Rules for tasting alcoholic beverages. Secrets of tasting alcoholic beverages

Having a certain ability to taste alcoholic beverages or setting out to develop these abilities, it does not hurt to know how to do it correctly. In the process of tasting, it is required to use the sense organs responsible for receiving a variety of sensations. This is sight, smell, and taste. In addition, with a professional approach to the tasting process, it is also necessary to determine the brand of an alcoholic beverage, and even the country or region of its origin.

Proper tasting of alcoholic beverages

When conducting a tasting of alcoholic beverages, it is important to choose the right time. In order to properly evaluate all the features of a particular alcoholic beverage, one should not combine tasting with a meal, but make it a completely separate, special event. It is best if several hours pass after breakfast or lunch. And in the event that the taster smokes, then he needs to refrain from this addiction for at least one hour before the tasting of alcoholic beverages. And it is clear that any drugs are also capable of distorting the sensations received.

Now about that what you need to prepare for the tasting. Alcoholic drinks, of course. The glasses in which these drinks are supposed to be poured must be made of white glass without any distracting drawings and patterns. It is believed that the shape of the glasses also matters: ideally, we select vessels in the shape of a tulip, that is, somewhat narrowed at the top of the glass. The drink is poured into a glass no more than one third of the volume.

It is also necessary to prepare clean water and the necessary vessels for rinsing the mouth with water after sampling each of the drinks. This, by the way, is the most delicate moment, which is rarely talked about and even rarely observed at tastings of alcoholic beverages in numerous wine cellars. We pay special attention: after taking each of the tasting drinks, you should rinse your mouth. And do not swallow the water, but - sorry - spit it out. So for the correct tasting of alcoholic beverages, you need a glass of clean drinking water at room temperature, a bowl for water after rinsing and a clean cotton napkin. Of course, to each participant of the tasting.

And a couple of words about the conditions under which the tasting should be carried out. The first requirement is silence. Perhaps calm, unobtrusive music will help create the right atmosphere, but tasting participants should remain silent, leaving their opinions until the end of the event, because one person's own impressions may be distorted by the opinion of another. The following conditions apply to the place where the tasting of alcoholic beverages will take place: the room itself should be ventilated and maintained at room temperature, somewhere around twenty degrees. To correctly assess the appearance of liquids, it is important that the room is not too dark, so it does not hurt to take care of normal lighting too.

tasting, tasting of alcoholic beverages

A story about the intricacies of the profession from the mouth of a man who tastes spirits at distilleries.

How do you get into the profession

The technologists-tasters are mostly girls.
Boys don't stick with us.
Analysis is not a man's job, it is delicate and requires concentration
and painstaking: to breed, to house, to wait.
Men want immediate results. The younger the person and the earlier he
begins to taste and join in drinks, the more likely it is
that in the future it will be more accurate to distinguish between tastes and smells. Of course, very early
You don't have to try, but you can smell it.
I give my daughter to smell interesting shades in wine so that she understands and
remembered. In fact, she's already 14.

Some people have a predisposition to tasting.
There are special tests by which this is determined: someone does not feel sour,
someone does not feel bitter,
some don't feel anything at all. At special courses where they teach to be tasters
(we don’t have universities, all the girls in the laboratory are
chemists or technologists), they immediately check who is not worth spending time on. Put a series
stacks with a salty aftertaste,
a series of stacks of sweet, sour, all shades of taste and smell. And do not put a spoonful of salt
there, but a few grains.
And the result of the test depends on how exactly and on what glass you felt this salt.
In the laboratory, we sometimes arrange such demonstrative tests.
Studying theory from textbooks is a matter of three days: what glasses to taste from, how
sit down, what air temperature should be in the room,
than to eat. A full description of the process does not take up much space. And the taste, smell,
aroma is a lifetime learning.
Only when you have worked with alcohol for many years do you begin to distinguish one
vodka from another in terms of shades.

