How to Taste Wine

Wine Tasting Basics, a quick lesson – 3 simple steps to wine tasting…

1. How does it look?
After you have the wine in your glass take a look at it.   Hold it up to the light.  Does it look OK?   Is it foggy or murky?  And try to notice the simple things.  Is it light or dark?

2. How does it smell?
Swirl the wine around in your glass first. This will help release the aromas in the wine.  Once you have completed a few swirls give it a smell.  The question to ask yourself is “What do I smell?”   As long as you don’t smell anything bad or rotten you are off to a good start. Next try to identify what fruits, herbs and spices, if any, that you smell in the wine.

3. Finally the taste
Give it a taste.  The best way to get the full taste is to get a little wine in your mouth,  breathe in a little air (don’t swallow any wine yet) and then close your mouth and breathe out your nose.  This will help you get the full taste.  After that you are free to swallow and drink it normally.  Try to figure out what you taste. Above all is the most important question – Do you like it?

This is a very simple form to follow but if you’ve never been to a wine tasting before you should feel comfortable going just using this simple method.   Don’t forget to have fun.

If you want an in depth look at how to taste wine the proper way then I recommend this book.  You can buy it directly from Amazon.com.