Whether you are just starting out in the wine tasting world, or you want to try and impress a new date it’s important to know the 3 main things to remember when tasting wine. There are different things to look out for, the first is how the wine looks. There are generally two rules for this, the first is if you’re tasting red wines that the lighter the wine is the older it is. For white wines it is the opposite, the older they are the darker they become. When you swirl the wine it’s good to note if the liquid creates lines that stream down the glass, these indicate if there is a high amount of sugar or alcohol within the wine.
The smell is the next important part of wine tasting, first swirl your wine glass as this allows the wine aerate and release more of its flavours, then take a long smell of the wine, do this a few times to really try and get a sense of the different aromas and tastes that might be in the wine. Smelling also lets you get an idea of if the wine is faulty or off.
Finally you can get to the enjoyable bit, the tasting! Rather than gulping it down, it’s best to allow the wine to move around your mouth and to hold it in there for a few seconds. This is so you can really get an idea of all the different flavours that might be in the wine.