Wine tasting can be a delightful, enriching, and engaging experience. However, entering the world of wine can initially feel overwhelming with its own set of jargon and perceived complexities. This guide aims to demystify wine tasting, offering a clear pathway for anyone eager to begin their journey.
Level Up Your Wine Knowledge
Many aspiring wine enthusiasts begin with formal wine education, such as the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses. Level 1 provides a foundational understanding, while Level 2 delves into grape varieties and key wine regions. Level 2 introduces the concept of tasting notes, based on the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT). This approach is easier for people working in the wine industry.
The Tasting Epiphany: Finding Your Palate
The key to unlocking wine tasting lies in identifying and understanding aromas. Start with high-quality wines that showcase precise and characteristic flavors. This focused approach allows you to clearly identify aroma clusters, such as fruit and oak. Plonk, though enjoyable, may not offer the nuanced learning experience needed to truly develop your palate.
Mastering Professional Wine Tasting
For those seeking a deeper understanding, WSET Level 3 introduces the importance of tasting within the curriculum, including blind tasting exams. While tasting technique classes offer valuable insights, the practical application is crucial. Supplement formal education with books, podcasts like the Guild of Sommeliers’ excellent series, and dedicated practice.
Learning wine tasting takes time, practice, and cross-referencing with other people. Attending as many tasting sessions as possible is crucial to learn to taste wine.
This guide provides a step-by-step approach to becoming a proficient wine taster, built upon practical experience and insights.
Step 1: Understanding the Influences on Tasting
Several factors impact your tasting experience. Be mindful of these influences:
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Your Physical and Mental State: Fatigue, illness, distractions, and stress can all negatively affect your ability to taste.
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Environment: Choose a well-lit, odor-free space, preferably with natural light. Avoid wearing perfumes, aftershaves, or strongly scented products.
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Palate Cleansing: Avoid coffee, spicy foods, garlic, and onion before tasting. Use bread and water to cleanse your palate between wines.
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Time of Day: Midday, before meals, is often the best time for tasting, as your senses are most alert.
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Tasting Order: Follow the traditional order: white before red, lighter before heavier, and sweet wines last.
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Tasting Personality: Adopt a dual approach – first, be a detective, gathering data; then, be an advocate, building a case to describe the wine.
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Individual Perception: Remember that taste is subjective. Your genetics and experiences shape your unique perception.
However, WSET expects students to use a very specific vocabulary to describe wine to ensure clear communication and consistency.
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Reaching a Conclusion About the Quality of the Wine: in the WSET systematic approach, there are four main elements you need to pay specific attention in reaching the quality level and level of readiness to drink conclusion: Balance, Intensity, Finish and Complexity (I use BIFC as my mnemonic).
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Bias: Blind tasting eliminates preconceived notions, allowing for a more objective assessment.
Step 2: Assembling the Right Equipment
Having the right tools can enhance your tasting experience:
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Coravin: This device allows you to sample wines without fully opening the bottle, preserving the remaining wine for future tasting.
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Aroma Board or Wine Aroma Kit (Le Nez du Vin): These tools help you identify and memorize different aromas commonly found in wine.
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Spittoon: Essential for professional tasting, allowing you to sample multiple wines without becoming intoxicated.
Caption: Wine sleeves ensure blind tasting remains truly blind.
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Bottle Sleeves: For blind tastings, these conceal the labels, preventing bias.
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White Mat: Provides a neutral background for assessing wine color.
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Wine Tasting Booklet: A dedicated notebook to record your tasting notes.
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Tasting Mnemonic: Develop a personal mnemonic to ensure you cover all aspects of the tasting process (e.g., CICO CIAD SATABFFOF BIFC).
Step 3: Preparing for the Tasting
Proper preparation is key to accurate assessment:
Tasting Glasses
- Ensure glasses are clean and free of residue. Wipe them gently with a cotton cloth or a kitchen paper towel.
- Avoid rinsing with water, as it can dilute the wine’s aromas.
- Use the same glass for tasting the same grape variety.
- If changing grape varieties and only have one glass, rinse the glass with the new wine, throw it away and then pour your tasting sample.
Tasting Temperature
- Allow wines to reach room temperature (18-20°C/64-68°F) for optimal aroma release.
- Adjust based on your preference but remember that in tasting exams, the wines will be at room temperature.
Tasting Sample
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A 50ml (approximately two fingers horizontally in an ISO tasting glass) sample is sufficient.
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Decant or open wines 30-60 minutes beforehand to allow them to breathe.
Step 4: Assessing with Your Eyes
Visual inspection provides initial clues about the wine:
Clarity
- Check if the wine is clear or hazy.
Colour Intensity (Pale – Medium – Deep)
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Tilt the glass at a 45° angle to observe the color intensity near the rim.
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Color intensity hints at the grape variety and age. Lighter colors (Pinot Noir) suggest thinner skins, while deeper colors (Cabernet Sauvignon) indicate thicker skins.
