How to Develop Your Wine Palate 101

Swirl it. 

Apparently swirling your glass is not just for fun, but it is customary before your first sip. Wine has various aromas and swirling helps release them so that you may fully experience the smell and taste of the vino. Experts say that the easiest way to swirl (and not spill) is to place your thumb and forefinger at the bottom of the stem and make small circle motions and revel in all the delicious aromas emerging from the glass.   

 Sip it.

With my friend Abigail testing our wine palates with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. (photo by me)

Now that we have swirled and smelled, it is time for the best part. 

When tasting wine, the first sip is critical. Do not, I repeat, do not chug the entire glass. Instead, slowly take your first sip to enjoy and appreciate all of the flavors hitting your tongue. The expert way to take your first sip is to take a small to medium sip and gently swish the wine around in your mouth (this will allow for all the flavors of the wine to hit your taste buds) for about five seconds then swallow.  

 Identify Flavors.

It is important to know that different tastes register differently on your taste buds. For example, sweetness will register first at the tip of your tongue, while acidic flavors are second on the sides of the tongue and bitterness is last and is registered on the back. Different aromas and notes of the wine such as vanilla, berry, lemon or oak will all register separately, and if you are able to identify them, drinking wine will be a much more enjoyable experience for you and your taste buds.  

 Identify Body.

We tasted notes of citrus and spice. Delicious! (photo by me)

When talking about the body of the wine, it is not analyzing its shapeliness, but instead it is examining how the wine feels when we take a sip. The three categories when describing the body is simply light, medium or full body. The easiest way to determine a wine’s body for beginners like myself is the alcohol factor. Alcohol is what gives wine its density and texture. Generally, wines under 12.5% alcohol are considered light-bodied, while wines between 12.5% and 13.5% are medium-bodied, and any wines above are full-bodied and could possibly put you in a wine coma. 

All of this wine talk is making me thirsty…Cheers!