Wine tasting can be an intimidating experience. All that swirling and sniffing and slurping and spitting and then the description of what has been tasted using the most flowery and over-the-top language possible to describe the experience! Sure, it is necessary to assess a wine’s quality, character and sometimes identity, but it is entirely possible without elaborate theatrics! And whatever the opinion is at the end of the performance, it is entirely subjective!

Tasting is important to ensure that there are no faults in a wine, for example whether it is oxidised or corked. That is the only objective part of the wine tasting experience. The assessment of colour, nose and palate immediately becomes subjective and although there are many who would claim that they can tell you why one wine is better than another, they are once again only expressing a personal opinion based on their individual tasting experience.

Tasting should be fun – we all love wine after all and tasting is all about learning which styles or varieties we like and which we do not. If you fancy doing some tasting this week in a friendly, unpretentious and relaxed environment we will be on the road in Ireland and Scotland pouring our wines at the following venues:-

Wine Tasting, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, Weds 9 March 2011.
Time: 6.00 – 8.00pm, 15 Ely Place, Dublin 2 Cost: €20.00 per person, www.jnwine.com

Wine dinner, The Waterside Bistro, Haddington, East Lothian, Thurs 10 March 2011, 7pm, 3 course meal including wines £35 per head, www.watersidebistro.co.uk

Vino wine shop, Grange Loan, Edinburgh, Friday 11 March 2011, 17-20:00h
‘Drop-in’ wine tasting, www.vinowines.co.uk

Vino wine shop, Broughton Street, Edinburgh, Saturday 12 March 2011, 14-16:00h -‘Drop-in’ wine tasting, www.vinowines.co.uk

Vino wine shop, Comiston Road, Edinburgh, Saturday 12 March 2011, 17-20:00h – ‘Drop-in’ wine tasting, www.vinowines.co.uk