Tasting Guideline
Steps
1. Look at the wine, especially around the edges. Tilting the glass a bit can make it easier to see the way the colour changes from the center to the edges. Holding the glass in front of a white background, such as a napkin, tablecloth, or sheet of paper, is another good way to make out the wine's true colour. Look for the colour of the wine and the clarity. Intensity, depth or saturation of colour are not necessarily linear with quality. White wines become darker as they age while time causes red wines to lose their colour, turning more brownish, often with a small amount of harmless, dark red sediment in the bottom of the bottle or glass. This is also a good time to catch a preliminary sniff of the wine so you can compare its fragrance after swirling. This will also allow you to check for any off odours that might indicate spoiled (corked) wine.
2. Swirl the wine in your glass. This is to increase the surface area of the wine by spreading it over the inside of the glass allowing them to escape from solution and reach your nose. It also allows some oxygen into the wine, which will help its aromas open up.
3. Note the wine's viscosity - how slowly it runs back down the side of the glass - while you're swirling. More viscous wines are said to have "legs," and are likely to be more alcoholic. Outside of looking pretty, this has no relation to a wine's quality.
4. Sniff the wine. Initially you should hold the glass a few inches from your nose. Then let your nose go into the glass. What do you smell?
5. Take a sip of wine, but do not swallow yet. Roll the wine around in your mouth exposing it to all of your taste buds. You will only be able to detect sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (think: meaty or savoury, completeness of flavour. Pay attention to the texture and other tactile sensations such as an apparent sense of weight or body.
7. Take another sip of the wine, but this time (especially if you are drinking a red wine) introduce air with it. In other words, slurp the wine. Note the subtle differences in flavour and texture.
So what are you looking for?
Sweetness: an easy one. Sweetness is immediately noticeable on the tip of the tongue.
Acidity: very important if the wine is to be refreshing and balanced. Lemon juice and vinegar are acidic. Too much and the wine tastes too tart; too little and the wine is known as "flabby", tasting heavy and just not refreshing. Felt on the sides of the tongue.
Alcohol: a vital component in wine, but one that shouldn't stand apart from the other elements if the wine is to be balanced. When the alcohol is too high, there will be a bit of a burning sensation after the wine is swallowed (back of the throat).
Tannin: a natural preservative found in grape skins and stalks, as well as oak barrels, tannin is the stuff that makes young red wines seem harsh and leaves the mouth feeling dry. Tannin's role as preservative is extremely important in high quality red wines that are made to age for many years.
Body: an indicator of how the wine feels in the mouth. Pinot Noir and cooler climate wines tend to feel quite light in the mouth while Cabernet tends to be full and dense.
Fruit: the taste and intensity of the fruit in the mouth. Younger wines will often display more fruit than mature wine.
8. Note the aftertaste when you swallow. How long does the finish last? Do you like the taste?
9. Write down what you experienced. You can use whatever terminology you feel comfortable with. The most important thing to write down is your impression of the wine and how much you liked it.
Here are some commonly found tastes for each of the most common varieties (bear in mind that growing region, harvesting decisions and other production decisions have a great impact on a wine's flavour character):
Cabernet Sauvignon - black currant, cherry, other black fruits, green spices, pencil shavings
Merlot - plum, red and black fruits, green spices, floral
Syrah (aka Shiraz, depending on vineyard location and use of American or French oak) - black fruits, black spices - especially white and black pepper
Pinot Noir - red fruits, floral, herbs