The techniques for the tasting and the organoleptic evaluation of wines are, in general terms, applicable to any kind of wine, each one of them will be evaluated in its aspect, aromas, taste and balance, however the peculiar differences of every category of wine require the taster to do the evaluation by considering specific factors according to the category itself. Apparently, wines differ one from each other in the color, an obvious characteristic that would make the taster not to consider all the other differences. If it is true that every wine, even belonging to the same type, is different from any other else, this consideration is surely true among the many types.

 Colors, nuances, aromas and taste are organoleptic characteristics that every wine has, however it is obvious that each one of these characteristics varies from wine to wine, even more clearly, from type to type. Colors of a specific category does not have anything in common with the colors of wines belonging to other categories; the same is true for their aromas as well, their taste, their balance. These differences, in general terms, are determined both by the variety of grapes and by production methodologies, in a more specific way, besides what was considered so far, are to be added the production area, climate conditions, grape ripeness level, cultivation techniques, type of soil and quality of grapes. A series of characteristics that, alone, justify the fact of evaluating with proper attention every type of wine and, last but not the least, suggest the adoption of specific evaluation “strategies”.

 The variety of colors commonly observable in white wines is quite vast, it depends by the type of grape, certainly not in a determinant way as in red wines, the way they were pressed and, particularly, the wine making technique. Information that could be get from color are mainly indicative about the wine making technique. In general terms, a wine having a pale color, almost colorless, is usually the sign of a wine making produced with excessively strict and industrial systems, moreover it could also be the sign of a very high yield and therefore of grapes of disputable quality. On the other hand, a young white wine with very intense and deep colors is usually the sign of a wine fermented in cask. These rules, to be considered as general, are however to be treated with proper exceptions according to the type of grape used to make that specific wine. As a matter of example, a wine produced with Riesling grape usually has a pale yellow color, therefore this cannot be considered as a lack, certainly a wine produced with Chardonnay grape, in particular when aged in cask, has a more intense color.

 Color in white wines, just like any other type of wine, also indicates their age, the same wine will show in its youth evident greenish nuances, up to getting, at the end of its life, even brown colors; as a matter of a rule, every white wine tends, with age, to darken its color. In this evolution of colors, white wines show in their youth pale yellow colors, sometimes almost colorless, with evident greenish nuances, then they usually get lemon yellow, straw, gold, amber and, at the end, brown or deep amber. Let's see in detail the many types of colors and the indication that can be get from each one of them:

• Pale/Greenish Yellow - Besides being the typical color of many young wines, it usually indicates a wine whose grapes were cultivated in cool areas and that did not reach full ripeness. Wines produced with grapes cultivated in warm and sunny areas hardly show greenish nuances. Greenish nuances are mainly because of chlorophyll which is present in dry white wines during their youth, a characteristic which will tend to disappear with aging. In case greenish nuances do not tend to disappear with age, this could be the sign of an excessive quantity of sulfur dioxide in the wine which is slowing down the aging process.
• Straw Yellow - This is the typical color of the majority of white wines, even young ones, and that can be found in white wines for a pretty long period of time during the aging process. Generally this color can be, for the majority of wines, the sign that it did not reach the end of aging yet and therefore it is perfectly drinkable, provided there are not other defects or faults.
• Gold Yellow - This is the typical color of wines fermented and aged in wood containers after three or four years of aging in bottle, sometimes even more, according to the type of grape used to make the wine as well as the time the wine stayed in the wood container. Even certain young wines produced with grapes cultivated in particularly warm and sunny areas may have this color. All other white wines generally get a deep gold color after five or six years of aging in bottle.
• Amber Yellow - When present in white wines, this color may be the sign of an oxidation, wrong keeping of the bottle, in particular, when it was excessively exposed to the light, or in case of degenerative diseases. Even the prolonged and excessive aging in bottle may get the wine to have this color, in other words, the wine has passed by a long time its best characteristics and it is on its way to decline already.
• Brown - It can be found in white wines that are decrepit and “dead”, which passed by many years their best condition and reached the end of their decline.

 In a white wine, one usually expects fresh aromas which evoke flowers and fruits, an almost obvious characteristic as white wines are usually consumed when are young. In general terms, young white wines are characterized by aromas of white flowers (such as hawthorn) and fruit with white pulp (pear, apple), in young whites having a more complex character can also be found yellow flowers (acacia, broom) and fruit with yellow pulp (peach, apricot, medlar) and, sometimes, other fruits such as hazelnut and almond. Mature whites are characterized by dried flowers, honey, dried and toasted fruit.

 Aromas in a white wine depend by many factors, among the most important ones we find the variety of grape and its level of ripeness. Wines produced with unripe grapes generally have vegetal aromas, such as mowed grass and leaves, whereas the ones produced with more mature grapes have aromas of flowers and fruit, grapes that reached full maturation, as well as overripe grapes, have more complex aromas such as honey and, often, cooked or dried fruit. One of the grapes that best expresses this aromatic variety according to its ripening level, is Sauvignon Blanc. Wines produced with this grape, when unripe and not fully mature, have rather vegetal and “green” aromas, such as the typical aromas of box, elder, green bell pepper, tomato leaf, sage and other aromatic herbs. Wines produced with the same grape, when ripe, have charming aromas of flowers, such as acacia, honeysuckle, and more properly, aromas of fruit such as exotic fruits, peach, apple and pear.

