That may be what they teach in bartending classes, but it's not quite what I got taught in oenophile classes.
I was taught you don't sniff the cork. Feel it, check the label, to see it matches the cork, yes. If the wine has gone bad, you'll know it when you smell the wine.
Looking at the wine is a check to see if it's gone bad, yes, but it's also an opportunity to appreciate the wine visually, and get some chance to know what to expect when you drink. (For example, the "legs" of the wine -- the residue left on the side of the glass after swirling, will be thicker and run down more slowly the more sugars are in the wine.)
Smelling the wine tells you if it's gone bad, yes, but it's also an opportunity to see get a sense of whether the wine has matured as much as it can as well as appreciating the complexities of the aroma and bouquet. It is indeed a way to see if the wine is good, and in what manner.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-16 02:53 am (UTC)I was taught you don't sniff the cork. Feel it, check the label, to see it matches the cork, yes. If the wine has gone bad, you'll know it when you smell the wine.
Looking at the wine is a check to see if it's gone bad, yes, but it's also an opportunity to appreciate the wine visually, and get some chance to know what to expect when you drink. (For example, the "legs" of the wine -- the residue left on the side of the glass after swirling, will be thicker and run down more slowly the more sugars are in the wine.)
Smelling the wine tells you if it's gone bad, yes, but it's also an opportunity to see get a sense of whether the wine has matured as much as it can as well as appreciating the complexities of the aroma and bouquet. It is indeed a way to see if the wine is good, and in what manner.