Recently I went with some friends to a local Greek restaurant where we enjoyed great food but the wine selection was certainly lacking. It reminded me of the time when most restaurants offered few choices of wines by the glass. Menus featured red, white, or blush served up from big three-liter bottles. Today, however, restaurants [...]

I am an avid fan of National Public Radio. A while back as I was driving down the road and listening to the station, a wine-related story caught my interest. After reciting a fairly lengthy wine description, which alluded to numerous characteristics, the correspondent referenced a European study about the amount of data the brain [...]

The acidity of a wine is one of its most appealing characteristics, enhancing its refreshing, crisp qualities as well as enabling wines to be paired with foods so successfully. Acidity complements foods in a palate-cleansing, refreshing manner. The acidity is usually tasted as soon as it comes into contact with the sides of your tongue, [...]

The tip and top of your tongue are the areas that detect sweetness. One key aspect in the taste of different wines is the degree of sweetness or dryness. Simply out, a dry wine is a wine that is not sweet. Similar to teas or coffee with no added sweetener, dry wines have little or [...]

Tannin, or tannic acid, is detected primarily in red wines since it is an acid found in the pigment of grape skins and oak barrels. Tannin can be felt in the middle of the tongue, the roof of the mouth and the film covering your teeth and gums, creating an astringent or a drying sensation [...]

Most people use the word “taste” to describe all the sensations associated with wine. However, people can only distinguish between four tastes on their tongue: sweet, salt, bitter and acid (sour). Since there is no salt in wine, we are down to three. Sip the wine. Draw in a small amount to be able to [...]

When you go to a restaurant, part of the enjoyment of the dish is in the preparation, presentation and appearance. The fragrance of a good dish is nearly as delightful an experience as the actual meal. The senses of smell and taste are so closely interrelated that we always taste what we smell and smell [...]