 Aromas in white wines can also express the so called aromatic character, that is the typical aroma of grape, a characteristic which is practically exclusive to aromatic or semi-aromatic grapes. The family of aromatic grapes it is not vast, however when they are used for the production of wine, their presence is rather evident. The aroma of grape can be easily found in Muscat Blanc and Gewürztraminer, the olfactory evaluation of wines made with these grapes is an excellent exercise for the neophyte which is getting into wine tasting as well as for the full understanding of this charming aroma; in these wines the aroma of grape is so strong and evident which is practically impossible not to notice it. Every grape whose wines have aromas similar to Muscat Blanc or Gewürztraminer are considered as aromatic. This aroma is also present, even though with lesser intensity, in other grapes and it will clearly be perceivable even among all the other aromas. These grapes are called semi-aromatic.

 In white wines are often found aromas typical of aromatic herbs or seasoning herbs such as sage, thyme, fennel, lavender, mint or lemon-verbena. An aroma which is getting more and more frequent in white wines is the one of banana, a peculiarity of certain grapes, such as Chardonnay, as well as of those wines which underwent the process of malolactic fermentation. Even typical aromas of citrus fruits and their flowers, such as lemon and orange blossom, give wines a very pleasing touch of class. Aromas of flowers are however the most charming characteristics of whites, in these wines the range of flower aromas is rather vast and complex, from white flowers to yellow flowers, in white wines we can find the delicacy of a blossoming garden. Among the most common aromas of flowers in white wines can be found acacia, which is often a peculiarity of Chardonnay, hawthorn, present in many white wines, yellow or white rose, typical of Gewürztraminer and Muscat Blanc, the noble lily, present in wines produced with Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, as well as elder flower usually found in Sauvignon Blanc.

 Talking about flowers, it is sometimes possible, in rare cases to tell the truth, to find in white wines aromas of flowers typically common in red wines. This is the case of violet, present in many red wines, which can be sometimes perceived in wines made with Viognier grape and produced in Rhône Valley and in certain white wines of Valle d'Aosta. Even the aroma of jasmine and iris, also present in red wines, can be perceived in some whites, particularly in certain wines from Sicily or France. The aromatic freshness of flowers in white wines is an aromatic characteristic that, with time, tends to vanish, or better, it tends to transform into dried flowers, in other cases it even turns into aromas of herbal teas. Likewise, aromas of fruit tend to transform into dried or cooked fruit. In certain white mature wines there can also be found aromas which directly recall honey and jams.

 The main tasting characteristic of white wines is represented by acidity, a factor which gives crispness and agreeability to this type of wine and that is a peculiarity that marks every young white wine. The presence of acidity is fundamental in white wines because it contributes in a determinant way to its balance, this organoleptic sensation is the main element that is capable of contrasting, that is balancing, alcohol. The diagram shown in figure illustrates the relation among the many organoleptic elements in the determination of balance.

	Balance in White Wines

 Acidity in white wines tends to diminish with time and therefore after a specific period of aging in bottle, whites tend to lose their typical crispness, a factor that certainly make them less pleasing, that is less balanced, and a good reason to appreciate properly white wines during their best time: youth.

 The many qualitative aspects in white wines can be better understood by doing a comparative evaluation among the many types and, possibly, produced in different areas. In this practical test it will be given the opportunity to evaluate and to understand the organoleptic differences among white wines. In order to do that, it is suggested to get three wines: a Gewürztraminer, produced in Alsace or in Alto Adige, a young Chardonnay non aged in wood, produced in Sicily or in Collio, lastly, a Sauvignon Blanc, produced in the Loire Valley or in Alto Adige. All wines must be young and produced in the last vintage.

 By evaluating the aspect of the three wines, Sauvignon Blanc will be the one having a more pale color and will have greenish nuances. Chardonnay will be the wine having an intermediate tint compared to the three, probably a straw yellow, whereas Gewürztraminer will have a deep color, almost tending to gold yellow. At the nose the three wines will reveal very different aromatic characters, in particular, it should be noted the aromatic characteristic of Gewürztraminer, probably present in lesser quantity in Sauvignon Blanc as well, and completely absent in Chardonnay. In Sauvignon Blanc it will be possible to perceive aromas recalling vegetal essences, such as box, green bell pepper and tomato leaf, characteristics which are absent in all the other wines. In Chardonnay will be found its typical aromas of banana and acacia, characteristics that could also be found in all other wines. Proper attention should be paid to the many aromatic intensities, it is more likely that Gewürztraminer will be the one having the highest aromatic “strength”, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and, lastly, by Chardonnay. Aromas of the three wines should be clearly different from each other, each one of them will have proper olfactory characteristics that will be hardly found, saved particular aromas, in the other wines.

 Even the taste of the three wines will be different. Sauvignon Blanc will be the wine to be more crisp, that is more acid, than the others, whereas Gewürztraminer will seem to be more round and agreeable. Likewise, both persistence and final aromas in the mouth will be different one from each other, it will be more likely Gewürztraminer to be the one having the longest persistence among the three and, certainly, it will leave in the mouth the same aromatic flavor that was perceived by the nose.