Tasting wine uses the exact same skills you've been building throughout this academy. Presence, sensory attention, vocabulary. The process is nearly identical to the tasting flow you learned in Module 2.
The Four Steps
1. Look
Hold the glass against a white background (a napkin works) and tilt it slightly.
| What You See | What It Suggests |
|---|---|
| Pale, almost clear (white) | Light-bodied, young, probably crisp |
| Deep gold (white) | Fuller body, possibly aged or oak-treated |
| Bright ruby (red) | Young, lighter style |
| Deep purple-black (red) | Full-bodied, ripe, possibly warm climate |
| Brick-orange at the rim (red) | Age. The wine has been in bottle for years |
| Legs/tears on the glass | Higher alcohol or residual sugar. Not a quality indicator. |
2. Smell
Swirl the glass gently (this releases volatile aroma compounds) and inhale. This is where most of the information is. Just like with food, most of what you perceive as wine "taste" is actually aroma.
What does it remind you of? Fruit? Flowers? Earth? Spice? Toast? You're building associations.
Common aroma families:
| Family | Examples | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit | Citrus, apple, peach (whites); cherry, plum, blackberry (reds) | Most wines. Fruit character is the foundation |
| Floral | Rose, violet, elderflower, orange blossom | Aromatic whites (Albariño, Gewürztraminer), some reds (Nebbiolo) |
| Herbal/Green | Grass, bell pepper, mint, eucalyptus | Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, some Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Earthy | Wet stone, mushroom, forest floor, truffle | Aged Burgundy, Priorat, many Old World wines |
| Spice | Black pepper, clove, vanilla, cinnamon | Syrah/Grenache (pepper), oak-aged wines (vanilla, toast) |
| Oak | Vanilla, toast, smoke, cedar, coconut | Wines aged in new oak barrels. Rioja Reserva, many New World reds |
3. Taste
Take a sip and let it move across your whole mouth. Pay attention to:
- Sweetness, is the wine dry (no perceptible sugar), off-dry (hint of sweetness), or sweet? Most table wines are dry.
- Acidity, does the wine make your mouth water? High acidity feels fresh, lively, almost tart. Low acidity feels soft, round, maybe flat. Acidity is what gives wine its energy.
- Tannin (reds), that drying, gripping sensation, like over-steeped tea. Tannin comes from grape skins and oak. It ranges from silky and barely noticeable to aggressive and mouth-puckering.
- Body, does the wine feel light (like water), medium (like milk), or full (like cream)? Body is a combination of alcohol, extract, and tannin.
- Alcohol, do you feel warmth in your throat? Very high alcohol can feel hot or burning. Well-integrated alcohol is invisible.
4. Finish
After swallowing (or spitting, if you're tasting multiple wines), notice what lingers. A long finish. Where flavours persist and evolve for several seconds. Is generally a sign of quality and complexity. A short finish. The flavour disappears immediately. Usually indicates a simpler wine.