Once you have opened the bottle and poured some into your glass (about 2 ounces is good), take a look at the color. Is it the color of golden, dry straw? Or is it inky purple like that jar of Smucker’s blackberry jam in your fridge? Or maybe it’s a pretty pale raspberry color, with a little light coming through it? This is a nice way to begin to get familiar with the spectrum of color that wine can be. Next, give it a gentle swirl. This helps to “open” the wine by allowing a bit of oxygen to get in, which means that more of the aromas of the wine will be released into the air. When you’ve swirled it around a few times, give it a smell and see if any particular fruits, vegetables or flowers come to mind. When you inhale, take your tongue off the roof of your mouth- it allows more of the aromas to hit your olfactory glands. If you can’t smell anything, the wine maybe a little too cold- cup your hands around the glass to warm the wine. If there is condensation on the outside of the glass- it’s too cold to smell it properly. Give it a few minutes to warm up. Next, give the wine a sip. You can either sip it and swallow it or sip it and spit it out.
A quick note about spitting: it is completely acceptable in a tasting room or at home to spit out the wine you are tasting. Professionals have to do this while working or we would never be able to finish our workday! Some folks feel a bit bashful about spitting since they don’t want any of the wine to “go to waste”, but I promise, you will not offend anyone, and ultimately by staying (more) sober, you will be able to more accurately assess the wine in front of you. Once you’re done with the tasting, feel free to have at it!
Also, practicing spitting with water is actually a good thing to do so that you don’t end up dribbling wine all over yourself or onto your friends! I recommend using water to start your practice sessions, either at your kitchen sink or while you’re in the shower. Or have a water spitting contest outside with the kids! See who can spit the furthest! Get some water in your mouth and practice shooting it out of your mouth in one steady stream. If you dribble the water onto yourself, who cares?! If you can get the feeling of this action right, you’ll be a pro in no time with spitting wine at your tastings.
Once you have taken your first sip of wine, think about what tastes you are experiencing. Are they fruity? What kind of fruit? Berries? Lemon zest? Pineapple? Strawberries? Spices? Flowers? Think about your produce shopping- are you able to recognize anything you smell or taste from home? Next, either after you have spit or swallow, notice the acidity. Is your mouth watering? That’s acidity. Was it pleasant and smooth, plush but with no noticeable mouth-watering happening? That’s fine, too. Next, notice the tannins- does your mouth feel really dry, like you just licked a piece of paper? That’s tannin. Oak is a component that can be a little bit hard for people to understand. French oak can make a wine taste like vanilla; American oak can make a wine taste like coconut- Banana Boat sunscreen to me- or fresh dill. These are things to think about when trying to figure out what you are tasting in your glass. What is the weight of the wine on your palate? I equate this feeling with the different weight of milk on your palate- nonfat milk, whole milk and a half and half have very different weights in the mouth. See if you can figure out what milk weight equivalent your wine is!
Finally, do you like wine? If you think about the fruits you discovered, how the acidity and tannins feel on your palate if you notice any oak, the weight of the wine- is there a pleasant taste in your mouth, one that you want to keep discovering? Or does one part of the wine totally overwhelm you? Sometimes a red wine which has been aged in a new French oak barrel tastes very much like the vanilla frosting to me- blackberry vanilla frosting. And while some folks love that, it’s not my thing. To me, that feels like the oak is overwhelming the wine. Or, sometimes I have had a wine which is labeled as a Pinot Noir, but in the glass, it is very rich, dark and dense, as well as too dark purple, which for me is not what a well-made Pinot Noir is supposed to taste like. In my experience, if these pieces fit together well- the fruit, the acid, the tannin, and the oak- we call it being a balanced wine, and for me, I love it.
The most important thing to remember about wine tasting is: if you love the wine, then that is what is correct. You are the only person who can tell you if a wine is good. Nobody should tell you what you like or what is good - not me, not your best friend, not a wine critic, not a blogger, nor someone who works in the wine business. Part of the joy of discovery of wine is figuring out what you like, and learning to trust your taste buds and your senses- ultimately, to trust yourself and your perceptions. It matters not a hoot if the things which bring you joy are not the same as what brings someone else joy. It’s one of the things that make our life on this planet so darn interesting.
Next, practice is essential to understanding the vast and complex world of wine. You need to practice tasting to begin to understand how all of the parts work together, and to figure out what is appealing to you, and what is not. I guarantee you - what you like and what I like are going to be different. And yes, your palate will evolve. Mine certainly has. Just like our tastes change with food, that’s not a bad thing. It means you are learning and growing!
Finally, please don’t be ashamed of what you like. Embrace it! It’s your personal favorite! Drink more of it! If what you love enhances your life, helps you connect with your family and friends, and provides you a new window of learning into the world- keep tasting, trying, tinkering, drinking and buying wine! You can do it!
Cheers to Your Journey!