How to taste wine: our tips

Wine tasting technique involves multiple senses, and it is right to proceed by steps:

1. Visual examination: as a first step tilt the goblet 45 degrees, this way you will be able to better capture the nuances of the wine. When tasting sparkling white wines, also take into account the perlage, that is, the chain of bubbles that goes up into the goblet. Then spin the goblet to observe the consistency.
2. Olfactory examination: the wine should be sniffed while still, to smell the most volatile fragrances, and only later swirl it to reveal the scents hidden in the glass. By doing so you will be able to understand itsintensity, the strength with which we perceive the smell, complexity, how many nuances we can pick up, andharmony, how balanced the bouquet is.
3. Taste-olfactory examination: the last part involves taste, touch and retronasal sensations. Once in the mouth we will define taste according to freshness, savoriness, sweetness and bitterness. The tactile taste buds will then make you perceive pseudocalority, softness, astringency, pungency, texture in addition to the thermal effect, which depends on the serving temperature. Once swallowed, the wine releases an "olfactory backlash": the temperature of our body allows the wine to open up, thus releasing additional scents that will be felt through the nasal passages.

When you visit our winery, you’ll have the chance to taste wines from our region, and you’ll be able to put the tasting technique you’ve just read about into practice with the 12 wines you’ll find there. On the page Tours and Tastings page, you’ll find the four different experiences, along with their durations and prices, and you can book your winery tour online. 

If you then take a liking to it and wish to open your horizons on the regional wine scene, we suggest a visit to the Tasting Academy.

Below we leave you with some tasting inspiration for three ERMACORA wines that you can also find in the winery:

• Friulano (formerly Tocai): tasting Friulano wine immediately brings us to the observation of a wine with a straw-yellow color, more saturated than other whites. Upon attempting to move the glass we will be able to notice a certain strength, indicative of good structure. On the nose we will immediately get a marked note of bitter almond that will give way to a fairly complex trail of medium intense floral and fruity scents. On the palate we will sense good freshness, pleasant minerality and medium body. Once swallowed, we will also feel some persistence from the duration of a few seconds.
• Picolit: to the eye we will immediately notice a beautiful amber-gold color; if we try to swirl it in the glass we will notice a great consistency, also due to the residual sugar. On the nose, the bouquet will turn out to be broad with notes of exotic, almost syrupy fruit and some fine notes of roasting due to the stay in the barrel. We will also pick up a good softness, and we will have a long lingering sensation.
• La Gialla Brut (Sparkling Ribolla Gialla): the color will be a delicate yellow and the bubbles will be noted for fine and persistent perlage; the body will also be quite substantial. The aroma will recall citrus peels and will present herbaceous hints, as well as a minerality due to the soil. In the mouth, the Ribolla will present a pleasant freshness accompanied by a savoriness that will have a discreet permanence.

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There would be so much more to write about the technique of wine tasting, and these words are simply meant to be a quick taste of the subject.

For the actual tasting, we look forward to seeing you at the winery, where we will be happy to welcome you and hear your opinion, sipping a few glasses of our beloved land together!

If you've never been to a winery and aren't quite sure what to expect, we've written a guide just for you: how a winery tour works, from booking to tasting.