The Initial Impression

Now, take a small sip of the wine, plenty enough to be able to taste it yet few enough to keep you from swallowing immediately. Let it roll around in your tongue for ten to fifteen seconds. Here you will get your first sensations of the four components of any wine: tannin levels, alcohol content, acidity and residual sugar.

Sensations of wine

Tannin can be found in the skins, seeds and stems of many fruits, including grapes. It leaves an astringent feel in the tongue, gums and cheeks. It can feel fine or gritty, smooth or coarse, round or angular. The amount of time that grape skins are allowed to ferment in making red wine can determine the tannin levels, as well as its storage in oak barrels. This substance can also be preservative. With time, it undergoes chemical processes that serve to make the wine softer, silkier and more full-bodied; thus, it highly contributes to the wine’s capacity to mature and age well.

The riper the grape is when during harvest time, the higher the wine’s alcohol and sugar levels. This also means that there is less acidity in the wine. A high alcohol level is also responsible for making the drink more full-bodied. It will also leave an initial burning sensation at the back of your throat after swallowing.