How to Taste Wine: A Beginner's Guide

With the weather warming up, more and more people are visiting local wineries and vineyards. If you are just a casual wine drinker who will soon be experiencing their first wine tasting session, don't be afraid; just follow the steps below and you'll be tasting like a pro in no time!

1. Pour the wine into a clean, clear wine glass.
2. Holding the glass by the stem, look at the wine against a white background. The color, clarity, and opacity of a wine can hint at its age and taste.
3. Swirl the wine in the glass to help release its aromas. Tilt the glass towards your nose and take a deep sniff. Advanced wine tasters will be able to identify primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas; just try to see if you can identify any particular scents or ingredients.
4. Take a sip of the wine. Swish it around the entire inside of your mouth before swallowing in order to properly expose all of your different taste centers.
5. Form an opinion about the wine, but don't share it until everyone has had a chance to do the same. Pay particular attention to the initial taste of the wine, how it evolves, and the finishing taste.
6. Repeat these steps as desired for different wines.

Additional tips

• Avoid wearing cologne or perfume to the wine tasting, it could interfere with the aromas of the wine and disrupt your sense of smell.
• If the hundreds of aromas are overloading your nose, neutralize it by smelling your forearm.
• Don't get too intoxicated at a wine tasting, it can diminish your sense of taste. Spit the wine out if necessary.
• Don't be afraid to ask the winemaker questions about their wine, vineyard, tasting procedures, or anything else. You want to have fun and learn!

If you keep several bottles of wine in your home, you might store them in a wine cooler. If your wine cooler was to malfunction and the temperature were to rise, it wouldn't be long before the taste and the integrity of the wine was permanently altered. If this happens to you, call on the services of Speedy Refrigerator Service. With 24/7 emergency services, we can be at your door within an hour of your call. We cover Long Island, New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut so give us a call at 866-782-9376.