorts make it easy and much more affordable for couples and families to have an extraordinary Napa Valley adventure in this California oasis. Custom Best Vacations Ever packages are often incentivized with free accommodations primly located in the heart of the action, attractions tickets and/or preferred-partner Alamo® rental-car specials so you can explore the whole region and outlying areas at your leisure. And while wine tasting seems to caters more toward adults, there is much more depth, soul and activities for families and varied travel personalities than meets the eye, with numerous attractions, natural wonders, hiking, biking, Segway traveling, adventure-parks, entertainment complexes, outstanding shopping, spas, family-fun activities and much more. For a glimpse into the many adventures you can enjoy on a couple’s or family’s vacation in Napa Valley, check out the destination’s Fast Facts and Must-Do pages located on bestvacationsever.com where you can also download informative videos about Best Vacations Ever vacations provided by 30-year veteran and enhanced promotional travel provider Preferred Guest Resorts. You can also talk to our professional travel representatives and start to planning your trip to Napa Valley by calling 800-656-2780. Get a taste of Napa Valley’s many riches at rates far lower than retail by calling Best Vacations Ever today!
What is your favorite winery in Napa Valley and why?
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