WineWorld

Advanced Search »

Mastering Wine Tasting in 3 Simple Steps

1. See

Tilt the glass against a white surface to take an unbiased look at the color.

The color of the wine indicates its age. Red wines lose color as they age, while white wines gain color as they age. A cloudy wine indicates possible faults

2. Smell

Swirl the glass, take a good sniff. Then a longer sniff.

Grape variety provides a general attribute for the wine's aroma. Additional complexity comes from fermentation and aging. Click here for our aroma identification aid.

3. Sip

Take a solid sip, swirl it around, suck in some air to feel how the wine opens up in the mouth.
A great wine is balanced, complex, and offers a long finish.

Palate is the taste and feel of mouth (fruitiness, body, alcohol, tannin, acidity, sweetness). Body refers to the weight of the wine. Think of skim milk, full milk and cream. Skim-milk is light-bodied. Cream is full-bodied. Balance is achieved when all these components work together.

Complexity is when a wine offers multi-layers of flavors and changes with time.

Finish is the lingering aftertaste.

We have designed a wine tasting score card to help you better remember
and compare your tastings.

Visit our affiliated website to learn more on:

Pairing Wine & Food

Preserving Unfinished Wine

Understanding Wine Labels

Avoiding Common Wine Myths