Evaluating Wine

If you have been around The Educated Grape for more than a few months, chances are you have heard us refer to Evaluating Wine in Five Steps. We feel very confident that, regardless your general level of “wine understanding,” that if you go through these steps with an open mind, that you will be able to take any glass of wine and have a greater understanding of what you are tasting, thus increasing your confidence and elevating your level of wine appreciation!

1 - COLOR

Tilt your glass of wine against a white background to more accurately evaluate its color.

• White wine gets darker with age

• Red wine gets lighter with age

• If you can see through a red wine, it indicates a lighter bodied wine that likely does not require additional aging

2 - SWIRL

Gently swirl the wine around the glass. This aerates the wine and releases the aromas.

• This is especially beneficial for younger red wines which have more tannin

3 - AROMA

Put your nose down into the glass and smell (repeat)

• 70% of the taste sensation is actually smell. Wine has around 500 different aromatic components, most of them shared with fruit, vegetables and herbs

4 - TASTE

Swish the wine around in your mouth to taste the character and subtleties

• Acidity is felt on the sides of tongue

• Fruit is tasted on the middle of the tongue

• Tannin is felt on the middle of the tongue as well as a coating around your entire palate

• Sweetness is tasted on the tip of the tongue

5 - SAVOR

this is your memory of the wine

• Is the wine light, medium or full in body (or weight)?

• Are the 4 components (acid, fruit, tannin, & alcohol)in balance? Or is one more predominant?

• Does it have a short, medium or long finish?

These 5 steps are truly a game changer, when done with intention. The difference between just pouring a wine, taking a sip and swallowing vs thinking through the steps outlined above is significant, enough for you to accelerate your appreciation instantly!