Welcome to part 3 of Wine for beginners: Getting started. If you've got a handle on the main wine types and on a wine's style, you're now ready for the most fun part of all: tasting for yourself.
It might sound like something that calls for a degree and a serious face. It doesn't. A wine tasting is just three calm steps: you look, you smell, and you taste. Take your time with them in that order, and you'll suddenly discover far more in the glass than you thought. And the best part is that you already have all the equipment you need: your own eyes, your nose and your mouth.
What you'll learn
- The three steps in a wine tasting, and why the order helps
- Some simple words to describe what you smell and taste
- That you can confidently trust your own taste
Look: colour and clarity
Start by looking. Hold the glass up against something light, for example a white tablecloth or a wall, and look at the colour.
The colour already tells you a little story. A white wine can range from almost water-clear and pale green to a deeper, golden tone. A red wine can be anything from light and transparent like cranberry juice to so dark you can barely see through it. Rosé sits somewhere in between, from a delicate salmon colour to a strong strawberry red.
You don't need to draw any firm conclusions. Just notice whether the wine looks clear and inviting, and which colour it reminds you of. That exercise alone makes you more attentive, and attention is the whole secret to tasting.
Smell: getting started with the aromas
Now comes the part that surprises most people. Most of what we think we taste, we actually smell. The nose is far more sensitive than the tongue, so give it a chance before you drink.
Swirl the glass gently a couple of times. It wakes the wine up and releases the aromas, a bit like a pot that only really starts to smell once you stir it. Then put your nose down into the glass and breathe in calmly.
Ask yourself a very simple question: what does this remind me of? Think in categories you know from the kitchen and the garden:
- Fruit: lemon, apple, peach, cherry, dark berries
- Flowers and spices: roses, vanilla, pepper, cinnamon
- Other: fresh grass, butter, bread, wet wood, liquorice
There are an incredible number of aromas in a wine, far more than most people can put into words, and that's perfectly fine. Some grapes are naturally more aromatic than others, while others are more discreet and hold their cards close to their chest. You don't have to land on a correct answer. You just need to catch two or three aromas that mean something to you.
Taste: what happens in the mouth
Finally, a sip. But hold off on swallowing right away. Let the wine fill your whole mouth for a moment, so it reaches every corner.
Notice three things:
- How does it feel? Light and fresh like water, or full and soft like whole milk? That's what we call the wine's body.
- What happens on the sides of the tongue? A fresh, mouth-watering sensation is the wine's acidity. It's what makes a wine crisp and lively, just like a squeeze of lemon over a dish.
- Does it tighten up a little? In many red wines you can feel a slightly rough sensation on your teeth and gums, a bit like after a cup of strong tea. That's tannin, and it gives red wine structure.
Finally: how long does the taste linger after you've drunk? A short, quick taste or a long one that dwells. Both can be lovely, depending on what you're in the mood for.
Don't worry if it's a lot all at once. Body, acidity, tannin and sweetness will get their very own chapter later in the series, so here you just need to notice that they're there.
Put your own words to it
Here's the most important message in the whole article: your taste is right. There's no secret correct answer that experts know and you don't. If a wine reminds you of the gooseberries at the summer house or of cocoa, then that's exactly the right description, because it's yours.
A nice little trick is to jot down a few keywords every time you open a bottle. The colour, an aroma or two, and whether you liked it. After a handful of wines you start to see patterns in what you yourself enjoy. And that makes it much easier to find the next wine you'll want to enjoy.
In short
- A wine tasting is three calm steps: look, smell, taste.
- Most of taste actually happens in the nose, so give the aromas plenty of time.
- Think in categories from the kitchen: fruit, flowers, spices.
- In the mouth you feel body, acidity and (in red wine) tannin, plus an aftertaste.
- There's no correct answer. Your own words are the right ones.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to recognise lots of aromas to taste properly?
No. Two or three aromas that mean something to you are plenty. The more you taste, the more words come of their own accord over time.
Why do you swirl the glass around?
It wakes the wine up and releases the aromas, so you can smell more. Think of it like stirring a pot that smells stronger afterwards.
Ready for the next step?
Now that you've got the three steps under your skin, you're ready to put names to what you feel in your mouth. In the next part, Body, acidity, tannin and sweetness: A wine's building blocks, we'll calmly dive into the few building blocks that determine how a wine feels.
Feel free to bring a bottle along for the exercise, and do have a look at the selection if you'd like to try something new to taste. And remember: the best wine is the one you like, with the food you like. The rest is just practice, and that part is cosy.