How to taste wine
- Look
Hold the glass by the stem and look through the wine against a white background to appreciate the true color. The wine should be bright and clear, not hazy or cloudy. White wines range in color from nearly clear to a golden yellow. Red wines range in color from dark, intense red to light, pale red.
- Swirl
To get the full aroma of the wine, fill a large wine glass a third of the way full, and swirl the wine around in the glass. This releases the aromatics.
- Smell
Inhale deeply through your nose and try to identify what you smell. Do you smell fruit or spices? You might find hints of familiar scents, such as wood, tobacco, citrus, apple, chocolate, plums, pineapple, flowers or raspberries. While contemplating the smell, look at the wine and notice whether it’s thick or thin, bright or mellow, clear or hazy.
- Taste
After taking a sip, roll the wine around in your mouth to reach all your taste buds. Then, breathe air through your lips to release the aromas. If the wine makes you pucker, it may be a little tart (high in acids) or tannic (dry like banana skins and tea leaves). If it feels hot and burns a little, it may have high alcohol content. If none of these elements overwhelm you, the wine is likely well-balanced. Notice how it feels in your mouth. This is called the texture.
- Spit
It may make you slightly uncomfortable initially, but if you’re tasting several wines during an event, it’s essential to spit. Spitting enables you to experience wines without the danger of imbibing too much alcohol. If you’re just trying a few, go ahead and swallow. A wine that lingers in your mouth and throat after you’ve spit is a sign of good length and body.