5 Delicious Wine Tasting Tips for Newbies

Are you dreaming of sipping wine with the best of them? Do you want to get into wine tasting but aren’t sure where to start?

Wine is an elegant art that can seem overwhelming at first.

Learning how to taste wine takes time but has a large payoff. You’ll enjoy sampling different flavours and aromas to learn which ones suit your tastebuds!

Knowing where to begin is the hardest part.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you get going in the wine world.

1. Plan Ahead

Before you get to the tasting, be sure you’ve got on a wine tasting outfit.

A good rule of thumb is to wear darker colours in case of any spills. So save your brighter colours for a different day.

Remember to grab your purse or have pockets you can store things in. You’ll be carrying around your wine glass, so you don’t want to have to juggle your phone, notes, and keys as well!

Make a game plan in your head of which booths you want to see first. Or, map out how you’ll get from place to place. This applies whether you’re going from one location to the next or just around a large tasting event!

Don’t miss this beautiful Penticton winery and their tasting room if you’re looking for a place to test your skills!

2. Consume More Than Wine

You’ll need to eat ahead of the wine tasting to have something in your stomach to absorb the alcohol you’re consuming.

Keep in mind that there may be small appetizers or snacks served at the tasting. These are there to help you throughout the event! Most of the tasting planners like grape and barrel understand that you’ll need to keep food in your stomach.

Generally, the more food you consume, the more wines you can taste and the more enjoyable the event will be. Drinking water between wines is a great way to stay hydrated and cleanse your palate, too.

3. Pre-Tasting the Wine

You’ve probably seen people do this before. They swirl their glass, letting the wine inside circle around and around. But, what does that actually do?

This aerates the wine, allowing oxygen in the air to pull out its true flavours. When a wine has been ageing for years, some of the notes tend to settle.

By swirling your glass, you’ll let all the notes rise to the top and have a full-flavoured sample!

After swirling, sniff the rim of the glass to prepare your tastebuds.

4. Tasting the Wine

Traditionally, the wine was served in full portions at wine tastings.

Now, it is custom to only serve one- to three-ounce servings of wine.

The practice of swishing and spitting the wine has carried over, though. Depending on the pour size, you can drink all the wine provided, or you can spit the wine out.

You do need to make sure to still swish the wine in your mouth. When you take your first sip, take a moment to move the wine over all your tastebuds. This allows your senses to pick up all the sweet and savoury notes of the wine!

5. Take Notes

Bring something to write on or your smartphone to the wine tasting. You’ll want to remember which wines you liked the most!

Ready to Go to a Wine Tasting?

Follow these steps next time you’re at a small wine tasting with friends or at a large event to make sure you get the most from your time!

Want to learn some other helpful wine tips? Make sure you take a look at the rest of our blog!

*This is a collaboration post

Adobe Stock royalty-free image #135238800, ‘Red wine pour from bottle’ uploaded by alexugalek, standard license purchased from https://stock.adobe.com/images/download/135238800; file retrieved on November 6th, 2018. License details available at https://stock.adobe.com/license-terms – image is licensed under the Adobe Stock Standard License