About the workflow

Important tastings of new drinks we appoint at 11 o'clock, no later. You already
not just had breakfast, but not yet hungry, no longer sleepy,
but not tired yet. At least an hour before the start, you need to give the receptors
relax: do not smoke, eat spicy dishes, drink coffee and tea.
The room should be light and fresh, ideally daylight, not too bright.
You need to sit down, relax and focus.
Everything matters - both a comfortable posture and the shape of the glasses. For wine - wine, for
cognac - cognac, and for tinctures,
liqueurs and vodka - tulip-shaped, elongated so that the aromas are concentrated
in a glass.
The optimum temperature for almost any drink during tasting is room temperature.
Look at the transparency
we inhale the smell, take five milliliters on the tongue so that it hits all the receptors.
How to drink vodka?
Cold and eat herring or cucumber so that it is digested well and does not intoxicate.
Few people will agree, as a taster, to drink warm vodka.
And no one will sniff from the stack. A volley of it - once and for all.
Cognac needs to be twisted in a glass so that it remains on the walls, its purity can be seen,
whether there is opal or sediment in it.
After we drink or pour cognac, we sniff the thin one remaining in the glass.
oily layer, we evaluate its quality and bouquet.
Be sure to write down all the impressions so that they are not interrupted.
following and to compare with later tastings.

We try to put a maximum of five samples of the drink in a row. If you need more
- take breaks to refresh the receptors.
You can rinse your mouth with water or eat neutral food - sausage, bread, cheese.
Over the years of work, we have already chosen the ideal receptor freshener - drying.
They are neutral in taste and easy to consume.
Masters taste up to 20 samples in a row, but this is already the highest class.
We evaluate our capabilities objectively.

About material

Research engineers who develop beverage recipes are the main
alcohol vendors for tasting.
If they develop something there, they immediately put it to try. For such
tastings gather all -
the youngest girls speak out first, so that the authority of the authorities
did not press. Everyone writes what they feel, because everyone has their own perception.
When we understand that the drink is ready, the laboratory recommends it for release.
We always try competitors, and so do all manufacturers. Gotta understand
how we look in the market and what others are doing.
All tastings are blind. They give us five vodkas, and we don't know
which in which glass.
One of my colleague always unmistakably defines our vodka.

About the taste of alcohol

Alcohol, of course, is not cognac, where you can feel both cigars and coffee.
What is the flavor of alcohol? Alcoholic!
But all the shades that exist, all that can be felt,
can be found in alcohol - both sweetness and bitterness,
sometimes it smells of rubber (we immediately send this one back to the supplier).
Fusity, for example, is not so scary, we can fix it,
but initially it is more correct to work with good alcohol. Now bad
deliveries are rare, distilleries work well,
there are never any problems with the physical and chemical composition - and samples with chamois
acid, and the content of esters and acetic aldehydes.
According to the nuances, we choose separately spirits for ordinary vodkas and vodkas
premium. Alcohol for premium vodka should be perfectly soft and
with a slight alcohol odor. Purity is important in vodka and alcohol. Vodka has no
the right to have a non-vodka flavor.
Our girls at first resist: “What? Try alcohol? What are you!
I don't even drink vodka! Let's have something delicious."
But work is work: tasty, not tasty - taste it. at the candy store
The factory tastes candy all day long. To each his own.
We also sometimes think that chocolate is better.
Daily tests

We do more than just tasting. Tests and chemical analyzes of
what is produced at the factory takes even more time than tasting.
We have modern equipment in our laboratory, mostly
foreign, but there are also domestic devices.
On the chromograph, we look at the content of volatile impurities, which
earlier reagents in flasks were determined.
Now a small sample is inserted into the chromograph with a syringe, and the result is ready -
how many fusel oils, how many aldehydes.
Densimeter measures strength. There is also a turbedimeter (not a Gost device) -
on it we measure the transparency of the drink.
Although we always look visually: a drink can be formally transparent,
but at the same time there will float a piece of something.
There are performance standards for each device for each drink, above
which we do not let them go into production or for sale.
Such liquids are unstable, we cannot be responsible for their quality.
In addition, the laboratory controls everything that enters the plant - raw materials and
products at all stages of production.
If everything is clear with vodka and cognac: you can’t clear up the ingredients, -
then in wine and tinctures everything is different.
We harvest cranberries, currants, mountain ash, cherries, wild roses, oranges
and lemons, preparing fruit drinks.
Already by the bag you can determine which batch of berries came.
We check bottles, labels, and even film, which will be
wrap bottles.
Further down the stages: we prepared a fruit drink - the laboratory checked, blended
drink - laboratory checked, poured into containers -
laboratory checked. Premium vodka is tested in every blend.
We have special attention to such drinks, but we do not deprive the rest.
If the chemist says: “Oh, I don’t like the smell here,” we all run
to the line.
The human factor is indestructible, but usually there is no irreparable marriage,
We don't pour anything down the drain.
Food products - there are no tanks with methyl alcohol and acetone, all
fixable. We have already developed technologies over the years,
how to fix such errors. There are also flagrant violations - they wanted
make cranberry,
but they made lingonberry tincture or mixed up containers and cognac instead
the sea was filled.

