How to Taste Wine Like a Pro When You Visit World-Renowned Wineries in Adelaide - Tips on Savouring Homemade Vintages Like an Expert during a Tour of Adelaide's Wine Country

As one of Australia's most famous wine-producing regions, Adelaide is home to some of the country's finest wineries and vineyards. Most tourists will sign up for a wine tasting tour of Adelaide's wine country during a trip to this region as it would be a mistake to pass up the opportunity to sample the home-grown vintages. From examining the labels to making the most of your wine tasting experience, here are some tips for travellers interested in tasting wine like a pro in Adelaide.

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 1.  Do Your Homework

Those who intend to enjoy a wine tasting tour in Adelaide must first and foremost learn all they can about the vintages produced in the region. Every wine country, even within Australia is different not only in terms of the types of wines that are manufactured in the area but in the types of grapes that are cultivated in various locations. Reading up on Adelaide's wine business can be beneficial to all visitors as it will undoubtedly enhance the wine tasting tour as they will be more aware of what they are tasting and what elements to look out for in each pit stop along the way. Learning about wine, grape cultivation and famous wineries based in Adelaide can also help visitors create a more informed itinerary for their wine tasting tour.

2. It's All in the Label

Before the wine tasting session begins in earnest, participants will get a chance to examine the wine bottle. This is where one can glean a lot of important information regarding the wine without taking a single sip. The vintage or the year indicated on the label refers to when the grapes that were used to make the wine were harvested while the alcohol content of each wine is also indicated. Ideally, you should select wines with an alcohol content that does not exceed 14%.  Some labels will also indicate the vineyard or the type of grapes used in the wine while some will even go so far as to say whether the liquid is full-bodied, medium or light.

3. First Step

Although most of us are used to drinking out of wine glasses, few know the proper way to hold the glass when drinking wine. Those who are based at iStay Precinct Adelaide or any one of the other holiday apartments in Adelaide can practice with some store-bought wines before the cellar door tour to get a sense of how to hold the glass and perform a tasting in the comfort of their dwelling. Wine glasses must be held from the stem and never the bulge of the glass as the temperature of the wine can be altered by the warmth of your fingers. When the liquid is first poured onto the glass it is important to swirl or swish it around the glass as this will release the different aromas and flavours in the wine.

 4. First Sip

Prior to taking your first sip, every wine connoisseur must sniff the glass to get a sense of the different aromas that provide useful information on the ingredients used in creating the vintage. Do not swallow your first sip in haste but swish it around your mouth and let the flavour work on your pallet for a few seconds so you can really taste the wine with taste buds located in your mouth, including in the area on the underside of the tongue.

 5. Notice the Notes

One sip is not enough to read all the "notes" in wine so try with each subsequent sip to notice the smoothness, lightness or heaviness of the wine as well as the after taste it leaves after swallowing.