Wine tasting might seem like an exclusive experience meant for the experts, but it can be an enjoyable activity for anyone who likes wine. Whether you’re attending a formal wine tasting event, visiting a winery or restaurant, or simply trying a new bottle at home, understanding the basics can enhance your experience. Let's dive into the five key steps of wine tasting.
A Guide for Wine Tasting: Five Key Steps
1. See
The first step in wine tasting is to look at the wine's appearance. To best assess the wine, hold it over a light or white background (such as a piece of paper). The colour, clarity, and opacity of the wine can often offer insight into the wine's age and type. For example, red wines tend to take on a rusty, or orange-tinted hue as they age, while white wines deepen in colour and become a darker yellow.
With red wine, the opacity of the wine can also give you a clue as to what grape is in your glass - thin-skinned grapes like Gamay and Pinot Noir will give you light red wines you can see through while thick-skinned grapes like Zinfandel will be dark and opaque.
Tip: Look for any particles or cloudiness. This could indicate sediment or a need for decanting.
2. Swirl
Swirling the wine in your glass serves a couple of purposes. It aerates the wine, allowing it to interact with the air and release more aromas. Swirling also helps you observe the wine's 'legs' or 'tears'—the droplets that form and run down the inside of the glass after swirling. While the 'legs' don't indicate quality, they can tell you if the wine is more viscous - something that can be caused by either higher alcohol or higher sugar content (you'll have to taste the wine to be certain of which)!
Tip: If you're tasting a sample of wine in a restaurant before the server or sommelier pours a full glass - smell before swirling. If a wine is faulted, swirling can mask the fault by releasing fruity aromas that can overpower the faulty element of the wine.
3. Sniff
Scent is essential to wine tasting. Take a deep sniff to capture the aromas of the wine. The scent of wine can indicate many things, from growing region to whether or not the wine spent time in a barrel.
As you smell, try to identify distinct scents like fruits, flowers, spices, or earthy notes.
Tip: Try to be specific with the aromas you detect. Start broad (Am I smelling fruit?) and then narrow it down (Am I smelling tropical fruit? Citrus? Apples?).
4. Sip
When it's time to taste the wine take a small sip and hold it in your mouth. Pay attention to the initial flavours, the texture, and the overall balance. Consider the wine’s sweetness, acidity, tannins (tannins cause the drying sensation in red wine), and body.
Tip: Don’t be afraid to let the wine linger in your mouth for a few seconds. This can help you better understand its structure and the flavours that emerge after the initial sip.
5. Savour
Finally, savour the 'finish' of the wine. This is the sensation a wine leaves in your mouth after you swallow. One sign of a well-crafted wine is a long, lingering finish that you enjoy after the sip.
Tip: Reflect on the overall experience. Did the wine develop or change over time in your mouth? Was the finish smooth or abrupt?
More Tips for Tasting Wine
Learn How to Spot Faulted Wine
Spotting a faulted wine is an important skill, especially when you're about to purchase a bottle at a restaurant. There are many different 'faults' a wine can have but the most common is cork taint. Cork taint is a contaminant in wine caused by musty aroma compounds. 'Corked' wine will smell like an old damp basement or wet cardboard.
Other common 'faulty' notes you should look out for are smells of vinegar or nail polish remover. Trust your palate, if you smell anything off, tell your server and they will bring you a fresh bottle.
Familiarize Yourself with Common Aromas
Many wines share common aromas and flavours. For example, Riesling often has notes of green apple, while oaked Chardonnay commonly presents smells of apple and butter.
Practice Tasting
Like any skill, wine tasting improves with practice. Try tasting different wines and compare notes to develop your palate. If you have a group of friends interested in learning more about wine tasting, host a wine tasting experience.
Ready to dive deeper into the world of wine? Join us on one of our exclusive wine tours and immerse yourself in a world of flavours and aromas. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned wine lover, our tours offer a comprehensive, hands-on experience that will elevate your wine-tasting skills and knowledge.