Wine Tasting Steps

When tasting wine, there are four main steps to consider. As with any hobby, the motto practice makes perfect comes into play, and the more you taste wine, the better you will become at it. The following four wine tasting steps are a basic guide, and you, as a wine taster, will find what works for you. Everything basically comes down to the preference of the taster. The main thought behind wine tasting is to use as many of your senses as you can, and you will see how by following these wine tasting steps.

The first of the wine tasting steps is sight. You need to look at the wine. The best way to do this is to have the wine in a clear wine glass, making sure the glass is completely clean. You must then either hold the glass up to the light or against a white backdrop to check the color of it. There are a few things to check for when checking the appearance of the wine. The clarity of the wine, the brilliance of the color and how clear it is. Obviously, with practice, you will become better at this, and you will learn what to look for.

The second of the wine tasting steps is smell. First of all, you need to learn to swill the wine glass with only your wrist and not your whole arm. This, again, takes practice, but the more you do it, the better at it you will become. This swirling action will bring the different aromas within the wine to come to the top of the glass. With your mouth open, put your nose so that it is just over the edge of the glass and take a deep breath. At this point, you should try and see if you can name different smells within the wine. This should be repeated after resting your sense of smell for a couple of seconds.

The third point in the wine tasting steps is taste. You should take a drink of the wine and try to roll it around your tongue before you swallow it. While you are swallowing, you should exhale through your nose and this is to try and get the two senses working together to get the most out of your wine tasting experience. During the second sip of the wine, you should try to swish it around your mouth somewhat and then exhale through the nose as you swallow. Once swallowed, you should note if there is any aftertaste and if it is a certain taste or a few tastes combined.

The final point in the wine tasting steps is down to personal preference and that is to spit or not to spit. This is down to the individual taster, some prefer to spit, some don't. There are no direct rules, but some believe that it helps to find the aftertaste.