Blog

1. Your Mood Can Affect Your Palate: The way you’re feeling—happy, stressed, or tired—can subtly influence how you perceive a wine’s flavours.

2. Temperature Matters More Than You Think: A wine’s temperature can drastically change its flavour. Even red wines can benefit from a slight chill to enhance fruity notes.

3. Your Glass Shape Changes the Taste: The shape of the wine glass affects how aromas reach your nose and where the wine lands on your palate, altering your tasting experience.

4. Decanting Isn’t Just for Red Wine: White and sparkling wines can also benefit from decanting to release their full aromatic profile.

5. Your Taste Preferences Change Over Time: As you age or develop your palate, you may start enjoying wines you previously disliked.

6. Your Dominant Hand Affects Aroma: Your nose is slightly more sensitive on the same side as your dominant hand, so you might perceive aromas differently depending on which side of the glass you sniff from.

7. Wine Legs Don’t Indicate Quality: Those streaks running down the glass (legs) are caused by alcohol and surface tension, not the wine’s quality.

8. The Age of the Wine Isn’t Always Better: Not all wines improve with age. Many are crafted to be enjoyed young, within a year or two of production.

9. Minerality Isn’t What You Think: Minerality in wine isn’t directly from soil minerals—it’s a combination of aroma and texture reminiscent of earth or stone.

10. Your Tongue Only Detects Four flavours: While your tongue detects sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, the rest of wine’s complexity comes from your sense of smell.

11. Wines Can Taste Different Outdoors: Tasting wine in an open-air environment can make it seem more aromatic and fresh due to increased airflow and oxygen exposure.

12. You Can Train Your Nose Like a Pro: Sommeliers often practice by sniffing everyday items—herbs, fruits, and spices—to sharpen their sensory recall for tasting notes.

13. Sparkling Wines Have a Secret to Bubbles: Finer, longer-lasting bubbles are a sign of high-quality sparkling wine, often achieved through traditional fermentation in the bottle.

14. Red Wines Can Be Served Chilled: Light-bodied reds like Pinot Noir or Gamay can be served slightly chilled to enhance fruity and fresh notes.

15. Wine Tastes Different in the Morning: Your taste buds are most sensitive in the morning, which is why some winemakers taste-test early in the day.

16. Some Wines Smell Like Petrol: The distinctive petrol aroma in aged Rieslings is a result of a compound called TDN, considered a hallmark of quality.

17. Corks Aren’t Always Superior: Screw caps are excellent at preserving freshness and are often better for wines meant to be enjoyed young.

18. The “Second Sip” Rule: The first sip of wine can be misleading due to residual flavours in your mouth. The second sip provides a clearer sense of the wine’s character.

19. Wine Aerators Mimic Decanting: If you’re short on time, using an aerator can quickly enhance the aromas and flavours of your wine.

20. There’s a Science Behind Pairing Wine and Food: Matching wine and food involves considering acidity, tannins, and flavours. For example, high-acid wines like Sauvignon Blanc cut through rich dishes.

Create an account with us today, let the laughter begin and receive a $10 off coupon to kickstart your New Zealand wine journey with us. Cheers!