How to "Taste" wine

Being able to really "taste" a wine and pick up on all the other flavors takes time. Think of it like coffee. If you don't drink it very often, it all pretty much tastes the same. You might be able to tell if it's a dark roast... but not much else. If you are a passionate coffee drinker, you will be able to tell what the roast is, how it was brewed, where the beans came from and how they were processed. Same thing thing with wine. Your palate will quit tasting the obvious "wine" taste and start to pick up on the other subtle flavors. So if you can't taste anything other than "wine" on the first try... that's okay. Just keep trying on a regular basis. Eventually you'll start picking up on all the different flavors. And after you've figured it out, it's like riding a bike... you'll be able to pick it right back up again even if you have taken a break.

So let's get to tasting!!!

First, open the bottle and pour enough to fill the glass about an inch or two.

The "Legs"
Swirl the wine up the glass and note how the wine drips back down the inside of the glass. The lines that the drips leave are called legs. Some think the legs are very important in that if they are thicker, it generally means a higher sugar content. Other winos don't think it makes a difference whether you pay attention to them.

The "Nose"
Then stick your nose as far into the glass as you can and take a nice long whiff. See if you can pick out any aromas besides the alcohol smell. Sometimes it will be fruity, sometimes grassy, sometimes peppery. Then after you've had some time to think about it, take another whiff and see if you come up with anything different. Keep sniffing it until you have smelled everything there is to smell. The first few times, you may only smell alcohol, but don't give up!

The "Body"
Now for the tasting part! Take a small sip and swish it around your mouth making sure to cover every part of your tongue. At this point some tasters will spit it out (If they are going to be tasting a lot and don't want to get drunk) but the rest of us that paid $$ for it will swallow it. While you're swishing it around, note the first flavors that come through. Some words to describe them could be earthy, smoky, coffee, vanilla, grassy, green peppers, berries, melon, pear, raisin, meaty or caramel. After the first flavors come through, you may notice other flavors that come through that may similar too, or totally different than the initial flavors. Finally notice the last flavors... the ones that kind of linger in your mouth after you swallow it. Also pay attention to the "finish." Does the wine flavor really stay in your mouth or does it go away quickly? Is the finish sharp or smooth?

After you have thoroughly tasted the wine, go back for a second sip and see if you come up with the same flavors, or different ones. A "complex" wine will have many different flavors. Sometimes the last sip tastes totally different than the first. Other wines are simple and are consistent throughout the bottle.


Tips

Chew it
If you are having trouble extracting flavor from the wine other than the grapes... try chewing it. With the wine in your mouth make chewing motions for a moment or two. That can bring out more flavor.

Glasses
Try the same wine in 2-3 different shaped wine glasses... a short thick one, a large bulbous one, a tall narrow one. You'll soon see that reds do better in a large bulbous glass and white's in smaller, heavier glasses.

Wine Log
Keep track of your wine tasting! Write down the grape, the year, the brand and then take notes about the legs, the nose and the body. Then you can give it a rating. It can be as simple as a like/didn't like to a more complex rating system. Make sure to jot down the price and where/when you purchased it in case you want to get more later.

Variety
When you begin wine tasting, really branch out and buy as many different grape types as possible... (sangiovese, malbec, barrolo, pinot noir, pinot grigio, viognere etc.) You'll start to notice a pattern in your palette of what you prefer... such as I prefer Shiraz from Australia and Sangiovese from California....or I prefer a $5 Cab over a $20 Chard. It will take tasting about 20 bottles before a pattern emerges.

Food
Try different food and wine pairings to see how that changes the flavors. Take a bite of apple before a sip of Moscato... or a bite of dry cheese before a sip of Sangiovese. You'll taste the food and the wine in a whole different light.