Learn how to taste wines with Dr. Lee in the 3 simple steps so that you will feel comfortable in any scenario. The wine tasting tips are practiced by sommeliers around the world, but it’s quite simple and you can use it to improve your palate.
No one is born with the skills to taste wine. It’s something that you have to practice and become familiar with.
3 Point Wine Test
1. Look at the Wine
Hold the wine glass at a 45 degree angle at the stem elegantly. Use your eye to see if there is any debris like cork or dirt in the wine.
Look at the color. It can give you a lot of clues about the grapes, climate, year of the wine.
2. Nose The Wine
Place the glass down on the table. Swirl using two fingers to aerate the wine. Bring the glass up to your nose, give it a good sniff. What do you smell?
There are some wine aromas you should note:
- Primary aromas: fruit and floral smells
- Secondary aromas: come from the winemaking process
- Tertiary aromas: come from the aging of wines
You should not smell nail polish remover, vinegar or wet cardboard. If you smell any of those three, something is wrong with your wine.
3. Taste The Wine
Sip some wine into your mouth, give it a good swirl and open your mouth once or twice, take in some air, and then swallow. After you swallow, think about how it feels and tastes in your mouth. Things to consider, taste, texture and length.
All in all, no one can tell you if you should like the wine. They can tell you if it’s a good wine, but whether or not you like it, well, it’s very personal.
Watch Dr. Lee and practice with him in the video!