How to Taste Properly

It’s a Matter of Taste

Drinking wine is a lot like looking at art. You may not know a lot about it, but you know what you like. Basically, it all comes down to a matter of taste. To evaluate wine like the experts, here’s what you do. At a restaurant, the sommelier will present the bottle to you, basically so that you can see it’s the bottle and vintage that you ordered. If you’re serving wine at home, you skip this step.


Watch out for wine that’s the wrong temperature. Bottles of red wine should be cool to the touch (not room temperature). Red wine that’s too warm may actually taste a little warm but red wine that’s served too cold will be astringent.

White wine should be cooled a little more thoroughly. (As a general rule, the better the white wine, the “warmer” it is served. Inexpensive white wine can be served quite cold.) Although, you should keep in mind that if the wine is too cold it will not allow the wine to open and you will not be able to fully appreciate the texture and complexities. Champagne is always served chilled, and the bottle should be put back on ice between pourings.

The first step in tasting involves smelling the cork. If the cork smells bad, it’s an indication that the wine may have turned to vinegar or otherwise be over the hill. You also need to look at the cork. It should be wet. If it isn’t, it may be an indication that the wine bottle was stored upright, instead of properly on its side.

Tasting wine should be a multi-sensory experience, beginning with sight. Look straight down at the wine in your glass and note the color, clarity and brightness of the liquid.

If a wine looks dull in the glass, it will often taste dull as well. Make sure that the glasses you’re using are clean and have been rinsed properly to get rid of soap residue.

Next, holding the wine glass by the stem or foot of the glass (never the bowl), swirl the wine around. When you tilt a wine glass, you can see that wine has two different and distinct sections. (This is a lot easier to see in red wine than in white, by the way.) The watery edge of the wine is known as the “rim.” The width of the rim varies from wine to wine and is usually wider in an older wine due to oxidation. You can also tell the relative age of a red wine from the color of the rim. In young, immature wines, the rim retains a purplish color. As the wine matures, the rim takes on a more reddish brown color.

The main section of the wine is known as the “body” or the “eye.” And just to continue the anatomical allusions, the droplets that form on the side of the glass when you swirl it are known as “legs” or “tears.”

After swirling the wine, you should take a big sniff of the wine’s “nose” or “bouquet.” Nose is the word wine lovers use to describe a wine’s aroma. Again, this is no time to be dainty. Really put your nose into it. You should be able to detect distinct “notes” of aroma in your glass and be able to describe them. One of the characteristics of varietal wines is that all wines made from the same grape varieties share the same notes in their aroma.

For example, a Cabernet Sauvignon will always have a tinge of blackcurrant in its aroma because that’s a varietal characteristic.

But smells can be somewhat subjective. Be sure to sniff your wine several times. Like perfume, a wine will offer different aromas as it disperses in the air. If a wine smells bad, it is an indicator that the wine is past its prime or simply bad. Any wine that gives off a vinegar, rotten egg or other “off” odors should be sent back.

Don’t be self-conscious about sloshing your wine around. Swirling wine in the glass releases the aromas and flavors of the wine so that they can develop to their fullest on your tongue and palate.

Now that you’ve inhaled the nose, you’re ready for the big moment–the taste. The overall taste of a wine is a combination of smells and flavors. A good wine should have a balance of body, acidity, tannin, sweetness, fruitiness and finish. (“Finish” is a fancy word for what you taste and feel on the palate after you have swallowed the wine.)

As you sip, you should roll the wine around on your tongue to get all the flavors and textures out before you swallow. This can look a little silly to your guests (some wine tasters go so far as to “chew” the wine) but it’s the best way to truly test the taste. Again, don’t get self-conscious. You’re doing everyone else a favor.

Finally, it’s permissible to smack your lips in satisfaction if you so desire, before giving your permission for the sommelier to pour the wine. And if you’re so moved, offer a toast.

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