About alcoholism

People who are disposed to alcoholism cannot work here. it
we are not checking, but life.
Yes, and we have strict security: it makes sure that everyone comes and goes
home sober.
Drinking and tasting are different things, we don’t drink during the day and
whole stacks. In the morning I tried five samples of five milliliters,
five more during the day. You don't even have to swallow here. girls,
who come by car to work,
try not to taste in the afternoon, throw off on
the rest.
But there has not yet been a single case that someone has a ppm in the blood
found driving.
Although, as soon as someone finds out where I work and who I work for, they immediately say:
"Ouch! Yes, you have such corporate parties there, probably!
I will say more: when we celebrate birthdays, we bring juice and
we clink glasses. Drinking in the workplace is nonsense and unacceptable.
Out of business hours

At a party it is indecent to say that there is no vodka. I didn't have any cases
when I really didn’t like something, but the girls told me,
how they once with friends in a restaurant ordered-ordered one vodka,
and when the waiters thought that the guests had reached the condition,
instead of an expensive one they brought a cheap one. A taster, of course, even in this
able to hold failed!
Of course, my family listens to my advice in alcohol. Although I love
more wine than vodka. I drink our vodka, but wine is incomparable,
this is creativity that nature has created - we will see it, both in aroma and taste.
This is a separate tasting topic.
Sommeliers are taught to recognize all shades of wine: by years, by shores, and by
sunny days in a bottle.
We do not need such specific knowledge, but it is very interesting.

Registration of tasting samples took place during the settlement of participants at the base. We announced the requirements for the packaging of samples in advance, all conditions were met: dark, tightly closed PET containers or glass, 0.5-1 liter for beer; and a glass bottle of 0.5-1 liter for strong alcoholic drinks. The participants pleased us not only with their diligence, bringing and handing over samples in suitable containers, but also with their talents, having developed unique recipes. In total, almost 100 people took part in the event!

In preparation for the competition, all samples were assigned their own tasting number in advance. The tastings were “closed” or “blind”, which means that a participant and the name of the drink are coded behind each number. The members of the tasting commission were limited in information about the origin of the drink, only the characteristics of a particular sample were evaluated by its number. Participants who did not directly participate in the tasting competition had access to the list of contestants (hints and pressure on the members of the tasting commission were excluded by the organizers). After the competition was held and the ratings were fixed, the members of the tasting commission also got access to the lists, where the participant and the name of the drink could be clearly identified by the sample number.

The tastings were held in a spacious bright tent, at a moderate temperature, which corresponds to the standard norms and rules for tasting.

beer tasting

On the beer day, the favorites of the commission were: the editor-in-chief of the magazine "RealBrew" about beer and brewing Natalia Petrova, representative of the company Strategy 21(one of the largest suppliers of brewing ingredients in Russia), as well as an experienced home brewer Konstantin Reshetnikov. The remaining 5 people who were part of the group of tasters were selected from among those who expressed their desire before the competition.

During the tasting, the samples were divided into 2 categories:

Bottom fermented beer (lager)
Top-fermented beer (ale).

During the beer tasting in the category "bottom-fermented beer" 4 samples were submitted, in the other - "top-fermented beer", 6 samples were submitted. The total number of tasting specimens was 10 pieces.

Before the start of the competition, members of the commission received tasting sheets. The evaluation criterion was a point scale on average from 0 to 5 points, depending on the indicator. The master brewers had to evaluate the beer according to the following organoleptic characteristics: color, aroma, taste, hop bitterness, presence of foam and saturation with carbon dioxide.

