Wine tasting is more than just drinking wine—it's an approach to dining that engages all your senses and opens up a world of flavors, aromas, and experiences. Whether you're new to wine or looking to refine your palate, understanding the fundamentals of wine tasting can transform your appreciation for your meal and enrich many parts of your life.
The Five S's of Wine Tasting
Few people have trouble distinguishing visual cues in today’s world, but tapping into your olfactory senses is a little out of the ordinary. Wine tasting is much less about the wine’s appearance and much more about slowing down enough to fully experiencing the glass in front of you and draw new connections!
1. Smell
Hold your nose above the glass and take a deep inhale before tasting. Your nose can detect thousands of different scents, and aroma is crucial to flavor perception. Some wines have strong aromas and some are very light. If you’re not getting much “on the nose” as we call it, swirl your glass to release some of the more delicate aromas and take another whiff!
2. Sip
Take a small sip and let the wine coat your entire palate, about half of what you might need for a swig of mouthwash. Notice the initial taste, if you experience any thing in the mid-palate development, and any lingering flavors. Are their flavors “on the palate” that you didn’t experience on the nose?
4. Spit
An optional, but very legitimate part of professional tasting! is spitting after your first sip. While the wine is still in the mouth, you’ll see professionals aerate the wine by sucking air before spitting wine back out into a communal spit bucket. Does that sound completely vile? Well yes, it is pretty tough to get used to, but our curiosity about the wine’s defining characteristics and texture tend to overrides good table manners. If you’re tasting at home, try spitting your wine to determine characteristics like acid and alcohol levels. If you’re on a first date, maybe skip this step… although I have been known to ask for a spit cup at restaurants and house parties to stay sharp.
5. Savor
Now, finally take another sip like you,ve been doing all your life! After swallowing, focus on the wine's finish—how long do the flavors linger? A long, pleasant finish is a highly valued characteristic, and indicates a high quality wine.
Building Your Tasting Vocabulary
Don't worry if you can't immediately identify specific flavors - most people have an underdeveloped sense of smell. This does not mean that you can’t smell like a sommelier, it simply means that you have significantly less experience organizing, recalling, and making judgements based on olfactory sensory input!
We can work around this by using skills we are more practiced in using, like language and storytelling. Wine tasting is subjective, and your palate will develop over time. Start with broad categories like fruity, floral, earthy, or spicy, then gradually become more specific — Loose Tannins pull wacky notes like “tire air”, grandma’s attic, grilled lemons, brown sugar, or chestnut out of wines we love. It’s these wild tasting notes and the people we drink them with that make the strongest impressions!
Creating the Perfect Tasting Environment
For the best tasting experience, ensure you're in a well-lit, odor-free environment. Use proper wine glasses, serve wines at the correct temperature, and have some neutral crackers or bread to cleanse your palate between tastings.
Remember, the most important rule of wine tasting is to trust your own palate. What matters most is whether you enjoy the wine, not whether you can identify every note in a sommelier's tasting notes.
Ready to start your wine journey? Join us for our next tasting event and discover the wines that speak to your unique palate!
0 comments