Wine tasting involves observing a wine’s appearance, aroma, flavour and texture. You don’t need specialist knowledge to get started; the aim is to develop your senses and learn to describe what you experience. The basic wine-tasting method follows five steps: See, Swirl, Smell, Sip and Savour. These wine-tasting tips will help you identify aromas and flavours, assess a wine’s characteristics and understand what you are drinking. For those who want to go deeper, the full sommelier method below explains each step in more detail.
The five steps of wine tasting
1. See – Look at the wine’s colour, clarity and edges. These can offer clues about the grape variety, growing conditions and age.
2. Swirl – Gently swirl the wine in the glass to release its aromas. Notice the streaks that run down the sides; these are influenced by the wine’s alcohol and sugar content.
3. Smell – Smell the wine and look for aromas such as fruit, flowers, herbs, earth or oak. Also check for unusual smells that might indicate a fault.
4. Sip – Take a sip and consider the wine’s body (how light or full it feels), fruit flavours, acidity, tannins and alcohol. Notice how these elements work together.
5. Savour – Pay attention to the aftertaste, known as the finish. Notice which flavours remain and how long they last, then form an overall impression of the wine.
Prepare
Avoid strong perfumes or scented products that may interfere with your sense of smell. Familiarising yourself with the aromas of spices, herbs, fruit and other foods can help you recognise similar notes in wine. Have paper and a pen ready to record your impressions in your own words, preferably before hearing other people’s opinions. A wine aroma wheel can help beginners identify and describe different scents and flavours.
Choose your wines and, if tasting several, start with younger wines and group similar styles together. Tasting whites separately from reds, for example, makes comparisons easier. Avoid reading too much about each wine beforehand, as this may influence your expectations.Pour
Pour only enough wine to fill the bottom quarter of the glass, leaving room to swirl and smell it. Glass shape can affect how aromas reach your nose, so use a suitable wine glass where possible.
Look
Examine the wine against a white background in good natural or equivalent lighting. Note its colour and be specific: yellow might suggest straw, gold or deeper amber, while red wines can range from ruby and crimson to purple. Swirl the glass and observe how the wine moves and runs down the sides. The trails, often called legs, can reflect alcohol and sugar content, although they are not a reliable measure of quality.
Smell
Bring your nose close to the glass and inhale gently. Try to identify individual aromas, drawing on memories of fruit, flowers, herbs, spices or other familiar smells. Notice which aromas are most prominent and which are subtler. There is no need to find a particular answer; record what you actually smell.
Taste
Take a sip and move the wine around your mouth to experience its flavour and texture. Some tasters draw in a little air while tasting, which can help release aromas, although this is not essential. Consider how the wine changes from the first impression through the middle of the sip to the finish.
Notice its sweetness, acidity, fruit flavours and body. Tannins, particularly noticeable in many red wines, create a drying or slightly rough sensation in the mouth rather than a distinct flavour. Also consider how long the flavours remain after swallowing or spitting out the wine.
Reflect and compare
Take a moment to review your impressions and write down what stood out. If you are tasting with others, compare notes; different people may detect different aromas and flavours. Then read the label or the winery’s tasting notes and see how they compare with your own observations.
The purpose of tasting is to enjoy wine and learn about it. With practice, you may become better at recognising grape varieties, wine styles, regional characteristics, age and the influence of maturation in oak barrels or stainless-steel tanks. You may also learn to identify faults.
Wines are made in different styles for different purposes and occasions, from uncomplicated bottles suited to a braai to wines intended to accompany a carefully prepared meal
Learn about wine making in the Western Cape
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