Four Simple steps to better wine tasting

Wine is fast gaining popularity as a must have drink during social events. Very often now, wine comes up as a favourite subject at the dining table together with habitual questions of where you came from, where you work, or how the family is doing. It therefore pays to know something about this beverage, at least to understand why most people drink it, and why some people are fixated by it.

For me, wine appeals not because it makes me feel more culturally advanced, but rather it is a fascinating beverage in its own right. Wine is essentially fermented grape juice, yet it reveals diverse notes of apples, blackcurrants, melons, rose petals, vanilla, cigar box, leather and so forth. Where did all these smells and tastes come from? Amazingly, grape has a sponge-like ability to absorb the “essence” of the environment it grows in, that is from its terroir, a wine term referring to the combination of factors such as the soil the vine sits on, the geography of the land, and the climate surrounding it, and the influence these have on the grape. All these translate into a unique set of flavours that the wine alone possesses.

So how do we appreciate wine? Contrary to what most people believe, wine tasting and enjoyment is not limited to those who can swirl a glass and pronounce tongue twisting names. All we need for a better tasting experience are a good eye, a functioning nose and a working tongue. Follow these 4 simple steps below and with some practice, anyone can become better at tasting wines.

Here is what we do at a wine tasting:

1. See: Look at the wine in the glass. The first purpose really is to help anticipate a fault in the wine. For example, if the wine is hazy, or browner in colour than you would normally expect, then there might be a problem with the wine. As you become more familiar with any particular wine type, like Pinot Noir, you would instinctively know what a “normal” Pinot Noir should look like. The second purpose of looking at the wine is simply to enjoy the colour and intensity, whether it is light straw or crimson red.
2. Smell: The nose can detect many different scents, and “nosing” the wine is to me the most important and enjoyable part of wine tasting. When done properly and sufficiently, the nose can pick up smells of strawberries, guava, peaches, bananas, coffee. If a wine is spoilt, you will pick up the unpleasant smells too. Swirling the wine in the glass (yes, swirling has a practical purpose besides making us look good in photos or videos!) will help release these aromas.
3. Taste: What is the point of wine appreciation if you cannot drink it right? So, take a mouthful of the wine and slosh it around so that your tongue and the other parts of your mouth come into contact with it. You can pick up the wine’s sweetness, acidity (sourness), tannin levels (roughness) and body. Sucking in air while the wine is in the mouth will help release the flavours and help you “nose” it better. A point to note: The gurgling sounds you make by sucking in air are normal and accepted in wine tasting events, but definitely not recommended in a fine dining restaurant or in front of your date.
4. Finish: Finally, swallow the wine and observe how long the flavours last. This is called the finish or aftertaste. A good wine will have a longer finish compared to a mediocre one. A finish can last from a couple of seconds to hours, according to some wine literature. There is no hard and fast rule on how long a wine’s finish should be, and for me, a wine whose finish lasts for anything more than three minutes is an excellent wine.

Like all newly acquired skills, the key to improvement in wine appreciation is constant practice. Round up your family and friends, and crack open a bottle or two. Write down your impressions on what flavours come to mind when you taste a wine, and keep the notes. You will find that your wine vocabulary improves significantly and your tasting descriptions become more vivid gradually if you make it a habit to write down your impressions no matter how hard it seems at first.

If you need help with your tasting and wine selection, reach out to us for a chat, tell us what you want to explore and we will be happy to make some suggestions to get you started on tasting wines better.