THE LAST STEP——TASTE NOW ！</SPAN></SPAN> </SPAN>
Although taste is essentially a function of smell, tasting reveals aspects of a wine's personality that smelling cannot.</SPAN> Humans can perceive combinations of only four tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. These sensations are localized in taste buds on different parts of the tongue: sweetness on the tip, with acidity and bitterness on the sides and to the rear.</SPAN> Roll the wine all around your mouth, bringing it into contact with every part, because each decodes a different aspect of the liquid. Wine provokes sensations, too: The astringency of tannins is most perceptible on the inner cheeks; the heat of the alcohol burns in the back of the throat. So its time to taste. Put the glass to your lips and take some liquid in. How much? That depends on the size of your mouth. But too little is as ineffective as too much. One-third to one-half an ounce is just about right. You need to have enough volume to work it all around your tasting apparatus, but not so much that you're forced to swallow right away.</SPAN></SPAN>
 
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The strength of these taste sensations can be amplified through specialized techniques. First, as you hold the wine in your mouth, purse your lips and inhale gently through them. This accelerates vaporization, intensifying the aromas. Second, chew the wine vigorously, sloshing it around in your mouth, to draw every last nuance of flavor from the wine.</SPAN>
Don't forget the finish. After you swallow, exhale gently and slowly through both your nose and mouth. The retronasal passage, which connects the throat and the nose, is another avenue for aromas, which can linger long after the wine is finally swallowed. You'll find that the better the wine, the more complex, profound and long-lasting these residual aromas can be.</SPAN>
 
During tasting, you notice a variety of sensations. When tasting a young, dry (no residual sugar) white wine, for example, you may notice its acidity (</SPAN>tartness</SPAN>), while a strapping young red may leave an</SPAN> astringent</SPAN> sensation (like over-seeped tea or walnut skins) from the grape</SPAN> tannins</SPAN> in its skins. (Reds ferment with their skins; whites don't.) Some varieties, like Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and Gamay Beaujolais, have a</SPAN> fruity</SPAN> taste, while dessert wines will be overtly</SPAN> sweet</SPAN>. (Wines can be fruity without being literally sweet.)</SPAN>
 
Wines differ in</SPAN> body</SPAN> (the "weight" of a wine) as well. Generally, those with less alcohol are light-bodied, while those with higher alcohol have a medium-bodied or full-bodied</SPAN> texture</SPAN>. A wine without requisite body may seem</SPAN> thin</SPAN> or watery, while a heavy-bodied wine may seem almost</SPAN> viscous</SPAN>. Some wines display a round,</SPAN> supple</SPAN> texture, while others, particularly tannic reds, may taste rough or</SPAN> coarse</SPAN>. Wines too high in alcohol may taste</SPAN> hot</SPAN> and harsh. Whatever taste sensations a wine imparts, the key to its quality is</SPAN> balance</SPAN>, the harmony of all its elements -- fruit, acid, tannin, alcohol, wood (if any), etc. For example, a wine may fall short of the mark because a low level of acidity leaves it tasting slightly</SPAN> flat</SPAN> or a high level of tannin gives it an unpleasing</SPAN> bitterness</SPAN>.</SPAN>
 
Another important indicator of a wine's quality is its aftertaste or</SPAN> finish</SPAN>. If the aftertaste is</SPAN> short</SPAN> (fades quickly), it's unlikely to be a high-quality wine, while a</SPAN> long</SPAN> finish is one sign of a quality wine.</SPAN>
 
By the way, professional tasters spit the wine out because they don't have to swallow to learn what they need to know (a little sloshing in the mouth does the trick), and to stay sober while tasting many wines. Whereas we civilians get to swallow. Sometimes it's nice to be an amateur.</SPAN>
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