Barrel tasting is a method for wine makers to check the progress of a wine that hasn't been put into bottles yet. Young wines often taste divine one week and downright strange the next, so it's a matter of experience (and some luck) to figure out exactly where they're headed from a barrel sample. Like adolescent humans, wines that start out unbalanced and awkward may well become memorable and charming as they mature. Some wineries invite the public to barrel taste and compare differences from barrel to bottle. Next time you're visiting a winery, check with the tasting room to see if a barrel tasting is an option.