The Five S's of Wine Tasting

How does one taste wine like a professional? Here are the 5 S's that will put you on par with any expert, and it's downright fun!

See. Just like a fortune teller gazing into a crystal ball, inspecting the wine in the glass can predict much of what will come in the aroma and flavor.

The color, depth, and intensity of a wine can provide insight into its age, concentration, body, and overall style. A tip: white wines gain color as they age, while red wines lose it.

Swirl. Swirling is essential for aerating the wine and allowing oxygen to "open" it up. This seductive art reveals a wine's complexity and enhances the boldness of both young, lavish bottles and aged beauties.

Even better, if done right, it will impress and potentially mesmerize those around you.

Sniff. Don’t hesitate to plunge your entire nose into the glass. For wines with medium to high intensity, you may not need to go as deep, but others might be a bit shy at first. In such cases, return to Step 2 and swirl a bit more.

The aroma is where you encounter those quirky wine terms like "cat pee," "wet dog," and "grilled watermelon."

Sip. It takes time to actually taste a wine during the assessment process, but the wait often pays off. Additionally, all the previous steps will provide a good sense of how the wine should feel on the palate.

When professionals taste wine, you might notice some rather unpleasant and frankly gross sounds. The hissing, sloshing, and swallowing ensure that the wine touches all parts of the tongue and mouth. This way, the taster can gauge the sweetness, acidity, bitterness, and tannins while recognizing the overall mouthfeel.

Breathing in air allows for further aeration on the palate and helps volatile components interact with the olfactory system to capture all of a wine's characteristics.

Taste. This is where the finish comes into play. You want to savor the last essence of a wine. Here, you're looking not only at the length but also the balance of fruit, acidity, tannin, and texture. If a wine leaves you with an overwhelming desire for another sip, you know you've found a winner.

Final Tip

If a young wine tastes much better on the finish than on the palate, it likely needs some aeration or possibly a bit more time in the cellar.

Depending on the age of the wine, you will look for primary characteristics (fruit, flowers, and spices), secondary characteristics (oak and fermentation aromas), and tertiary characteristics (those that arise from bottle aging, like mushrooms, tobacco, and nuttiness).