Tips on how to taste wine — just like our expert tasters do it

We know delving into the world of wine can be overwhelming. Trying to remember key characters of the grape variety, the region, the producer and maybe even the vintage season is challenging – and that’s before you’ve even opened the bottle and started tasting your wine.

To help you get started on your wine knowledge journey, we've put together the fundamentals of tasting wine, which, let’s be honest, is one of the most fun parts of falling in love with vino. 

Just remember, while objective assessments can be made around measurable factors like alcohol, sugar, tannin, acid, colour and clarity, tasting wine is really about how you perceive the wine, and how it tastes and feels to you in that moment. There are many factors that will affect how you judge a wine, so the most important thing is to trust your own palate and not overthink it all.

With that in mind, here’s a quick guide to evaluating a wine from a technical standpoint. Into a clean glass, pour in a splash of wine and swirl it around. Look at the wine, smell it and consider the following.

Make it a habit to smell the wine before you taste it.

Aroma of wine

A wine’s aroma is central to its character, which is why we always recommend giving the wine a good sniff and swirl before you taste it. Swirling increases the surface area, which increases the aeration and causes the volatile aroma compounds to vaporise, making them easier to detect.

This is why you always see professional tasters swirling wine around and then burying their noses deep into a glass. Before you start tasting the wine, consider the following when taking in the aroma:

Condition: clean – faulty
Intensity: no aroma – lightly aromatic – aromatic – very aromatic – pronounced
Freshness: youthful – developing – developed – tired – expired
Flavours (use the flavour wheel): fruit – floral – spice – vegetal – woody – other

Taste and flavour of wine

The next step to tasting wine like a pro is to take a sip and swirl it all around your mouth – in your gums, under your tongue. Swallow the wine and repeat. Swishing it around makes full use of your ability to consider how the wine feels, as well as the tastes and flavours. Consider the following when taking your first few sips: 

Acid: low – medium – high
Sweetness: dry – off-dry – medium sweet – sweet – luscious
Tannin: low – medium – high
Alcohol: unnoticeable – balanced – warm – hot
Body/weight: light – medium – full
Intensity: light – medium – pronounced
Length: short – medium – long
Mouthfeel: fine – silky – juicy – textural – round/linear – chalky – drying – astringent
Shape: linear – round – edgy
Flavours (use the flavour wheel): fruit – floral – spice – vegetal – woody – other

Using a flavour wheel to taste wine

Reciting a list of flavours when tasting might be standard practice for wine professionals but it can be overwhelming for beginners. Luckily, there’s a shortcut that can simplify how you think about flavour: a flavour wheel.

This wheel groups specific flavours together, for example, lime, lemon and yuzu into a more general group: citrus. This can simplify how you think about flavour and also act as a visual prompt while you’re tasting. 

We recommend taking a screen shot of the above wheel and saving it in your favourites – that way you can refer to it wherever you’re drinking wine.   

Optimal storing and serving conditions for tasting wine

To make sure you’re tasting a wine in its best form (just as the winemaker intended), you need to make sure it has been stored correctly. For long-term storage of all varieties, between 11–14 degrees is recommended, and a constant temperature that doesn’t fluctuate is very important.

Cellaring wine with the use of technology is always going to help increase the chances of the bottle staying at its best quality for longer, but we also have tips on how to store your wine when you don’t have all the gear. In general, make sure it is left in a dark and cool space where the temperature doesn't fluctuate, and store it in a space with limited vibrations (that means under your stairs might not be the best spot to keep your favourite bottles).  

When serving and tasting wine, the temperature is also an integral component. In general, anything below 5 degrees is too cold and accentuates bitterness and acidity. 

Around 6–8 degrees is ideal for lighter whites like sauvignon blanc, pinot gris and sparkling wine. Chardonnay tastes best when served at 10–12 degrees. Moreover, serving red wine at room temperature is a myth – lighter-bodied reds like pinot noir and burgundies should be served at between 14–16 degrees. Cabernet sauvignon and shiraz should be served at between 17–19 degrees (anything above that will accentuate the alcohol sensation). 

When you taste a wine, consider elements like acid, sweetness, tannin and alcohol. 

Next steps on your wine journey

If after reading this, you’re wanting more wine knowledge, you can always take one of our online or in-person Halliday Wine Academy courses. 

Halliday Wine Academy: Fundamentals of Wine in-person education course
Join Jane Faulkner in Melbourne for our Fundamentals of Wine in-person course. Across one two-hour session each week for four weeks, Jane will guide you through course materials and a selection of highly rated wines. Find out more.

Halliday Wine Academy: Introduction to Wine online education course
Across eight modules, Halliday Wine Academy's Introduction to Wine course offers a detailed look at the Australian wine landscape. Learn about wine varietals, Australian wine regions, how wine is made, how to taste and describe wine, how to approach food and wine matches, along with handy tips that address common wine questions. Find out more.

This is an edited extract from Halliday Wine Academy’s Introduction to Wine course.

Image credits: Wine Australia.