Color: 3 (excellent) - corresponds to the type of beer, is at the minimum level for this type of beer; 2 (good) - corresponds to the type of beer, is at an average level; 1 (satisfactory) - corresponds to the type of beer, the maximum allowable for this type of beer; 0 (unsatisfactory) - does not correspond to the type of beer, lighter or darker than the level established by the standard.
Aroma: 4 (excellent) - excellent, corresponding to this type of beer, clean, fresh, pronounced; 3 (khor) - good, clean, corresponds to this type of beer, but not very harmonious; 2 (satisfactory) - with an extraneous touch of slightly old, fruity, very pronounced malt type; 1 (unsuccessful) - with pronounced extraneous tones: fruity, sour, yeasty, aroma of young beer, etc.
Taste: 5 (excellent) - excellent, full, clean, without foreign flavors, harmonious, corresponds to this type of beer; 4 (khor) - good, clean, corresponds to this type of beer, but not very harmonious; 3 (satisfactory) - not very clean taste, immature, slight aftertaste of young beer, yeasty, sharp, sour; 2 (unsuccessful) - empty taste with extraneous flavors: yeasty, spicy, sour.
Hop bitterness: 5 (exc) - soft, well-coordinated, corresponds to the type of beer; 4 (choir) - not very well-coordinated, rude; 3 (satisfactory) - rough, remaining or weak, does not correspond to the type of beer; 2 (bad) - non-hoppy, rough.
Foam and carbon dioxide saturation: 5 (excellent) - plentiful, compact, well-adhering, stable foam with a height of at least 40 mm and a resistance of at least 4 minutes with abundant slow release of gas bubbles; 4 (hor.) - compact, stable foam with a height of at least 30 mm and a resistance of at least 3 minutes with a rare and rapidly disappearing release of gas bubbles; 3 (satisfactory) - foam with a height of at least 20 mm and a resistance of at least 2 minutes; 2 (failed) - foam less than 20 mm high and less than 2 minutes persistence.

There were no interested parties in the composition of the tasting committee, so an independent group of tasters preferred to discuss each indicator. But, nevertheless, the final verdict was made by the tasters, relying only on their own feelings.

The tasting started with light beers and ended with dark beers. Beer was served exclusively in transparent glass glasses with a volume of 300 ml, half filled. The filling of glasses was carried out with a calm flow of beer from the container. The temperature of bottom-fermented beer in a glass was no more than 10°C, and for top-fermented beer 15-18°C.

For each indicator, scores were given and entered in the table.

After the tasters handed over their forms to the secretary of the commission, the results were processed. For each sample, the arithmetic mean of the presented estimates was calculated.

One of the members of the commission gave his assessment of the types of beer declared for the tasting, technologist-brewer Vladimir Fedorov. According to him, all the presented samples are worthy of attention, but not without comments. The main problem of tasting samples in the “bottom-fermented beer” category, Vladimir identified excessive aromatics, which is more characteristic of top-fermented beer, and recommended paying more attention to the selection of temperature regimes for fermentation and maturation of lagers.

As a result of scoring, the winners of the beer tasting were determined.

In the “bottom-fermented beer” category, the champion was Kochetov Ilya. In the category “top-fermented beer” won Kushnir Sergey, he personally did not attend the event and handed over his drinks to a trusted person.

The winners of the competition, as a prize, received a lifetime 20% discount on the purchase of brewing ingredients in our company, a branded brewer's apron and a mash spatula. With which we congratulate them endlessly. You are great! We wish you new victories and improvement of technology!

Tasting of strong alcoholic drinks

When registering strong drinks, 96 samples were recorded.

According to the results of the division into categories, the organizers of the tasting decided to reduce the number of samples from each participant. The total number was 60 samples.

All samples were divided into 6 categories:

Aged grain distillates - 9 pcs.
Unaged grain distillates - 10 pcs.
Aged fruit drinks - 15 pcs
Unaged fruit drinks - 9 pcs
Vodka - 8 pcs
Tinctures, liqueurs, absinthe, etc. - 9 pcs.