Colour Palette
- Use the WSET color descriptors:
- White wine: lemon – gold – amber – brown
- Rosé rose: pink – salmon – orange
- Red wine: purple – ruby – garnet – tawny – brown
- Color provides clues about age: lemon and purple wines are young, while gold, amber, garnet, and brown suggest age or oxidation.
Legs or Tears
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Observe the legs (tears of wine) for indications of body, sugar content, and alcohol level.
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Fast-moving legs suggest a light-bodied wine, while slow-moving, oily legs indicate a full-bodied wine or higher sugar/alcohol content.
Step 5: Engaging Your Nose
Smell is the most crucial sense in wine tasting:
Build Your Smell Memory
- Use aroma boards or kits to build associations between smells and specific characteristics.
- Taste in groups to share and compare notes.
How to Smell Wine
- Swirl the glass to release volatile aromas.
- Smell the lower and upper parts of the rim. Fruit aromas often appear at the lower end and mineral, ageing aromas on the upper part.
- If your nose becomes fatigued, smell your arm to reset your sensors.
Use Clusters and Categories
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Write down and group aromas into clusters and categories. Document which one is predominant.
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Refer to resources like the WSET Level 3 Wine Lexicon for detailed guidance.
Assess Intensity (Delicate vs. Intense)
- Delicate aromas are subtle, while intense aromas are pronounced.
Assess Complexity (Simple vs. Complex)
- Simple wines have few aromas, mainly from the fruit, while complex wines showcase multiple aroma clusters.
Assess Definition (Generic vs. Well-Defined)
- Generic aromas are difficult to pinpoint, while well-defined aromas are easily identifiable.
Assess Ripeness (Ripe vs. Unripe)
- Unripe fruit indicates a cooler climate, while ripe fruit suggests a warmer climate.
Consider Development
- Assess if the wine is youthful, developing, fully developed, or tired.
Step 6: Tasting the Wine
Palate assessment confirms and expands upon your visual and olfactory observations:
Use Your Tongue
- Small sips are best.
- Suck air in over the wine to engage all your sensors.
- Focus on different elements of the assessment at a time.
- Spit the wine to avoid intoxication during extended tastings.
Sweetness
- Measure the level of residual sugar.
| Sweetness | Residual sugar |
|---|---|
| Dry | Less than 4h/L |
| Off dry | 5-9g/L |
| Medium – dry to medium- sweet | 10-45g/L |
| Sweet | Above 45g/L |
| Luscious | The very sweetest wines |
Acidity
- This provides a sensation of sourness and freshness. The waterfall of saliva means always high acidity.
Tannin
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This creates a drying, astringent sensation on your gums.
Alcohol
- Wines above 13% ABV may create a slight burning sensation.
Body
- This is the mouthfeel: light, medium, or full.
Flavour Intensity and Characteristics
- Confirm aromas detected on the nose.
- Note the intensity and characteristics of the flavours.
Finish
- This is the aftertaste. Note the length and quality.
Step 7: Assessing Quality
Evaluate the wine based on its inherent qualities, without considering price:
Using the WSET Systematic Approach
- Balance, intensity, finish, and complexity are key.
- There are plenty of studies that show that people’s expectations affect their evaluations so evaluating the wine blindly is likely to produce more honest assessments.
Collectable vs Drinkable
- Assess the wine based on drinkability, not collectability.
Balance, Intensity, Finish, Complexity
- Balance: Assess the integration of sweetness, acidity, tannin, fruit, and alcohol.
- Intensity: Evaluate the aroma and flavour concentration.
- Finish: Note the length and pleasantness of the aftertaste.
- Complexity: Consider fruit concentration, secondary and tertiary aromas, and expression of terroir.
Step 8: Ratings
Base your ratings on balance, intensity, finish, complexity, and character (representation of grape varietal or regional style).
Step 9: Identity
Develop your identification skills by learning:
- Main grape varieties
- How they vary in different climates
- Different winemaking styles
- Styles of famous winemaking regions
What is the Grape Variety?
- White: Is it aromatic or neutral?
- Red: Is it lighter or darker in color? Low or high in tannins?
What Was the Climate?
- Warm climate: more fruit, alcohol, body, less acidity, riper tannin.
- Cool climate: fresher fruit, higher acidity, lighter body, more astringent tannin.
Is It Old World or New World?
- Old World: more savoury, higher acidity and tannin, subtle aromas.
- New World: fruitier, more defined fruit, well-defined aromas.
Step 10: Readiness for Drinking
Determine if the wine is too young, can be drunk now with potential for ageing, should be drunk now without further ageing potential, or is too old.
- For the wines that have potential for ageing, they depend on the grape varietal and the quality of the vintage.
Final Step: Price
Consider the factors that influence price:
- Grape cost + winemaking cost + ageing cost + producer margin + transportation cost + seller margin + duty + VAT
By understanding these components, you can make more informed decisions about wine purchases.
