How To Taste Wine For Beginners

Learning how to taste wine for beginners is like opening the door to a whole new world of flavours and aromas that the wine has to offer. Think of it as an adventure in your glass, here every swirl, sniff and sip reveals an experience. You don’t need a trained palate, but a curious mind and a palate that appreciates. It’s about the experience of what wine has been poured into the glass. Whether you are sipping it over a meal, with your partner (to be), or at a business table. Understanding how to go ahead with tasting enhances the entire experience. I have mentioned 5 easy and step-by-step ways.

You need to be sharp at the table!

My previous articles have mentioned types of wine, and you may understand what type may fit your palate by clicking on Types of wine explained.

Now that you are aware of the key points to consider while selecting your wine, it’s time to stand out by learning how to taste wine for beginners, following the 5 S method.

What Are The 5 Steps To Taste Wine

See – Observe The Colour And Clarity.

Tilt your glass at a 45-degree angle. You see the colour of your wine in the glass against a white background, to judge the age and type of wine. Red wine goes from ruby to garnet, and white wine goes from pale yellow to golden. You also, most importantly, check for clarity and any residues in the wine. If the colour turns dull, leading towards brown, it indicates the wine is off.

Pro tip – Older wine tends to have a brick-like bright rim, and aged white wine deepens in colour. Referring to the media.

Swirl – Release The Aromas

The wine is usually resting in the bottle, and the flavours tend to settle and need to be awakened. You gently swirl your fingers around the stem of the glass. This allows the oxygen to mix in, helping the wine to open and release its aromatic compounds, so all the aromas are released.

Also, please be advised that the wine glass is held and swirled by the stem or base and not by the bowl.

That’s a CRIME!

Sniff – Smell The Bouquet!

You then smell the wine, keeping your nose at a distance from the mouth of the wine glass, the further away you get the aromas are, and the denser the wine. Try this – take a smell or nose the wine before swirling it, and nose the wine after swirling it, there will be a dramatic difference.

Try identifying the names of the scents you notice, Flowers, fruits, spice wood, rubber, etc There are no wrong answers.

Sip the wine – Taste, and let it sit

Yes! I know it’s like checking out perfumes, but let’s take a sip and swirl it around your mouth. Enjoy the flavourful experience, surprisingly some flavours will be very familiar to you whilst others would take time to hone in. Pay attention to:

• Sweetness – Tip of tongue
• Acidity – Side of the tongue (makes your mouth watery)
• Tannins – Dry mouth feel (in red wines)
• Finish – Does it stay longer or vanish quickly?

Savour or spit – Enjoy the finish!

It’s time to gulp that amazing liquid, blessing your throat and body. I mean, why would you even spit alcohol? Jokes apart, during tastings and some people’s values, many prefer not to consume alcohol, hence the spit. In a spittoon, OKAY!

Also, high-quality wines usually have a long, balanced finish in your mouth.

Pro tip – 1. When you swirl, you will see some clear drops sliding slowly from the walls of the glass; those are called the tears (the alcohol) of wine. (ref. In the 3rd image)

2. You do not swirl any kind of sparkling wine, because the effervescence does the work for you, the soft bubbles keep the wine activated and brights up all the aromas and flavours. If you swirl up the sparkling wine, you will make the wine flat.

~You can thank me later!

This concludes how to taste wine for beginners and the experienced. Tasting wine is all about slowing down, engaging your senses, and having an experience. The more you practice, the more you’ll be confident in identifying aromas, flavours and textures that make each wine unique. Remember! There ain’t no right or wrong, just a curious mind.

Next up!

In the next post, we shall explore why wine is beginner-friendly, how to choose a bottle and will mention certain labels for you to pick to start your wine journey. Stay tuned- Your next favourite wine might be just one article away.

Disclaimer: Images and external links used in this blog are for informational and illustrative purposes only. Credits belong to their respective owners unless otherwise stated.