Page 98 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 98
he Culture of Wine in Slovenia
buying wine and trying to decide which one to choose by comparing the good and bad
points of each one.
Our concentration can be disturbed by internal and external factors. When assessing wines,
we must be rested, calm and healthy. Worries or feeling unwell must be put aside. Our
concentration is also affected by external factors, such as disturbances around us, noise,
talking, movement, walking and visual perceptions that take our mind off the wine. Especially
disturbing are comments by other tasters. If we exaggerate somewhat, we can say that even a
fly buzzing around the room can be a distraction. If we are tasting wine in a wine cellar with
other people present, we must move to a corner so that we can focus only on the wine. At
group tastings and wine assessments, the organiser must ensure that samples are anonymous
and that each taster is assessing the wine independently from the others.
When assessing a wine, we first determine its appearance: that is, its clarity and colour.
Then we smell the wine, assessing its bouquet. This is followed by tasting the wine so that
we can obtain the final impression about its
harmony, quality and stability. We keep the
wine in our mouth for a while so that we can
detect the aromas that travel from the wine
warmed in our mouth to the nasal passage.
Then we spit the wine so that we can taste a
number of samples. The written wine assessment
appears both as a description and as a number.
In Slovenia, the Buxbaum system with 1 to 20
points is commonly used.
A part of the evaluation commission at
the International Wine Competition at the
Gospodarsko razstavišče exhibition complex
in Ljubljana, 2003. Photo: Miloš Toni.
Analysis of samples, 2003. Photo: Miloš Toni.
At wine tastings, the air must be without odours that could disturb the detection of wine’s
finesses. Even in a wine cellar, when we are tasting wines straight from the barrels or tanks,
the air should be clear. The atmosphere in a wine cellar is pleasanter, more mysterious and
romantic which, however, can mislead us.
94
buying wine and trying to decide which one to choose by comparing the good and bad
points of each one.
Our concentration can be disturbed by internal and external factors. When assessing wines,
we must be rested, calm and healthy. Worries or feeling unwell must be put aside. Our
concentration is also affected by external factors, such as disturbances around us, noise,
talking, movement, walking and visual perceptions that take our mind off the wine. Especially
disturbing are comments by other tasters. If we exaggerate somewhat, we can say that even a
fly buzzing around the room can be a distraction. If we are tasting wine in a wine cellar with
other people present, we must move to a corner so that we can focus only on the wine. At
group tastings and wine assessments, the organiser must ensure that samples are anonymous
and that each taster is assessing the wine independently from the others.
When assessing a wine, we first determine its appearance: that is, its clarity and colour.
Then we smell the wine, assessing its bouquet. This is followed by tasting the wine so that
we can obtain the final impression about its
harmony, quality and stability. We keep the
wine in our mouth for a while so that we can
detect the aromas that travel from the wine
warmed in our mouth to the nasal passage.
Then we spit the wine so that we can taste a
number of samples. The written wine assessment
appears both as a description and as a number.
In Slovenia, the Buxbaum system with 1 to 20
points is commonly used.
A part of the evaluation commission at
the International Wine Competition at the
Gospodarsko razstavišče exhibition complex
in Ljubljana, 2003. Photo: Miloš Toni.
Analysis of samples, 2003. Photo: Miloš Toni.
At wine tastings, the air must be without odours that could disturb the detection of wine’s
finesses. Even in a wine cellar, when we are tasting wines straight from the barrels or tanks,
the air should be clear. The atmosphere in a wine cellar is pleasanter, more mysterious and
romantic which, however, can mislead us.
94
