Wine Tasting Tips

Video With Wine Tasting Tips and Techniques

Knowing how to taste wine in order to appreciate all its flavors and nuances is a step to a lifetime of fun and appreciation of one of life's simple pleasures. Here are some wine tasting tips and a short video that will help to increase the level of enjoyment of wine.

And so we begin with our first wine tasting tip -- to remember to just have fun. The truth is that wine tasting is not as complicated at it may seem.

Getting Started

The essential elements of tasting wine are easy to learn. You will have a better understanding as to what wines you enjoy, and why you do not enjoy certain wines. Once you taste a variety of wines you will be able to identify the styles of wine you personally enjoy.

Drink wine as often as possible. Wine drinkers who have the most fun are curious. They love to ask questions. So when you are at the wine shop, just ask the clerk “what does this wine taste like?” The clerk will be happy to give his impression.

A great wine tasting tip is to be sure you ask questions, don't be intimidated.

For wine tasting experiences at a winery, visit Winery Explorer to find wineries in your area that offer wine tastings.

An Instructional Video from Copia

This video taken at Copia in California has some great wine tasting tips and techniques. Tasting wine is an observation process in which you will use your eyes, nose, and palate.

Light or Dark

Young red wines tend to be more brilliant in color, while older reds tend to be darker and opaque. Young white wines are usually paler in color, while older whites tend to turn to a richer gold color.

The color of a wine can tell you a lot. You should keep in mind though that this may vary depending on the type of grape and the aging techniques.

Cold or Chilled

Proper serving temperature is key to enjoying the optimal flavors of the wines. The basic and most popular serving temperature for red wine is 57-68 degrees, and white wine is 48-58 degrees.

To Keep it Simple -- Serve white wine chilled. Serve red wine at room temperature

However, if you are in a room that is not air conditioned in the middle of summer, that particular room temperature is not a good barometer for serving your red wines. Your serving temperature should be 60 to 65 degrees.

The perfect serving temperatures for any wine remains a topic that is still debated in some wine circles. To chill wine, place it in a bucket of water and ice cubes. Do not use ice cubes in your wine glass!

Keep A Tasting Journal

A great wine tasting tip is to keep a tasting journal. When you are starting out on your wine tasting journey there are so many things that you will want to remember. Scribbling notes on a napkin is what you might do, but there is a good chance you will throw away that napkin. The best way is to keep a journal.

You decided what you liked and did not like about the wine. You noted how the wine smelled and what flavors you tasted. Did you like the wine and want to finish it, or did it just not appeal to you? Can you identify what element was not pleasant to you? Maybe it tasted a bit too spicy or peppery in your mouth. Or did it seem to be too tart and it made your mouth pucker?

These elements will affect everyone’s palate in a different way. You should record all your thoughts and impressions about the wine in your tasting journal for future reference. If possible, it is also a good idea to include the label information, the price if available, and the date you tasted the wine.

Keeping a tasting journal is a great wine tasting tip. Your notes will be a life-saver when you want to celebrate an anniversary or milestone birthday that is coming up. You’ll be able to choose the perfect wine to uncork for that special occasion just by reviewing the notes in your journal.

Be Adventurous

You’ll find new wines and new ways to taste wine and share it with family and friends. And who knows, you may find a new red or white wine you never would have tried before.

You’ll be surprised when you realize that you will be looking forward to tasting different varietals and enjoying them. You just may find a new favorite. It happens to everyone.

Food Pairing

To make this as uncomplicated as possible for your wine tasting party we have easy food and wine pairing suggestions and recipes to help you with easy party planning.





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