Fall is here! The kids are learning new things in school but how about you? Fall is a great time to start a new hobby. How about wine tasting? The wine connoisseurs at Hollywood Storage Center in Newbury Park 1/2 mile off the 101 at Wendy and Food and Wine Magazine would like to give you a quick tutorial on the fine art of wine tasting.

Here are the six things to evaluate when opening a bottle of wine, according to Megan Krigbaum of Food and Wine Magazine:

Body
Body is the sense of richness that a wine leaves in your mouth. Generally, the more alcohol in a wine, the more body it will have, which means that wines from warmer climates (which produce grapes with more sugar to be converted into alcohol) tend to have more heft.

Tannins
Tannins are compounds in grape skins, seeds and stems that contribute to a wine’s structure, complexity, and texture. Tannins create a drying and slightly bitter sensation in the mouth.

Acidity
When drinking a wine, you’ll feel the effects of acidity mostly on the sides of your tongue. Overly acidic wines will cause almost a stinging sensation or taste sour.

Sweetness
Sweetness in wine is measured by the amount of residual sugar in the liquid after fermentation. Sugar can also contribute to a wine’s body and texture.

Aromas and flavors
A wine’s flavors come from the grape variety, as well as the climate and the amount of sun exposure and type of soil in the vineyard.

Oak
Oak barrels used in winemaking develop their toasty, caramelly, vanilla flavors from being fire-charred. The barrels can be toasted to different levels, depending on the winemaker’s preference.

Now that you’re a wine connossieur, start your collection and store it properly in a climate controlled wine storage unit at Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks.

Do you have a wine recommendation for us? Please let us know on Facebook. Cheers!