A Beginner's Guide to Wine Tasting
If you enjoy wine but want to dive a little deeper, your first step is to learn how to taste wine. Like, really taste wine. In this guide, we’ll go over the steps for how to taste wine, plus tips and essential questions to help evaluate your wines as you taste.
Why Do We Taste Wine?
In short, we taste to learn. Believe it or not, there is a huge difference between wines made from the same grape if they are made in different regions or made using different winemaking methods. For example, a chardonnay from South Australia will likely taste entirely different than a chardonnay made in Chablis, France.
So, the more you taste, the broader your palate becomes. As you broaden your palate, you’ll learn more about the wines you like, if a wine is of good quality, and what foods you can pair it with to highlight its best qualities.
Tips for Wine Tasting
If you’re new to wine tasting, there are some customs you might be a bit uncertain about. So here are some helpful tips for how to prepare for your first wine tasting:
Taste from white to red wines: White wines are lighter on the palate and less overpowering.
Smell first, then sip: If you’re presented with all the wines at once, smell all of them first before tasting. This allows you to dial in the differences in aroma before tasting.
Rinse your glass with wine, not water: Using water to rinse your glass will dilute the next wine. If possible, rinse your glass with the next wine you plan to taste or simply skip rinsing.
Don’t wear perfume or cologne: Strong odors will influence the flavor and aroma of the wines. The same goes for overpowering flavors like chewing gum, coffee and soda.
Don’t be afraid to spit: Spitoons should be available for wine tasting so you don’t get intoxicated. Use this to pour out any wines you don’t want to finish, and don’t be afraid to spit.
How to Wine Taste
Now it’s time for the fun part. Let’s go wine tasting! Here’s a step-by-step look at how to taste wine:
Examine the wine. Look at the color of the wine. What colors do you notice? How transparent is the wine?
Smell the wine. Stick your nose as far in the glass as you can. Don’t be shy! What are the first aromas that come to mind?
Swirl the wine and smell it again. Place the glass on the table, carefully swirl it around, and then smell it again. You should notice the wine has intensified in its aroma.
Taste the wine. Swish the wine around to all parts of your mouth while breathing in a little to enhance the flavor. Again, try and identify flavors you recognize.
Notice the texture of the wine. As you taste, does the wine sit heavy on your palate like cream? Or light like skim milk? If it’s a red wine, does it cling to your mouth like sandpaper? The amount of acidity in the wine will impact these textures.
Consider the aftertaste. When you swallow, is there a lingering flavor, or does it disappear instantly?
Evaluating a Wine
As you’re tasting your wines, there are some questions you can ask yourself to determine the quality of the wine.
Can you identify certain flavors or aromas in the wine?
A good wine will have discernible flavors and aromas. They should jump right out at you as you get better at tasting wine. If the wine tastes bland or flat, it’s probably not an excellent wine.
Is the wine balanced?
The essential components required for a wine to be balanced are alcohol, acidity, flavor concentration, tannins (for red wines), and sweetness (for sweet wines). Some wines may be naturally more acidic or tannic than others. This doesn’t mean the wine is flawed, so long as it’s overall balanced.
Does it have a lingering (pleasant) flavor?
A good wine should have a long-lasting and pleasant aftertaste.
