Everyone is partial to a spot of wine but the art of wine tasting is a mystery to many; for the most part, you know what you like and that’s the end of it! As such, I always find it a tad awkward when asked to taste a bottle in a restaurant and I’ve always thought that Michael Mcintyre sums it up extremely well…
But, wine tasting doesn’t end in restaurants…
Wine tasting can be a great day out whether or not you’re a connoisseur with a fully stocked wine cellar and there are many tours which are catered to beginners. It doesn’t hurt to do a bit of prior research and that’s where this beginner’s guide to wine tasting comes in to play.
For a beginner, the sheer number of various wine terms can be overwhelming. You have likely heard of a dry wine, which describes a wine that is lacking in sweetness and a tart wine has a taste of acidity to it. The nose of a wine refers to its smell, whilst balance means that all the different components are in harmony with no particular element taking precedence and the body of the wine refers to the sense of alcohol. Vintage is also handy to know, and indicates a wine which was produced from grapes which were all grown and harvested in one specified year. Here’s a guide to some of the more common wine tasting terms that might come in handy too.
There is also a seemingly endless variety of different types of wine from merlot to chardonnay and everything in between and the differences are dictated both by the number and species of grapes that are used. As an example, wine can be made by predominantly the same type of grape such as with Pinor Noir or Merlot, or you can have blended wines such as those from the Bordeaux region. Here’s more information about the different grapes varieties available and the wines they produce.
Now on to the best bit, the actual wine tasting experience:Wine tasting experience
Looking
First and foremost, you should consider the appearance of the wine. When you begin, it is best to give the wine a swirl and hold the glass up to the light.
Have you ever heard people talking about the ‘legs’ (or ‘tears’)? This refers to the streaks which appear on the side of the glass when you swirl it around and it is said that these are indicative of quality with the more legs translating to a higher quality.
In terms of colour, the shade will tell you how old the wine is; with white wine, younger wines will be very pale and the colour will gradually deepen the older the wine is. With red wines, the colour gradually fades the older the wine is.
The more experienced you become, you will gradually begin to be able to identify the region it was produced in from the colour of the wine.
Smelling
You may have heard the phrase ‘half the taste is in the smell’ and the same is true of wine.
The ‘bouquet’ of the wine can feature all sorts of weird and wonderful aromas, such as different fruits, flowers, wood or even smoke.
You will need to swirl the wine for the smells to be released and then lean right into the glass to take a sniff. At first, you may not be able to identify much, but as you gain experience you will gradually be able to identify different smells. If the wine smells bad, trust your instincts as not all wine is fine!
Tasting
When it comes to physically tasting a wine, you can actually get a much better idea of how the wine tastes by taking a small sip, swirling it around your mouth lightly and holding it there for a while. This allows the 10,000 taste buds on your tongue to get to work.
Afterwards, you can either swallow it, or spit it out (even in front of the winery owner!). If you plan to taste quite a few different kinds, you might want to consider spitting over swallowing; you will still get a great feel for the wine this way and you won’t end up too sloshed!
Evaluating
Try to identify the ‘body’ of the wine, which in simple terms means how long the taste remains in your mouth; full bodied wines will stay with you for much longer. You can also then determine other aspects of the taste such as whether it is light or heavy or dry or sweet? Talk about what you tasted as this will help you ultimately decide whether or not you enjoyed it.
Extra Tips
Wine tasting is certainly not something you will become an expert in overnight. There are many different varieties of grapes and in turn, wines to sample but it is probably best to stick to the main varieties when starting out. When visiting a small vineyard, or even at home, there will usually be an experienced wine taster around whether it be a winery owner or a friend who knows more than you so be sure to utilise them. Ask questions and do as they do!
Wine is without a doubt one of the greatest pleasures in life and wine tasting is a great way not only to find your new favourites wine. Armed with this information, it can become a great hobby, even for beginners!
Thanks for your comment Isabelle and for sharing some really useful information and insights! I’m sure it will come in handy for other readers 🙂
Thanks Kerri for this nice piece. I would add that beginners in wine tasting are often intimidated in the presence of more experienced wine tasters, whereas they should not.
Tasting is subjective as far as the wines we like or dislike. So it’s okay not to like a 90+ points wine or a $100 bottle.As individuals we have different sensitivities and we will smell and taste different things. In addition, we don’t have an established vocabulary to describe aroma and taste perceptions like we have for shapes for example; so sometimes we perceive the same aroma or taste but describe it with different terms. So my advice is to trust your senses!