Wine Tasting Tips For Beginners

The art of wine tasting can seem very complex to outsiders. Its practice is as ancient as its production and its terminology is constantly evolving.

As overwhelming as it may seem at first, there are a number of tips and insider secrets to get you through your first tasting - without being noticed as the beginner!

In the glass
It’s necessary to tilt the glass slightly in order to see the color variations of the wine  from the center to the rim of the glass. Intensity of color gives clues to the variety and the age of the wine, but not quality. A young white might be straw-colored in the center and have a green-tinged edge, whereas a brownish tinge at the edge suggests an older red.

Smell
Sommeliers are trained to notice the smallest differences in aromas. As a beginner, try to pin-point if your wine is fruity, floral, spicy etc. Swirling the glass gently (being careful of your white shirt!) can help bring out the aromas. 

Taste
Take a decent mouthful rather than a tiny sip. Then swish the wine around your tongue & teeth and note the taste. What flavors stand out to you? Does the wine seem balanced? Acidic? Take your time, this is meant to be an enjoyable experience! Spitting the wine into an empty glass in generally the norm, but swallowing is also fine.

Take some time to reflect on the aftertaste. A lingering taste can often be found in good quality wines. Most importantly, do you want more?  

Score
Wines are generally scored on a scale of 100, similar to school grades. A wine scoring 85 + is considered good, whereas a wine scoring 50 is like an F grade. However, taste is very personal and not everyone is a fan of the numerical scale.

That’s it - you’ve survived your first wine tasting. Now on to the next bottle!