Les Roches students get to enjoy a range of exciting and eclectic activities, clubs and societies. One such example is the Les Roches Wine Club, where keen oenophiles (that’s wine lovers, by the way) gather to discuss, taste and learn about some of the world’s finest vintages.
However, Les Roches’ relationship with wine goes deeper. For the past three years, we have organised the World of Wines exhibition, otherwise known as the WOWExpo2018. Run by students and held at Les Roches’ Bluche campus, the one-day event showcases the quality and diversity of Swiss wines, as well as unusual vino from around the world. The third instalment of the WOWExpo takes place on Saturday 21 April and will welcome six different wine-producing regions and their best producers to present.
But when it comes to wine tasting, what are the basics? How do you tell a good wine from a bad one? Our blog has all the answers.
The basics of wine
If you’re interested in joining a wine club, you need to brush up on the basics. Firstly, wine can be made with any fruit, but is usually made with grapes. However, these are not the grapes you would buy at the supermarket – wine grapes are small, sweet, have thick skins and contain seeds. There are over 1,300 identified, commercial wine grape varieties.
There are nine types of wine to choose from:
- Sparkling wine
- Light-bodied white wine
- Full-bodied white wine
- Aromatic (sweet) white wine
- Rosé wine
- Light-bodied red wine
- Medium-bodied red wine
- Full-bodied red wine
- Dessert wine
More information can be found here.
How do you taste wine?
Evaluating a glass for its aroma, taste and quality is a frequent occurrence at wine clubs. But how do you evaluate a glass of wine? Firstly, you need to assess your circumstances. If you’re in a noisy or crowded room, it might affect your impressions of the wine you’re about to sample. Equally, an off-putting smell – anything from perfume to a wet dog – can make gaining a true aroma of the wine difficult. Even the size and shape of the glass can cause problems.
When it comes to sniffing the wine, don’t plunge your nose straight into it. First, give the glass a swirl and then hover over the top. Take a series of quick sniffs, then step away and reflect. After that, it’s time to taste. Take a sip and try sucking on it, as if pulling it through a straw. This will aerate the wine and circulate it around your mouth.
The WOWExpo
How did the WOWExpo get started? “One day, a small group of students decided to dust off hundreds of lonely bottles and discover the rich world of wines that we live,” said Andrea Duran, who worked as Head of Marketing at 2017’s expo. More information on that event can be found on our blog post. This year looks set to continue showcasing some of the world’s most unusual, but most delicious, wines.
2018’s WOWExpo takes place on Saturday 21 April, from 1 – 3pm. For more information, and to register your interest, visit wowexpo2018.com.
