How to Taste Wine Like a Sommelier
Tasting wine well is a learnable skill — sommeliers go through the same steps every time, and so can you. This guide walks through the standard tasting method professionals use, broken into the four senses you actually engage with: sight, smell, taste and finish.
Sight
Hold the glass against a white background and look at the colour at the rim. Younger reds show vivid purple at the edge; older reds turn brick. Whites move from pale lemon to deep gold as they age. Colour tells you about age, grape variety and sometimes winemaking choices like oak ageing.
Smell
Swirl the glass to release the aromatics, then take three short sniffs rather than one long inhale. Start with the obvious fruit, then look for secondary aromas (oak, lees, malolactic) and tertiary aromas (earth, mushroom, leather) that develop with age.
Taste
Take a small sip and let the wine cover your whole tongue. Notice the structure — sweetness, acidity, tannin, body and alcohol. Then think about the flavours you are getting and how they evolve from the first taste to the swallow.
Finish
How long does the wine linger after you swallow? Great wines have a long, complex finish where the flavours develop and change. Simple wines disappear immediately. The finish is one of the most reliable indicators of quality.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need special glasses to taste wine properly?
A standard wine glass with a bowl that holds at least 8 ounces is enough. Specialised glasses can highlight specific characteristics, but they are not essential.
Should I spit when tasting wine?
Professionals spit to stay sharp through long tastings. For one or two glasses with dinner, swallowing is fine.
How do I learn to identify aromas?
Practice with foods you already know — lemon, blackcurrant, vanilla, leather, pepper. The more you train your nose with familiar smells, the easier it becomes to spot them in wine.