Wine Tasting Notes

SEE: What color is it?

Look at the wine. Notice if the wine is clear and brilliant or cloudy and dull. A wine’s color is better judged by putting it against a white background. Colors give the taster clues to the grape variety and to whether the wine was aged in wood. Typically, wine that had been oak aged is darker in color.

The intensity of color within each varietal gives the drinker an idea of how the wine will taste. Generally, color saturation tends to go hand in hand with flavor intensity.

SWIRL: Give it air.

Swirl the wine a couple times. Heavy wines will be deeper in color and generally more intense on the nose. Sweeter wines, being denser will leave thick, viscous streaks (called legs) down the inside of the glass when swirled.

SNIFF: What do you smell?

Smell is the main sense used in wine tasting, so sniffing the wine before tasting is essential. A wine’s quality can be judged by its nose and taste. Consider what you smell. Does the aroma remind you of fruits or vegetables? Herbs or spices?

SIP: What do you taste?

Take a slightly larger sip than usual and hold the wine in your mouth for 3-5 seconds letting it coat the surface. It is here that the complex taste experience and characteristics of a wine actually happen. Look for sweetness, fruitiness, saltiness, acidity, bitterness, and alcohol. What’s your overall impression? Does any component over power the others or is the wine is balanced?

And finally,

SAVOR: Does the taste linger?

The finish is the sensation you get from actually swallowing the wine and it can be very different from the taste you get on your palate. What you want to look for is an alcohol taste and the length of time the wine taste stays with you. This length of time is called the finish and some wines can linger for as long as a minute.

The wines below are organized from lightest to richest. (Major growing countries)

Pinot Noir (France, United States, Germany, New Zealand)

The lightest red grape, trying Pinot Noir will help you to understand acidity and aromatics in red wine. Similar Varieties: Gamay, Schiava, Nerello Mascalese, St. Laurent

Grenache (Spain, France, Australia)

The candied red wine grape, Grenache shows how red wines can be light and fruit forward at the same time. Similar Varieties: Zinfandel, Primitivo, Carignan

Merlot (France, United States, Spain, Italy, Chile)

Merlot is can be lighter or bolder depending on how it’s made. Usually it is fruit forward with smooth tannins. Similar Varieties: Corvina, Negroamaro, Cinsault

Sangiovese (Italy)

Sangiovese is aromatic like Pinot Noir, but has bigger tannins and is cherry fruit driven. Similar Varieties: Touriga Franca, Counoise, Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo (Italy)

A savory high tannin/acid wine that is also very light in color –very few wines are like Nebbiolo. Similar Varieties: Aglianico

Tempranillo (Spain, Portugal)

Tempranillo is earthy with rustic tobacco notes and high tannin. Similar Varieties: Mencia, Graciano

Cabernet Sauvignon (France, Chile, United States, Australia)

One of the most balanced full-bodied wines of the world. Cabernet is savory with a very long finish. Similar Varieties: Cabernet Franc, Lagrein, Montepulciano

Syrah/Shiraz (France, Australia, United States)

Syrah offers big, bold, dark fruit flavors up front with a subtle finish and lighter tannin. Flavors from olive to blackberry and tobacco. Similar Varieties: Barbera, Dolcetto, Mencía

Malbec (Argentina, France)

Candied similar to Grenache but instead of strawberry and cherry flavors it is more in the blueberry/blackberry realm. Similar Varieties: Mourvedre/Monastrell, Nero d’Avola, Touriga Nacional