Step 1: Look
Grab your glass and move the mirror around. Look at it from above and the sides, then turn it to the light behind the white background. Determine the age, climate, as well as alcohol level.
There are a few examples: A couple of benchmarks, “legs” or “tears of wine,” that you can see rolling along the side of the wine glass the more alcoholic the wine. If you notice orange or amber colors on the edge of a red wine, the more old it is. The purple hues signify youth in red wines.
Step 2: Sniff
Select a glass that lets you get the full snozz out of it.
Check for pungent smells that resemble mildew, moldy basements, old brick or brick, vinegar, and fish market. These are flaws that could be present in the construction.
Check for predominant fruit scents. For white wine, consider a tree or tropical fruit. If you are thinking of red wine, consider red fruits, blue and black fruit.
Next, search for hints of secondary flowers, spices, and other herbaceous traits.
Now, sniff for earthy scents. Imagine decaying leaves or mineral clues (chalk and limestone), clay, ).
After identifying the primary scents of fruit and earthy secondary aromas, look for evidence of oak barrels maturing (caramel vanilla oak, cream, oak, and butter).
Then, look for the sensation of heat that is felt in your nostrils because of the high levels of alcohol.
Step 3: Taste
In the tasting, affirming what you experienced and tasted is essential.
In the beginning, you’ll test for sweetness and dryness.
Second, you’ll have to be able to test balance across your palate.
Then, pay attention to your body. Can you tell if it is heavy, medium, or full-bodied?
The next step is to taste the primary flavors of fruit. Do you notice blue, black, or red fruit? If yes, which specifically?
Search your taste buds for other flavors that provide hints of vegetables and flowers. You can also find traces of spice boxes.
Seek out Earthy hints that evoke dried leaves, chalky slate, minerals, or clay.
Have your tastes at an end, or does the inside of your mouth seem spongy? If yes, the wine you’re sipping may be tannic.
Then, look in your mouth for the presence of acidity. Do you notice any sour, tart, or taste or mouth-watering sensations?
After you’ve found evidence of acid, you need to know whether the wine is soaring or has low levels of alcohol. Do you feel warmth or warmth in your chest or your throat?
How sophisticated is the glass you’re drinking? Do you find it dull, uninteresting on the fruit side? Or is it packed with a variety of fruit and earthy flavor?
In the end, you should be looking for the future. Do you feel the wine flowing through your mouth, with the taste disappearing immediately? Does the aftertaste last for a while?
How to Taste Wine (Advanced)
Utilize the Right Environment, Prepare Your Body, and Use the Right Wine Glasses
Before even drinking the glass of your preferred wine, ensure that your surroundings are suitable for tasting wine. It means you didn’t make cakes, clean your teeth, or apply mouthwash.
Regardless of how soothing they might be, aromas that are not your own (like baking cookies or perfume) render any attempt at tasting wine in a proper manner null and void. However, you should not have any unpleasant flavors sticking to your taste buds on your tongue. Ensure your mouth is free of any recent cleanser or other flavors that cling to wine.
Make sure you’re using natural light at any point. It’s also recommended to have white backgrounds to enhance the visual aspect during your tasting. Placing white paper pieces across the tables is a great way to do this.
Also, ensure that you’re using proper-sized, CLEAN wine glasses. If you clean the glasses before tasting, ensure there’s no water within the mirror. This is important regardless of the type of wine you’re going to taste.
Champagne flutes are better choices than champagne tasting, as the rim of the glass is too slight for enough of a whiff of wine. Choose big-basined glasses that narrow a bit toward the highest point for reds. A drink with a large basin that reduces in height will allow aromas to be released while enabling them to remain stuck. Ensure they’re manageable, or you’ll not be able to squeeze your scent into the glass!
Remember that the state of the wine can affect the aroma and taste. When the wine is old and has a strong smell, it will significantly differ from the younger wine made of the same grape variety. Additionally, if the beverage is chilled, its flavor subtleties and aromas may appear dull. Make sure your reds and whites are sipped at the exact temperature.
Pro-tip The idea is to let you be aware ahead of time. This is important. You shouldn’t drink after sipping if you’re determined to taste wine as a professional. Master Sommeliers and other wine experts will swirl the wine around in their mouths before they swallow it up. I won’t explain how this happens; however, I’ll give you some tips. Drinking wine can make the person high. Deductive reasoning can be affected, particularly in the case of a Somm taking in more than 50 wines daily. YMMV.
Step 1 – Observe the Wine in the Glass
You may be surprised to learn that the first step of the process of tasting wine does not have anything to involve tasting wine. That’s right. You’ll be observing what’s going on in the liquid first. But what’s the significance? Looking at the wine’s glass will tell you something about it without tasting it yourself.
How:
Then, fill less than one-quarter of a stemmed glass with the desired wine. Take the glass from the upper part of the stem because holding the actual glass could alter the taste and aroma of the wine with warm hands.
Then, look at the wine by placing your eyes directly over the glass. This allows you to see a clear and crisp image of the glass’s rim as well as the body color of the wine. Both provide indications of age, terroir, and grape variety.
After that, look at the wine from the glass’s side to see a different view.
