Know your chardonnay from your cabernet? Your merlot from your shiraz? The best part of enjoying wine is the exploration: the tastes, the differences – how a varietal matches your menu and enhances your meal.
Don't let a fancy label intimidate you. Arm yourself with our helpful suggestions for choosing and enjoying wine and build from there. You'll be surprised (and a little pleased) with how quickly your expertise grows.
Look
Check for color and clarity. Visual cues can indicate grape varieties used, maturity (a young wine will be clearer than an old one), and whether the wine was aged in oak. A wine’s color can shift over time, giving a good indication of body and age.
Smell
To assess the “nose” of a wine, swirl it around in a glass and take a sniff: your first impressions are crucial. Does it smell fresh? How intense is the aroma? Does it remind you of anything? Certain flavors give a very specific indication of a wine’s identity and character.
Taste
Different parts of your tongue register different flavors, so be sure to roll the wine around in your mouth. Inhale over it to further release its flavor. Try to assess the characteristics of the wine: body, acidity, sweetness, fruitiness, and tannin. Tannins determine the bitterness of the wine, especially in its finish.
Finish
This essentially refers to a wine’s resonance and aftertaste: Did you like it? How long did the impression and flavor linger? Sweet? Acidic? Tannic? Fruity? A wine’s finish can leave a lasting impression, good or bad. After swallowing or expelling the wine, cleanse the palate with a bit of red wine or a sip of water before sampling the next selection.
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