Tasting wine is an experience that should employ more than just your tastebuds. It should be a sensory experience that involves evaluating the sight, smell, and taste of the wine.
The first step in evaluating any new wine is observing it.
Notice the color of the wine. This is best observed by holding the wine glass at a 45 degree angle and looking across the surface of the wine. This is more effective than looking through the glass or straight down into the wine.
The color of the wine can be your first indication of the varietal and age of wine. As a general rule, white wines get darker as they age and red wines get lighter.
Next note the clarity. Clarity refers to the amount of undissolved matter that is floating in the wine. Wines with greater clarity will look clear and bright, and wines with less clarity will look dull or hazy. Most modern white wines will have good clarity due to the filtration processes used during production. Red wines may vary a bit more, and clarity is not necessarily an indication of the quality of the wine.
Next, you should smell the wine. 80% of taste can be attributed to the sense of smell. To best appreciate the aroma, swirl the wine in the glass. This can be done with the least chance of spilling your wine by placing the glass on the table. Hold the base of the glass, and gently move it in a circular motion. This helps to release the aromas from the wine.
Then put your nose fully into the glass and take several short, fast sniffs. Almost like a dog sniffing a new scent. This sniffing action is more effective than taking one long whiff of the wine. Take note of the various aromas. You may hear the aroma also referred to as the nose or bouquet of the wine – these are all just fancy ways of talking about the smell.
Learning to identify the aromas in a wine is actually a pretty difficult task, but accomplishing it will greatly increase your ability to appreciate wine. If you are looking for a fun way to hone this skill consider practicing with a wine wheel. A wine wheel is a simple tool that categorizes common aromas. For example, you may be tasting a wine and recognize a fruity smell but can’t quite pinpoint the aroma any further. You would look at your wine wheel under the category “fruity” for some suggestions. Eventually you will learn to recognize the specific aromas without the assistance of the wheel.
Next we finally get to the good part – tasting the wine. Go ahead and take a sip of your wine and hold it in your mouth. Purse your lips and draw a bit of air into your mouth – this helps push the aroma further into your nasal cavity. Allow the wine to roll around your mouth for a few seconds to fully appreciate the aroma and flavors before swallowing. Great – you’ve finally had a sip of wine!
First, let’s assess the body of the wine. Think of body as the weight of the wine in your mouth. A wine can be light, medium, or full bodied. A good way to understand body is by comparing it to milk – a light bodied wine will be thin in your mouth, similar to the feeling of drinking skim milk. A full bodied wine will feel much thicker, akin to drinking a sip of whole milk. And of course, a medium-bodied wine would fall somewhere in between. Alcohol content is one of the main factors that influences the body of a wine – wines that are lower in alcohol tend to be lighter bodied while wines that have a high alcohol content tend to be fuller bodied.
Next, think about the mouthfeel of the wine. This is the texture of the wine in your mouth. When learning to describe the mouthfeel, comparing to fabrics is a helpful trick. Does it feel soft like fleece, smooth like silk, or maybe rough like wool? None of these qualities are inherently good or bad – they are simply part of the character of the wine.
And now finally, note the flavors of the wine. Wine has the ability to impart all kinds of interesting flavors that one wouldn’t expect to obtain from grapes! A white wine may taste of things like apples, peaches, grapefruit, herbs, or minerals. A red wine may have flavors such as berries, plums, chocolate, tobacco, or smoke. You may also taste spices and flavors from the wood if the wine was aged in wooden barrels.
Wrap up your tasting by evaluating the finish of the wine. The finish is how long the aromas and flavors of the wine remain behind after tasting it. To evaluate the finish, take a sip of the wine. Let it roll around in your mouth a bit before swallowing. Then, with your mouth closed, breathe out through your nose. Can you still taste and smell the wine? That’s the finish. Better quality wines typically have longer finishes.
One final wine tasting tip. When trying a new wine, don’t be quick to judge by the first sip. The first taste can often seem harsh because your mouth has not yet adjusted to the acidity, tannins, and alcohol content of the wine. A good rule of thumb is to taste the wine three times. The first sip is just to get your mouth acclimated -let your tastebuds know that you’re drinking some wine. On the second sip, you will begin to get to know the wine. And by the third sip, you should have a really true idea of the wines’ taste and character. Keep reading for a follow-along example of wine tasting notes for Chardonnay.