Wine Tasting Technique 1 – Appearance

Clarity

• identify whether the clarity of a wine is clear or dull.
• if the wine looks dull, it may indicate that there is a problem though it is not 100% sure at this stage – an aged red wine may look dull. This can be confirmed in the next steps.

Colour

• The intensity and hue of the wine colour can tell you a lot of things such as weather the wine has been aged and/or oaked, and the grape variety has a thick or thin skin if it is a red wine.
• In order to get the true color of a wine, hold it away from you at an angle of 45 degree against a white background such as a A4 white paper.

Wine Tasting Technique 2 – Nose

Condition

• have a gentle sniff first if it does not smell odd, then swril the wine carefully and have a deeper sniff
• Cork Taint is the common fault which can be identified at this stage. It may be faint on the nose but is usually more pronounced on the palate.
• It is believed that 5% of all wines are affected by Cork Taint.
• The smell of excessive Sulphur Dioxide is another fault you may notice at this stage. Sulphur Dioxide is a preservative and may give you an arcid smell of burnt matches.
• Oxidation is another problem. It has a burnt smell like the wines of Madeira or of caramel.
• If a wine was not handled with care during bottling, acetic bacteria and oxygen may be left in it. This wine will then have a aroma of Volatile Acidity like vinegar and should be rejected at once.

Intensity

• A weak wine is usually smell-less, except a smell of alcohol
• A good ready-to-drink wine will commonly have a healthy and outgoing nose
• If a wine is youthful, the fruity aromas from the grape varieties used to make the wine will dominate. For a wine which has been aged, you will find subtle and complex aromas such as honey and vanilla depending on what wine you are tasting.

Wine Tasting Technique 3 – Palate

Important: In order to liberate the full flavors of a wine, purse your lips, lean forward and draw air in through the wine.

Sweetness

• Sweetness is always your first sensation if a wine is sweet. This is because this sensation comes from the tip of your tongue.
• Be careful – You may have a sweet sensation if a wine is made of very ripe grapes but the wine is, in fact, dry (not sweet).

Acidity

• It is the sensation at the sides of your tongue towards the back, and makes your mouth water.
• If a wine does not have enough acidity, it will be flappy and unappealing

Tannin

• Only red wines have tannins and young red wines will usually have more pronounced tannins
• Tannin has a drying effect on your gums and teeth.
• It contributes to the texture or body of a wine.
• A higher tannin level allows a red wine to age better

Body

• It is the “weight” of a wine felt in your mouth.
• If a wine gives you a light or heavy feel or weight, it is said to be light-bodied or full-bodied respectively.
• High levels of alcohol and tannin, and concentration of fruit give a fuller bodied wine.

Alcohol

• Alcohol is part of the wine body as mentioned above.
• It normally represents 8-15% of the total volume.
• Its strength can be told by the degree of burning effect at your throat.

Wine Tasting Technique 4 – Conclusion

Quality

• A good quality or enjoyable wine must have a good balance between tannin, acid, sweetness, alcohol and the flavour components.

Readiness for Drinking

• If you take notes for your findings on each steps, not only you can tell the quality of the wine tasted, you can also be able to tell whether the wine is at its peak and needs to be drunken at once or it can age further to evolve more interesting characters.
• For a wine to be age worthy, it generally needs a higher levels of alcohol, acid and tannins, and still have some fruit flavors retained.