I was issued with a box of 6 of the Industry Standard Organisation, ISO, Tasting Glasses.

Many forms of wine glass are drunk from. Many are specifically designed to enhance the characteristics of certain wines. To this end many are named after the wines they are most synonymous with. As I learned that the same wine drunk from two distinctly differently shaped glasses can taste dramatically different, I learned that smell forms an enormous part of wine tasting, more on that later. So to have a standard method of tasting all wine a standard glass for the tasting process was agreed upon in the early 1970s. Here is a full article on the ISO Tasting Glass http://www.diwinetaste.com/dwt/en2002113.php

The ISO Tasting Glass is where the wine will be considered by the wine taster's senses. The process adopted by all wine tasters is called "The Systematic Approach to Tasting."

I am learning this at Intermediate Level and within that there is a very specific vocabulary used. Like any profession there is terminology and language that really only makes sense to people within that profession or with an interest in it. Engineers know what a gasket is (gas-filled basket?); sailors know which way port, starboard, poop and galley would be on a boat; chefs can tell a chiffonade from brandade; so the wine world has its own language too. All the words are familiar, but their usage is controlled so everyone in the industry, or around it, knows what each refers to. 

So within this systematic approach I shall be 'approaching' all the wine that enters these glasses in the prescribed way.

The room, yourself and company should be odour free. No perfumes, no traces of strong flavours including tobacco and toothpaste.

Natural light, preferably north facing, with a white background. (We had ghastly fluorescent lights in anti-glare configuration in a corporate blue room belonging to Constellation.)

50 ml is poured.

There are four sections of results – Appearance, Nose, Palate, Conclusion.

The WSET have a matrix that you follow to get your results at http://wsetglobal.com/documents/ic_sat_22.06.09.pdf It is within this that the language becomes so specific, i.e. for colour descriptions for red wine; purple, ruby, garnet, tawny: the smell of wine in good condition; clean/un-clean: length on the palate; short, medium, long. These being very specific times of the taste remaining in your mouth, and even which of the tastes lingering. 

The role of the glass becomes more clear as the lesson progresses. How light moves through this exact amount of wine. The first thing is looking at the wine's clarity, the second its density. Obviously this standard volume of wine to look through is the only way to make this process uniform. This is even before the more convoluted smelling and tasting.

I am glad to say extensive tasting of wines beforehand made me the most vocal when it came to the six tastings as it was an area where I'm very comfortable. Conversely, the complete novice, Angelika, had as much of interest to add as her palate was completely fresh to all the taste sensations from the wine. Learning which terminology to use where is going to be learned, or more fundamentally relearned differently by me, to match to specific characteristics for all our senses on this course.

Next time I shall relay the bits about wine storage, service and appreciation from the lesson. I'm also going to paraphrase the first six tastings we did.

Now I'm off to reheat my duck and lentil soup from last night as I'm famished. It was the only way to use up the ruined Campo Viejo Rioja that was undrinkable from the day before. More on wine storage, Martin McColl, later.