Some wine snobs have made wine tasting much more complicated that needs to be. Wine is there to be enjoyed and tasting wine is not a daunting task.

Cathy Mason indicated the bare necessities about the glugging, gulping, spitting, swallowing and all you need to know to taste wines.

If you have never tasted wine before – then you’re in for a treat. There is nothing scary about winetasting – if you’ve got a tongue, you can do it! Remember – your palate is unique to you so whatever you taste is right and happily, the more you taste wine, the better you get at it. Here is a step by step guide to tasting wine.

1.    Look Pick up the glass and tilt it in front of something white so you can see the colour properly. Does it have anything floating in it? Is it clear and bright? What sort of colour is it – dark, light, intense, pale – and is there a difference between the middle of the wine and the edge where it touches the glass? Can you describe the colour – pale green – light lemon – straw – golden – deep yellowy brown might be words for white wines. Young, unwooded whites tend to be paler than older, oakier wines. Reds may range from – bright purple – clear ruby – dark maroon – semi black – brickish red – vaguely brown. Young reds tend to be brighter in colour which fades to a bricky, almost orange colour with age. You are trying to assess the age, the condition and, possibly even, the variety of the wine in the glass.

2.    Smell With the base of the glass on the table, swirl the wine round and round (if you feel confident, you can do this in mid-air but the table is easier). Try and use a glass which is wider at the bowl than the rim as it is practically impossible to spill wine out of these sorts of glasses so you can do it with a bit of dash and verve! You are doing this in order to mix oxygen into the wine which releases the aromas. When you have swirled, stick your nose in the glass and take a good sniff. Does it smell clean and fresh? If it smells of damp mushrooms and wet cardboard, it may be corked. What sort of fruit can you smell? Swirl and sniff again. Is there anything else that isn’t fruity – tobacco, smoke, butterscotch, leather, honey, incense, flowers? Try and remember those aromas as you taste for the first time.

3.    Taste Now tilt your glass and take a decent mouthful. Move it round your mouth so it touches every part of it – different parts of your mouth and tongue detect different flavours so make sure you cover all your bases. If you feel really confident, you can suck in a little extra air through your lips to continue aerating the wine – don’t dribble though, that is really uncool! Swallow your wine and then think what it tasted like. Does it taste clean and correct – if not, then could it be corked (mushrooms and cardboard again) or oxidised (smells and tastes like sherry or vinegar)? Is it dry, crisp, fresh and acidic or smooth, soft, rounded and fat? If it is a red wine, does it have high tannins – the same extracts as in a strong cup of tea which make your mouth dry up after you’ve swallowed the wine. What fruit does it taste of – same as you smelt or different? What else does it taste of – other flavours? After you’ve swallowed it, do those taste linger in your mouth for some time or do they disappear completely – this is called the length of a wine or the finish.

Most importantly – did you enjoy that? Does it make you want to have more? Try another mouthful to see if you get anything different and to see if you’ve changed you mind at all. Jot down a few notes, have a disagreement with your neighbour as to your differing opinions and move on the next wine.

Uncomplicated and unconventional wine brand  , Versus,  believes that wine must be enjoyed and our back label also indicate that we’re really not into the pretentious wine snob stuff.

Source:www.food24.com

Google’s animated Pacman doodle game has cost the UK economy at least five million hours of work time and more than a $120 million financially.

 A playable version of the classic video game was created and put on Google to celebrate its 30 years on the 21st of May.

The game has proven to be so popular with Google users that the company has now made it permanently available on its own page at Google.com/pacman.

Rescue Time, a tool that enables businesses to measure how time and attention is being spent, estimated that Google had around 505 million unique users on the day the Pacman Google Doodle went live, and that the game consumed 4,819,352 hours of employee time, costing the economy an estimated $120,483,800.

But the numbers were not too high, as it seems most people did not know that the logo was playable.

To play the game, users must click on the Insert Coin button, which replaces the I’m Feeling Lucky button Google users are more familiar with.

The Pacman game was Google’s first interactive doodle logo.

This unusual move by Google did you go unnoticed by the unconventional brand Versus. We thought it was great idea and congratulations to Google for this out-of-the-box thinking.

Source: tvnz.co.nz

Leon Schuster has always found unconventional ways to make South Africans laugh or to get behind our teams.

Unconventional South African wine brand Versus supports Leon’s efforts and we are totally behind Bafana Bafana.

 Here is Leon Schuster’s new Bafana Bafana Song

Travel writer Chuck Thompson buried unconventional travel tips in his memoir Smile When You’re Lying. According to the Rogue Traveller you will make your trip more enjoyable if you follow these tips. Being an unconventional wine brand, the folks at Versus wines agree with most of these  travel tips.

Chuck Thompson’s unconventional travel tips:

Steal An Extra Inch Of Legroom

All that junk airlines cram into seatback pockets? Throw it out. You don’t need magazines and promotional garbage. Chuck everything—except the barf bag—into the overhead bin and enjoy a free extra inch of legroom.

Eat A Meal Before You Board

It’s not like they’ll serve you free food onboard, so swing by a restaurant on your way to the airport and fill up. Or at least grab some fruit before you board.

Resurrect Dead Batteries

Rub dead batteries briskly against your pant leg for a minute. The static generates a recharge that should last for an hour. May not work with iPods.

Don’t Be A Jackass

Look, they don’t know that you lied about the wedding and the deep-vein thrombosis, but they will notice if you’re That Guy, and employees will make it their mission to pay you back in full. Smile, say “thank you,” and have a pleasant attitude.

Bribe

Oh, this box of chocolates you got as a gift that you happen to be allergic to? Would you like them, Ms. Gate Agent who can get you out of the middle seat?

Apparently this form of bribery works if you’re smooth enough.

And gate agents do have extra seats, if you’re nice. On Boeing 767s, seats 17A B H and J are comfy coach spots reserved for the crew on international flights. On domestic flights, they stay open until right before boarding, along with business class and first class seats, and are given to traveling employees and gate agent favorites.

Tip Early

R50 on the first night of your stay goes a long way to saying you might give more later if they don’t spit on your toothbrush.

Pay Up

You’re on vacation, pay up. Don’t travel to the Caribbean and settle for anything less than an ocean view. Pay for the room, pay for the food, pay for the experience.

Ignore Jet Lag

It’s all in your head, whiner. Force yourself to adapt to the local time and walk off the sleepiness.

Read more on consumerist.com

Congratulations to Scott Alan Smith.

Scott is the winner of the Versus / Splashy Fen competition. Thanks for uploading your fan photos to our Facebook page and enjoy the wines!

Here are three unconventional tricks you can perform at a party or during a dinner. Common household materiel needed. Hit pause when Solution title appear to try the tricks for yourself.

3 Easy Party Tricks – Funny blooper videos are here

After you have used the wine glass for the first trick you can fill the glass with  Versus and reward yourself for an excellent party trick .

Can you add any unconventional party tricks?