Wine Tasting Tips

The following suggestions on wine tasting are meant to help enhance your wine country experience. The idea is to discover new tastes, learn about how the many variables that go into winemaking affect the flavor of the final product, and to enjoy yourself in the process.

First of all, it's good to eat beforehand. Wine tasting on an empty stomach could result in the wine going straight to your head.

Many wineries have snacks of some sort to help cleanse the palate between tastings.

A third of a glass is a good amount for a tasting. First, swirl it around to expose it to oxygen and release the aromas. Maybe you can identify specific spices, herbs, flowers or fruity scents. If there is a bad odor, bacteria may have affected the wine during the aging process.

Notice the color. It should be fairly clear, but the color can vary. White wines range from very pale to a deep gold. Red wines can be a deep garnet, or have brown or plum tones. The color in the center may be different from the color of the wine on the sides touching the glass.

Next, take a sip. Swish it around in your mouth to cover all the different taste buds. Notice the texture and aftertaste, or "finish".

Don't feel shy about spitting it out. Pro tasters do that all the time. It just means you can afford to taste more wines without getting tipsy.

Frequently, wineries offer tastes of wines not available anywhere else but at the winery. Some offer tastings of their reserve wines for an extra fee. Others may offer barrel tastings, where you can taste the wine before it has been bottled.

If you discover a wine you love, you might want to buy a bottle. Or a case. If there was a tasting fee, the winery will usually let you apply that to any wine purchased.

Go here to see a short video on decanting wine.

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