The wine tasting process is a natural one. All that needs to be done when ‘learning’ to taste a wine is to remember and express what you experience when tasting wine. Remember that there is no right or wrong answer in wine tasting, and writing down your thoughts will help you recall these wine experiences in the future.

Just by looking at the wine, you can determine its age and condition. Pour a small sample into a glass, tilt it slightly away from yourself and observe against a white plain background. Its colour and clarity can give you clues about its quality.

Sight

Brilliant and clear appearance is a sign of good condition. Cloudy or murky appearance is definitely a very poor quality.

Condition

As white wines age their colour deepens to a rich, golden colour. With excessive age they will go brown, a sure sign that the wine is past its prime and probably unpleasant to drink. If a young wine has a brownish tinge it is possibly oxidised.
The rules about the colour change slightly when it comes to red wines. Aged reds tend to lose their deep, youthful purple colour and go a paler, brick red colour over time.

A wine’s colour will also depend on the variety. Young Sauvignon Blancs are almost clear with green tints; while a barrel fermented Chardonnay can have a deep straw colour. The same is true for red wine. Lighter styles of reds, such as Pinot Noir are usually a light red colour, Cabernet Sauvignons are deep purple.

Colour

Swirling the glass and resting it upright can also give you a clue to the alcohol content of the wine. The drops running down the side of the glass (referred to as the tears or legs) are an indication of how alcoholic the wine is: the more numerous and thicker the drops, the higher the alcohol level.

Alcohol Content

The aromas released from swirling the wine around can reveal many secrets. You can gauge its variety, whether it has had oak treatment or if it is faulty.
The aroma should be clean and fresh. If the wine is young, you should be able to smell the characteristic scents associated with each variety

• Shiraz is peppery
• Cabernet Sauvignon smells like blackcurrants
• Chenin Blanc smells like honey and lemon
• Sauvignon Blanc is herbaceous with ripe tropical fruits
• Viognier is predominant apricot with floral notes

With experience, you may even be able to detect what type of oak a winemaker has used – American oak can smell like Vanilla while French oak has a restrained lemony/cashew-like scent.

Smell

Beyond sight and smell, the ultimate measure of wine is taste. One sip should completely take over your palate and immerse your senses into the richness of its flavour. Beyond that, tasting can reveal some specific aspects about wine like its complexity. It is the combination of the aroma and flavour sensations.
Tasting a wine will also tell us about its richness, texture and balance.
The perfect sip: The best way to taste wine is to take a small mouthful and move the wine around your mouth covering all of your taste buds. Next, purse your lips and suck air across the wine. This process helps to aerate the wine and bring out its flavours and any faults. Humans can detect four basic tastes (sweet, sour, bitter and salty) and it is the first three that we normally encounter when tasting wine.
Pay attention to the wine’s flavour and style, the balance between acid and sweetness, and the persistence of flavour. The key to a wine’s quality and complexity is whether all of its different elements are in harmony with one another.
The tasting will also tell you about the wine’s texture: whether it is thin, luscious, smooth, dry or astringent (excessive tannin) or hot and harsh (high alcohol).
After spitting or swallowing the wine the next step is to determine the wine’s finish – how long you can still taste the wine’s flavours. Well-made wines have a long, lingering finish.

Sip