The goal with wine tasting is to identify flavors, characteristics and aromas in wine. This month’s column is part one on this topic. It will give you a general overview of the process.
When I taught a wine workshop for beginners, my co-instructor introduced the group to the five S’s of wine tasting:
You’ll want to start with a clean glass and pour about 3 oz of wine into it.
Step one is to really see the wine. You want to observe its color and clarity. Swirling encourages the taster to gently swirl the wine in their glass to release aromas.
If you’re new to wine, you might want to rest your glass on the table and stir it by putting your fingers on the bottom of the stem. That way you won’t spill it (that’s not one of the five S’s).
Smelling is when you put your nose over the opening of the glass and inhale deeply to identify the different scents. At this stage, you might want to close your eyes to ensure a deeper connection between you and the liquid in your glass.
The fourth stage is to take a sip of the wine and let it coat your palate. Some people like to chew the wine to help them determine the wine’s flavors.
If you are tasting wine at a winery, it would be at this point where you would spit out any remaining wine. If you’re enjoying the glass in a restaurant or at home, you should probably skip this part and go straight to the last stage, which is to savor and reflect on the tasting and finish of the wine.
Sounds simple enough, right? The five S’s are a great way to ensure a consistent tasting experience.
The more you practice, the better you’ll get. It’s also smart to keep a wine journal to note what you think and like or don’t like about a wine.
Next month, we’ll look at what the colors and aromas tell us about the wine, and we’ll work on our tasting technique. Until then, Cheers!
