A word on tasting

William Morris is quoted for saying, “The true secret to happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”

With this in mind, let’s take a genuine interest in that moment where we slow down for a glass of wine, whether on our own, with a loved one or in a group (if and when that’s possible.)

You might be thinking you know little about describing wines and that’s okay, the nose and the palate can be trained!

“The true secret to happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”     -William Morris

Before you sip, spend some time thinking about what’s in your glass. What colour is it? Is it pale or inky? What does it smell like? How long can you sense the favourable notes in your mouth after you’ve swallowed? Write down everything.

If you really want to speed up your learning, try and open two bottles at once so you can compare and contrast. This can be really helpful when trying oaked versus unoaked, or hot climate versus cold climate, or just the differences between a couple of different grapes. By comparing you’ll be able to pick up on subtleties that wouldn’t otherwise be obvious.

Take note of the sensations in your mouth, is it rough, smooth, creamy, oily, acidic, do you sense the alcohol on the back of your throat? Do the aromas match the flavours? Write everything down and a little note about what you thought on the wine. Try and do this every time you try a wine and if you struggle to smell things, be sure to sniff all your produce, the flowers when you’re on a walk, the smell of hay or freshly cut grass etc, these are helping to train your brain to recognize them for later.

After a few months you could even go back to your first bottle and without peeking at your old notes taste it again and compare your notes!

Would love to hear where you’re at on your tasting journey and if you have a favourite aroma you love to pick up in wines.