WINE TASTING 101 - Begginer Guide

The motto of any wine lover is simple: “Try as many wines as possible.” If you wish to embrace this philosophy, you need to go out into the world and taste whatever wines are available. This may be easy or hard. It depends upon your location, your financial situation and your level of confidence. Follow the simple steps for your best wine tasting experience. 

You can approach the subject in a number of ways. The first step is to find out where such events may occur. There are several possible options.

• Wine shops. They offer wine tastings on a sporadic or regular basis. Some may even provide courses or workshops on the subject.

• Wine courses. Some universities, colleges and vineries offer the chance to take a course on the subject. These may involve more than wine tasting. In fact, some provide a solid grounding in the science and economics of all aspects of the subject.

• Go to a wine region. Some wineries offer visitors the chance to taste a variety of wines produced from their winery. As part of a tour package, you may get to sample (taste) various wines of a specific region.

• See if a winery is hosting a wine and dine with the wine maker. This is another way to find out about wine making. You can learn what wine matches what food while you taste the product and enjoy the conversation. You may get to ask questions and expand your knowledge.

Before you go to a tasting be aware of the type of tasting. There are, essentially, 2 major kinds: vertical and horizontal. No, this does not refer to the position of your body after the tasting of several potent wines :) . Vertical refers to a tasting in which all the wines are different vintages of the same wine. Horizontal tastings involve trying a single vintage from several different wineries.

Both types of tastings will help you understand wines. Both may be conducted blind. Tasting blind involves concealment of the labels of the bottles. This prevents conjectures might influence the perception of the wines. Whatever type of wine tasting you decide upon, be sure you understand basic wine tasting etiquette.