4 tasting commissions of 6-7 people were formed. One of the committees was Candidate of Technical Sciences Lebedeva Ekaterina, who gave a lecture within the framework of our festival "Sensory-important components of whiskey" and conducted a demonstrative tasting using chemically pure aromas, illustrating the main flaws that appear when the technology for the production of grain distillates is violated. Those who read correctly at the lecture and could correctly characterize a particular flavor were immediately enrolled as members of the tasting commission. The group of participants of the tasting team was supplemented by those wishing from the guests who came to the festival.

Due to the very large number of samples, the categories were divided among different commissions. Of the four panels of tasters, two groups were rated in one category of drinks, and two in two categories (from less aromatic to more aromatic).

The members of the tasting commission faced a difficult task - to choose the best master of making strong alcoholic beverages from a fairly significant number of participants and their samples.

Transparency and color
Aroma

Samples were served in transparent glass beakers filled 2/3 with samples of drinks. The serving temperature of strong alcoholic beverages was 20±2°C.

During the tasting, an incredible atmosphere reigned among the members of the commission. Everyone was full of inspiration to try the drinks and find out who is the best in their category. Opinions in some tasting groups were divided, relying only on their own sensory and organoleptic profiles, everyone was able to feel like a real taster.

Members of the commissions expressed their feelings in tasting lists, while evaluating each sample with points. After the exciting process of determining the champion in each category, all score sheets were handed over to the organizers.

The final results were announced in a festive atmosphere at the evening banquet.

Note: Not all drinks submitted for tasting had a well-defined name. Someone had a label with a specific name of the drink, and someone came and signed up by last name, declaring their drink in one category or another, without a name. Therefore, when announcing the winners, the category and the author of the drink were announced; name only if it has one. Below are the original names of the drinks.

The winners in the spirits category are:

In the category “Aged grain distillates”:

1st place - Lev Shekhtmester, Peat Whiskey (Nizhny Novgorod)

“Lion's drink did not leave anyone indifferent. Amazing result! We wish you development and further victories!”

2nd place - Evstigneev Gennady, "Whiskey"

3rd place - Shekhtmester Lev, "Sea Whiskey"

In the category “Unaged grain distillates”:

1st place – Burenko Vladimir “Unaged grain 10” (St. Petersburg)

“Vladimir first shocked everyone with the number of declared samples, and then pleased with the quality. Well deserved win, congratulations!

2nd place – Vladimir Burenko “Unaged grain 8”

3rd place – Sergey Patrin “Distillate”

In the category “Aged fruit drinks”:

1st place - Alexey Bychkovsky (Krasnoyarsk)

“Alexey wins this nomination for the second year in a row. Confirmed your qualifications! Great professional!

2nd place - Yuri Danilov "Aged fruit"

A wine taster is a specialist who assesses the quality and level of wines. The task of this person is to recognize the maximum number of wines, identify problems as early as possible in order to prevent spoilage of the drink in the early stages. As a rule, the taster works directly at the winery or in an organization that deals with certification in the field of winemaking.

What is a person who tastes alcohol called?

A person engaged in tasting is called a wine taster. Sometimes his profession is confused with another specialty in the wine industry - sommelier. The sommelier is engaged in the selection of wine assortment, recommending certain drinks to customers, depending on the choice of dishes.

There is also the profession of a kavist, which should not be confused with a taster either. He works in wine stores, and his duties include helping customers choose a drink. He must know the history and origin of wines, understand their quality and especially successful samples.

A taster is a person who helps industries and enterprises to get the best product as a result of its manufacture.

Profession tasks:

Evaluation of wine or material for its production.
A complete analysis of the taste and aroma of the drink.
Comparison of the taste and aroma of the original product with wine standards.
Recommendations on the optimal production technology and the duration of the drink.
Also, the taster can give advice on the future value of the wine, based on its analogues.

How to become a taster

This is a profitable but difficult profession that not everyone can master. To master this profession, a person needs not only special training, but also a natural predisposition. It is necessary to have high sensitivity in order to subtly distinguish aromas, taste and color of drinks.

