Wine Tasting 101: A Guide to a Better Wine Tasting Experience
Why invest in wine tasting?
There is no wrong way to enjoy your favorite Proletariat wine, but there are a few tips that certainly will enhance your experience in our Garden City tasting room! By learning a little bit about the skill of wine tasting, and mastering some helpful terminology, you can get the most out of your tasting experience! With this information you can choose to dig deep, developing yourself to be a true Aficionado, or maybe this knowledge fulfills a fleeting moment of curiosity. Either way, understanding the process of wine tasting can deepen your appreciation for your favorite pour, connect you with wine prominent cultures across history, and inform your own choice in bottle investment!
Eyes on the pour – See
Believe it or not, wine tasting begins before the edge of your glass meets your lips! There are a few things to highlight visually about the initial pour. The visual part of your tasting experience serves to inform the rest of the process but is also an opportunity to engage with the simple pleasure of the pour! First take notice of the bottle, your glass, and the ambience of the tasting room.
As the wine fills your glass, or as your flight hits the table, observe the color of its contents. This initial glance reveals far more than just the hue, it unveils a spectrum of possibilities. Whether it’s the deep, velvety red of our flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, or the iridescent moonlight coloring of our Pinot Gris Bubbles, every color tells a story. In a red wine, a deep purple hue may indicate a younger wine and higher acidity and tannins, while a cherry hue may indicate a more mature wine with softer tannins. In white wine, darker golden hues represent more mature wines. White wines with green tinges indicate younger wines and usually have a fresh, crisp acidity.
Swirling your glass – Swirl
You may also take notice of the transparency and thickness of the wine. Swirl, slowly by gripping the stem, or tilt your glass gently and watch how the wine adheres to the glass’s sides—often referred to as “legs” or “tears”. A thicker wine indicates higher alcohol content or a richer texture, while quick-moving tears suggest a lighter body. Beyond aesthetic appreciation, this piece of your wine tasting experience can give you clues as you begin to perceive your wine’s structure.
Appreciate Aromas – Smell
Your true first impression of the wine is determined by your exploration of its aromas. This process of ‘nosing’ your wine incorporates the swirl of the glass we’ve just mastered. Holding the stem of your glass, give your wine of choice a whirl and gradually move your nose closer to the rim of the glass, taking notice of its bowl shape- perfect for engulfing you in the beautiful aromas of your wine. Try changing the length of your breaths, exchanging short inhalations for long. Here you may identify the wine’s primary aromas. These can typically be described under the following categories: fruity, floral, earthy, characterized by spice. You may decide to keep your nose in the glass a little longer and practice identifying secondary aromas that indicate winemaking techniques such as vanilla, leather or tobacco. For example, when tasting our 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, you might notice aromas of fresh lemongrass revealing its youthfulness and the crispness of its acidity. Remember to delight in the process and feel free to take note of your observations!
Give it a taste – Sip
Finally! We’ve made it to the best part, where all of the hard work you’ve done pays off. Take a small sip and let it gracefully coat your palate, savoring those initial flavors and sensations. Keep your aromatic observations at the front of your mind as you sip. The wine’s aromas work hand in hand with its flavors to create its profile! Some components to keep in mind when understanding your Prolo wine’s flavor profile are; its sweetness, referring to the level of sugar in the wine, crispness, revealing its acidity, whether or not you notice a drying sensation caused by tannins, and the wine’s body and warmth, a product of the wine’s alcohol levels. One way to elevate your tasting experience and alter the flavors of your wine is to pair it with different foods. This is where you experiment but don’t forget to taste the wine before pairing it with food!
Make it last – Savor
The final step in your tasting of this glass is to take note of the aftertaste. Here, you can determine the finish of your wine, which describes how long the flavor lasts and how it changes. Pay close attention to length, intensity, and the balance of flavor components. A wine that increases salivation is acidic and has higher levels of tannins. This is an indication of a dryer wine. This moment exists ultimately for you to evaluate your wine as a whole. At the end of the day, it is most important that you trust your instincts! Our personal preferences and experiences shape how you perceive wine. Just as our head winemaker Sean Boyd believes that winemaking is more about personal expression than rigid guidelines, the tasting process should be just as personal and enjoyable. Dive in and relish the journey of discovering what you truly love in a wine. Cheers to that!
Glossary of useful wine terminology
A
Acidity – acids found in wine grapes can impact the tart or sour tastes of the wine depending on how the acidity is balanced with sweet and bitter components of the wine.
Appellation – a term used to describe the geographic region your wine grapes are form.
Aging – the act of storing your wine in a cool dark place for a number of years to improve the wine and change its flavors. This often means the primary flavors become less pronounced and make room of the secondary ones!
Aeration – this is the process of exposing your wine to air which may boost flavors by diminishing less favorable ones. There are tools you can purchase to assist in this process called aerators or for another option see the term “decanting” below!
B
Blend – A wine made from more than one grape variety
Bouquet – This term can be used to describe the overall aromas of your wine!
Body – this is the weight, texture and richness of your wine. The terms used to differentiate ‘body’ are ‘light -bodied’, or ‘full-bodied’, describing the feeling the wine leaves in your mouth. Balance- describes how well the complex flavors of a wine work together.
C
Complexity – A way of describing a wine with many aromas, flavors, and overall depth.
D
Dry – wines with little sugar content
Decanting – the act of separating the wine from heavier substances like sediment at the bottom of the bottle by pouring it into another vessel. This method can also be used for aeration!
F
Finish – the sensation that remains in your mouth after swallowing your wine (measured in short, medium, and long)
Fermentation – the process of turning grape juice to wine by converting sugar into alcohol
L
Legs, also known as tears, (noun) – The streaks or droplets of wine that form on the side of a glass
N
Nosing (verb) – the act of smelling your wine in hopes it’ll reveal its secrets.
Nose – the aromas and smells that come off your wine
New World – wines produced in California, Washington, Oregon, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
O
Oak – this wood results in flavor compounds including vanilla, clove and spice
Old World – wines made primarily in Europe, from regions with long documented histories of winemaking
S
Structure – descriptor for the balance of tannins and acidity in a wine
Sulfites – chemical compounds in a wine that function as an enhancer and preservative
T
Tannin – chemical compounds from stems, skins and seeds that contribute a more bitter and complex flavor profile