A taste of clubbing
If you are keen on wine, why not join a club?

Just type the words wine clubs into Google or Yahoo and you will get about 15,800,000 results. Wine clubs are popular around the world and in Cyprus, as with wine shops, organised wine clubs are appearing all over the island. Cypriots are beginning to take wine seriously with local clubs organised by active wine connoisseurs. Cavas are involved too.

The internet is now used both for the promotion of and selling of wine, with most wine shops having their own wine web pages. Wine buffs can see what each importer or cava has to offer - new arrivals, special offers and so forth - and they can even order their wines on line.

Members can benefit from private classes on learning all about tasting wine and participating in wine tastings organised by the various clubs or cavas. Learning how to taste wine is vital and is a straightforward adventure that will deepen your appreciation of both wines and their makers. Look, smell and taste – starting with your basic senses and expanding from there you will learn how to taste wines like the pros in no time. If you do have the chance to participate in such events here is how you should go about it:

1 Look Pour a glass of wine into a suitable wine glass. Then take a good look at the wine. What colour is it? Look beyond red, white or blush. If it’s a red wine is the color maroon, purple, ruby, garnet, red or even brownish. If it’s a white is it clear, straw-like, golden, light green, pale yellow or brown in appearance?

2 Still looking. Move on to the wine’s opacity. Is the wine clear, cloudy, transparent or opaque? Tilt your glass a bit, give it little swirl – look again, you are looking at colour, clarity, brilliance (sounds like you are finding the perfect diamond) – is there sediment, bits of cork or any other floating floating bits? An older red wine will be more translucent than younger red wines.

3 Smell Our sense of smell is critical in properly analysing a glass of wine. To get a good impression of your wine’s aroma, gently swirl your glass (this will enhance the wine’s natural aromas) and then take a quick whiff to gain a first impression.

4 Still Smelling. Now put your nose down into the glass and take a deep inhale. What are your second impressions? Do you smell oak, berry, flowers, vanilla or citrus? A wine’s aroma is an excellent indicator of its quality, and unique characteristics.

5 Taste Finally, take a taste. Start with a small sip and let it roll around your tongue. After gathering your initial impression of the wine, allow a small breath of air in through your lips and allow the wine to mingle with the air (called swirling). This will allow you to taste flavours more fully (even if you look or sound a bit funny). What do you taste? Reds will often have berry, woody and bell pepper tastes. White wines will often have apple, floral or citrus flavours associated with them.

Initial Taste – This is your first impression of the wine’s components and flavours.
Finish - The wine’s finish is how long the flavour lasts after it is swallowed. Did it last several seconds? Was it light-bodied (like water) or full-bodied (like the consistency of milk)?

After you have taken the time to taste your wine, you might record some of your impressions. Overall, how did you find the wine? Does it taste better with cheese, fish or red meats? Will you buy this wine? And if yes, note the wine’s name, producer and year down for future reference.

GIVE IT A GO
www.cyprusvines.com is organising a wine tasting event for members on Saturday October 29 at The Aliathon Holiday Village as part of its ‘Meet the Winemaker’ series of wine tastings. The host winemaker is Costas Tsiakkas of Tsiakkas Winery.

Wine of the week
Ca’ Montini Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, DOC, Italy, Alcohol Volume 11%
Prosecco is a light and aromatic sparkling wine. It is made from the grape of the same name which is found in north-east Italy, in the Veneto region in the province of Treviso. Ca Montini is more famous for its Pino Grigio however, this crisp, clean and peary wine has a blossomy style on the nose with a touch of pineapple. Lively and easy palate extra dry, served at 7? is almost ready for your Bellini cocktails or as an aperitif.