You will also need an excellent memory that will be able to retain the maximum number of parameters of elite alcohol samples for further comparison with them. The larger the knowledge base of such a specialist, the more valuable he is. Even in this profession, you will need the ability to correctly express thoughts in order to correctly convey information to the audience.

If a person has the original natural qualities, he needs to be trained. In Russia, this specialty is taught at a limited number of enterprises. There are organizations that conduct training courses for future tasters. Upon successful completion, you can get a certificate and the opportunity to continue working in this company.

You can also go to university - there is a specialty "food industry technologist", which will allow you to give technological advice on the topic of wine production. This will be a great advantage for a specialist in this profession.

How to conduct a wine tasting

There are several types of wine tasting, they are divided depending on the goals. First of all, the taster evaluates the product to determine whether it meets the required standards. A production assessment is given, which allows you to approve certain new brands, select the best samples. Competitive evaluation allows you to evaluate the product at various exhibitions and competitions.

There are also types of tasting intended for the end consumer. In the first case, guests come to the winery, taste drinks from its range and then purchase the samples they like the most. In the second, tasting takes place during a festive feast, when drinking wine is complemented by snacks.

Evaluation of beverages in production is a complex job that cannot be done without the appropriate education. But it is also possible to try a drink tasting at home. To do this, you need to choose a room in which there will be good ventilation; natural lighting and a temperature of + 19 ... + 22 ° C are highly desirable.

It is equally important to choose the right glasses that most clearly reveal the aroma of the drink. A suitable shape is tulip-shaped, made of thin transparent glass and with a long stem. Glasses for tasting are filled to 1/3, and they are held exclusively by the leg. In the case of drinking several types of alcohol, it is recommended to start with sparkling wines and end with the strongest and sweetest.

Wine is evaluated in several stages:

First, let's talk about its visual aspect. It should be of the appropriate shade, without extra particles, not cloudy and shiny.
Next is the smell. At this stage, all the shades and nuances of the aroma of the drink are determined.
After that, the taste is evaluated - both the first sensations after wetting the mouth with wine, and the aftertaste after a sip.

After all the procedures, you can enjoy your favorite drink.

Not many of those who drink alcohol are able to truly appreciate the taste and aroma of the drink. This requires not only talent, but...

Not many of those who drink alcohol are able to truly appreciate the taste and aroma of the drink. This requires not only talent, but also long-term training and practice. The art of tasting is now taught all over the world. There is a similar school in Ukraine, where not so long ago the next graduation of professional sommeliers took place.

The tasting is a very delicate and delicate procedure. Everything is important here: from the temperature in the room to the color of the glasses used.

Tasting should be carried out after a few hours after eating. In addition, one hour before this procedure, you need to refrain from smoking. On this day, you should not use perfume, or any other perfumery.

Before tasting, the room should be ventilated and ensure that the temperature varies between 20-22°C.

It is better if the tasting process is carried out in the morning, in diffused daylight.

For tasting a certain drink, be it whiskey, cognac, wine or liquor, certain glasses are also required. For example, for cognac or sherry, you should take a special glass, which in Spain is called "copita". For white wine, tall and narrow glasses are used, while for red - with a wider bottom.

It is important to conduct the tasting in complete silence. Because one person's comments about a drink can affect another's perception.

In order not to lose a clear perception of sensations, they usually rinse their mouth with clean, tasteless water and eat a piece of slightly dried bread in between tastings.

By the way, according to official statistics, out of 100 people, only 12 have the fullness of taste and smell sensations. 58 people, if desired, can develop these qualities in themselves, or rather sharpen their sensations.

Tasting involves an assessment of the appearance, smell, taste. Any tasting begins with visual perception. For example, champagne bubbles can be used to determine the approximate shelf life of a drink in a barrel. The smaller the bubbles, the longer the champagne was stored in the wine cellar.

The same can be determined by the viscosity of cognac. The longer, after shaking the glass, the drink remains on the walls, the more mature the cognac.

Perhaps the most important aspect of tasting is the sense of smell. For by the smell of the drink, a lot can be said: the conditions for keeping the drink, the main components, etc.

Well, the final act of tasting, of course, is its direct taste test. It is very important to try just a few drops of the drink. This is the only way to fully enjoy the taste and aroma of the drink.