I studied wine for years before I truly understood the value of tasting, rather than drinking wine. Tasting wine turns the theoretical into practical. At first, I found tasting overwhelming: I was struggling to smell anything but grapes, while my classmates were rattling off a long list of aromas. Starting simply and working on one aspect at a time improved my tasting skills quickly. Next time you are drinking wine, take the time to articulate what you notice and you’ll find your wine appreciation will grow quickly.
To get started, pour about 2 ounces (60 mL) of wine into a clean, stemmed wine glass. Swirl the wine to release volatile compounds so you can more easily observe aromas. Lower your nose slightly into the bowl as you take a short, gentle inhalation. Describe what you smell. If naming aromas is challenging, get an aroma wheel or use WSET SAT guide. Your goal is to name three aromas.
Now taste the wine. Do the flavors match what you noticed on the nose? How does the wine feel? Is it thin and water-like (most Pinot Grigio) or does it feel a bit heavier in your mouth (Napa Cabernet Sauvignon)? That feeling is body. One note: body and alcohol levels are highly correlated, so you can easily check your work here. After your sip, exhale and see if that enhances your flavor perception. This is called retronasal tasting. Many people who have a hard time detecting aromas orthonasally (through the nose) find retronasal tasting helpful.
Take another sip and this time focus only on acidity. Let the wine sit behind your teeth along your lower jaw for a moment. Swallow the wine, then lean your head forward and angled downward. See how much saliva forms where the wine was resting. A high acidity wine will feel like you’re about to drool. Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Chenin Blanc are a few examples of high acidity wines. Lower acidity wines will force less saliva production and wines with very low acidity tend to not be refreshing at all. Pinot Grigio tends to be middle of the range, while warm climate Viognier, such as those from Australia tend to be low in acidity. One note: when learning about acidity for the first time, white wines are easier to use as they don’t have tannins which has astringent effects that can confound an acidity test.
Focus on these three areas the next time you have a glass. Once you feel comfortable with them, you can analyze other wine components. Do some research about the region, winemaker, and potentially vintage. Tying together what you tasted with the variables that influenced the wine is where the “aha” moments of wine occur.