How to taste wine without feeling silly
Swirl, sniff, sip. You already know how to do this.
Tasting wine sounds like a performance. It isn’t. It’s paying attention for ten seconds before you get on with your evening.
- Look. Tip the glass over something white. Pale wines tend to be lighter and fresher. Deep colour usually means riper fruit or more age.
- Swirl. Give it a few turns with the base on the table. Air lifts the smell out of the wine. That’s the whole trick.
- Sniff. A few short sniffs work better than one long one. Don’t hunt for the right answer. Does it remind you of fruit, flowers, toast or wet stones? Your words count.
- Sip. Take a bit more than feels polite and let it cover your whole mouth. If your mouth waters, that’s acidity. If your gums feel dry, like after strong tea, that’s tannin. If it feels heavy, like milk instead of juice, that’s body.
- Wait. Swallow and notice how long the taste hangs around. That’s the finish. Longer is usually a good sign.
That’s all there is to it. The fish on our Wine page has the right idea: nose first, opinions later.