|
|
Wine Tasting Guide
Are you new to wine tasting?
Do you want to learn how to taste wine?
It's easy!
 |
- Look at the wine in your glass. What color is it? Is it bright and pretty or murky and dull?
|
 |
- Swirl the wine. This liberates aromas and helps the wine develop with exposure to oxygen.
|
 |
- Now take a deep sniff of the wine. What does the aroma remind you of? Can you identify any different scents you know? Do you like the way it smells?
|
 |
- Sip the wine and move the wine around in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. Let it reach all of your palate and even suck in some air to help further liberate its perfume. How does it taste? What types of flavors do you detect? How would you describe the texture of the wine on your palate?
|
 |
- Swallow the wine and pay attention to the finish, or aftertaste. Is it pleasant or awkward? Does it entice you to take another sip? Do the flavors linger on your palate or does it disappear quickly?
|
Thats it! You've just completed your first tasting!
But that is just the beginning. There is so much more to learn in the world of wine, from the details of how to taste wine, to wine service and hosting a tasting party.
This page and the pages listed below are a good start to begin learning bout wine and tasting. Also work your way down the navigation bar to the left to cover other topics in more depth. How to Taste Wine, How to Serve Wine and How to Host a Tasting will all help get you on the road to wine bliss. Pretty soon you will have all the skills and info you need to attend or host any wine tasting and to do so without getting intimidated by being new to wine.
- Wine Descriptions
When tasting wine, people use some pretty funny sounding terms to describe characteristics of wines. Here is an intro to some of the more common description terms. You can find even more on our Wine Terms page.
- What Are Tastings?
Find out all about what a tasting is and the different types of tasting events you can attend.
- Tasting Parties
What is a tasting party? Here is an introduction to one of the most common places to taste wine. They can be both a lot of fun as well as educational.
- Wine Games
Here are a few fun games you can play if you host or attend a tasting party. They help to get people involved and to get people relaxed. We also have some ideas for Wine Tasting Themes and other Fun Wine Party Ideas.
- Hosting a Tasting Party
Here is an introduction to the basics of hosting a wine party. You can get even more detailed info in our How to Host a Tasting Section.
- Things to Help Your First Wine Tasting Experiences
For beginner wine tasters, it can help to have a few guidelines and reference materials at your disposal to help you assess each wine. The more you learn, the less you'll need to rely on them, but they can help you get to that step.
- Tasting Form
These are forms that can be used for taking notes when tasting wine. They are more involved than the tasting sheets below in that they have more guidance for a new taster.
- Tasting Kit
A tasting kit helps you to identify aromas which are commonly found in wine. They can help train your nose and also make a great tasting party addition.
- Wine Aroma Kit
An aroma kit is a collection of vials of various scents commonly found in wine. Train your nose or challenge your friends, these make a great conversation piece at your next wine party.
- Tasting Chart
These are charts of common aroma and flavor characteristics that help to guide your tasting. They can help focus your attention and spark your aroma and flavor memory.
- Tasting Scorecard
This is a wine note sheets that you can print out and use to take notes on each wine you taste. Taking notes is a great way to put your tasting experience into words and help communicate it to others. These have scoring instructions to help assign a numerical rating on the 100-point scale to each wine.
| Support our website by buying your wine and wine accessories from one of our affiliates: |
|---|
Wines - Have great wines shipped to your door from one of the following great online wine sources. Most also have wine tasting packs, gift certificates and wine clubs!
  |
Sign up to receive our free wine newsletter,
The Poor Man's Guide to Fine Wine!
Go back to the top of the Wine Tasting page.
|
|
|
