Basic Guide to Wine Tasting

If you've never gone wine-tasting before, read on...

The basic need-to-know for visiting a winery or tasting room.

Tasting rooms have traditionally been located in wineries. Recently, though, large-scale tasting rooms—allowing you to sample wines from a variety of regional, national, or global producers—have become popular in cities, wine regions, and elsewhere. The tasting experience is designed to let you sample and learn about the poured wines. Some places offer free tastings, while others charge a (usually) small fee to cover expenses. 

 No matter where you go, you'll fit right in if you follow these four steps:

1. Hold the glass of wine to the light. If it's a white wine, is it colorless or golden? If a red wine, is it pale red or a deep ruby? Have you tasted other wines with that exact color? Maybe you've never noticed the way in which a wine's depth of color relates to taste; if not, start paying attention now.

2. Slowly swirl the wine in the glass, allowing the release of its bouquet.

3. Move the glass to your nose  and inhale the aromas with a few deep, quick, subtle sniffs. Try to identify the smells that pop out at you. Is the wine fruity? Floral? Full of oak? Spicy? (A quick aside: one of California's premier winemakers told me that he sniffs by pushing his nose right into the glass. Try it, and you'll learn—as I did—that the bouquet hits you with much greater impact.)

4. Now, finally, taste the wine. Sip a small amount, swirling it around your mouth so that all of your taste buds get some of the action. What adjectives spring to mind?

 

A few tasting tips:

Ask Questions: The tasting room staff is there to help, so don't be shy, and definitely don't get hung up on whether you'll be asking a dumb question. These folks are not only passionate about wine, they've heard it all; chances are your questions won't surprise them. And anyway, appreciating wine means learning about wine—and that's a never-ending process!

Go ahead and Spit or Discard: That's what the bucket is for! Spitting or upending your glass into the bucket is perfectly acceptable, and doing so allows you to taste many wines without getting snockered.
 
Take Notes: It's easy to get confused when you're sampling a few wines. Taking notes lets you keep track of the wines you like best if you decide you want to make a purchase. And it's a good way to learn.

Drink Water & Eat: Leave room for a good lunch, and be sure to drink lots of water throughout the day (wine dehydrates you).

Photos: Balleto Vineyards (wine tasting room), Suzanne Rodriguez (Bottle House at Napa's di Rosa Preserve ), Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn (Racked wines)

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Suzanne Rodriguez
Suzanne Rodriguez
Freelance writer
Sonoma, California
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Last edited: Jul 24, 2008 1:59 PM.

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