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Home » Recipes » Drinks » How to Taste Wine Like a Pro + Video Tutorial!

How to Taste Wine Like a Pro + Video Tutorial!

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Wine Tasting 101 with Video Tutorial!
Even though it shouldn’t be, learning how to taste wine can be pretty intimidating. It seems like there are so many steps and so many things to think about! I remember when I was first learning how to taste wine I would try to do the wine tasting steps like the people I was with, but I didn’t really know why I was doing them.

I thought it would be fun to break down wine tasting into just a few easy steps, and also talk through why each step is important. I also made a video on how to taste wine like a pro to go with the post so you can see just how to do each step!

Click through for more details about each wine tasting step…

For drinking, a glass should be about one third full, or to the widest part of the glass just before it starts to curve in again. For tasting though, it’s ok to fill it a little less full. This makes it easier to swirl and if you’re tasting more than one wine you won’t get tipsy quite as quickly! Also make sure you get rid of any smells that can mask the wine such a perfumes or strong smelling food.

Today I’m tasting a 2012 St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon from my most recent Cultivar Wine Club shipment. I’ll talk you through the things I think about and do as I taste the wine.

Tasting Wine Tips and Tricks with Cultivar Wine

The first step is to look at your wine. Start by looking at your wine from above. Make sure there aren’t any pieces of cork – yuck! You can also look at how dark the color of the wine is. Varietals like Syrah or Zinfandel are darker in color and Pinot Noir and Chianti are a paler share of red. This cabernet sauvignon is dark, but not as opaque as a syrah.

Easy guide to tasting wine with a great video tutorial!

Hold the glass up to the light to look at the color. Young red wines are darker in color and lighten as they age. White wine gets a golden tinge as it ages, but a cider color might mean the wine has spoiled. Sediment isn’t bad, but you can avoid it by letting the wine bottle sit upright for a few days before serving, or decanting your wine. Give it a half swirl and watch the ‘legs’ or droplets on the wine as it slides down the sides of the glass. Wine with more legs has a higher alcohol and/or higher sugar content.

Tasting Wine Tips and Tricks with Cultivar Wine

Finally, tilt the glass to on its side and hold it over a white surface like a napkin or a piece of paper. Wine is graded on a brightness scale:

Cloudy – Hazy – Dull – Bright – Day Bright – Star Bright – Brilliant

Cloudy wine is most likely unfiltered or it’s flawed, which you’ll know as soon as you smell it. White wine falls higher on the bright scale.

How to Taste Wine Like a Pro

Next, smell the wine. First, give it a swirl. Start by smelling the wine a few inches away from the top of the glass. Then swirl it again and  smell it closer (but not with your nose in the glass!) with several short sniffs. Open your mouth just a bit as you sniff and try to breathe in air through both your mouth and your nose at the same time can help you perceive aromas.

Easy guide to tasting wine with a great video tutorial!

I could write a whole separate blog posts about characteristics and smells of wine – everything from fruits to chocolate, or even coffee. The wine doesn’t actually have these things in it, it’s just the chemical compounds in it giving off those aromas.  A musty or vinegar smell indicates the wine might be spoiled. The Cultivar St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of plum and vanilla with some softer floral notes.

How to Taste Wine Like a Pro

Finally, the best part. Taste it! Give it a swirl, then take a sip that is almost a slurp. This will add more air to the wine and open up the flavors. Swish it around in your mouth. It looks funny, but this makes sure all of your taste buds are coated – it’s totally worth it! I like to close my eyes so all I’m thinking about is the wine and its characteristics. The St. Helena Cabernet is ripe and fruity and the tannins (the bitterness and richness of texture) are rich and balanced.

Want to try Cultivar Wine for yourself? You can use the code ‘CultivarWineASideOfSweet‘ for 10% off your first purchase. And here’s more information about their quarterly wine club, which is what we do.
Video Tutorial for Tasting Wine - Look like a pro!

This post is a sponsored partnership with Cultivar Wine. As always, all opinions are my own.

Thanks so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, Facebook or Twitter, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts (see sidebar).

 

P.S. – Love wine? Check out these other posts:

Fancy Cheese Platter with Wine
San Francisco Secret Spots – Bernal Heights
Sonoma Cutrer Winery
A Weekend in Napa Valley, California
William Hill Estate, Napa
Carmel Valley Wine Country
Oregon Wine Country

Prettiest Pickled Onions
Chickpea Deli Salad from the Sprouted Kitchen

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July 20, 2015  •  Filed Under: Drinks, Gluten Free Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Party Recipe Ideas, Recipes 6 Comments

Comments

  1. Tiffany Ingram says

    July 21, 2015 at 2:06 pm

    This is such a good post! I love the quality and the time you spent giving us the details on a great wine tasting experience. And how fun that you incorporated the videos too!

    Reply
  2. Erin Lynch says

    July 23, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    Great tips and a very well put together post! I know that wine tasting can be intimidating for some, you make it seem easy and fun (as it should be!)

    Reply
  3. Alix says

    July 23, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    Such a cute video! I recently took a wine tasting course and the aromas really started to jump out after smelling the individual aromas in a Nez du Vin kit. Before that, I could detect certain aromas, but couldn’t necessarily place them. Have you tried any wines from British Columbia?

    Cheers,
    Alix

    Reply
  4. lydiaf1963 says

    July 24, 2015 at 11:04 am

    Great job with the video and the post. Very informative!

    Reply
  5. Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says

    July 27, 2015 at 9:25 am

    This is such a wonderful post.

    I used to work in a hotel and the sommelier always used to give little tasting sessions. I loved them.

    ps well done on your first video 🙂

    Reply
  6. Krish Recipes says

    July 28, 2015 at 8:05 am

    Very nice video and very neatly presented….

    Reply

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San Francisco Food, Fashion, Travel Blogger

Hi! I’m Kelly. I live in San Francisco with my husband, Pat, and our puppy, Maddie. Here you’ll find recipes, DIYs, style, travel & a glimpse into our adventures. To learn a little more about me, Click Here.

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