First, look at it. Observe the color, the clarity. Hold it against something white which will help you to see what the true color is. You’ll eventually learn what color each wine should be. Is it clear or cloudy? It should be totally clear......
First, look at it. Observe the color, the clarity. Hold it against something white which will help you to see what the true color is. You’ll eventually learn what color each wine should be. Is it clear or cloudy? It should be totally clear.
Give it a good quick sniff and think about your first reactions. Now give it a good swirl. It helps to have a good sized wine glass and also to swirl it on the table rather than up in the air. Swirling helps release the aromas. Now get your nose right down in the glass and take a good deep sniff and try to concentrate on what you’re smelling. This is the part I find most challenging, naming those smells.
Hopefully you haven’t had some strong flavors like mint or coffee just before this. If so, have a good swallow of water. Then a quick little sip, just to get your mouth actually ready for wine. Now, a good bit of wine and kind of swirl it around your mouth so all parts of your tongue are exposed. Keep it in your mouth for as long as you can. Professional tasters at this point will spit it out and just go for the flavor remaining. If you want to you can do that, but personally I’d much rather actually swallow the wine. This way too you can judge how good the finish is.
After swallowing breathe out through your nose. This is actually where the real flavor comes out. Can you pick out some flavors?
The finish, as I mentioned earlier, is something you can now experience. A good wine will have a long finish which means it carries the flavor on for an extended time in your mouth, not just abruptly leaving you wondering what that flavor was anyway??
Main thing though to remember is there’s no right or wrong taste in wine. It’s yours and yours personally and your taste is your alone. We all have different taste buds and likes and dislikes. Wine is meant to bring joy to your life, not stress. So have some fun and remember the best way to become an expert at wine tasting is to do a lot of practicing!