Tasting Like a Pro, Descriptions

As a follow up to the article Taste Like a Pro, I am offering another method for tasting.  In order to taste well, and describe even better, you have to develop language that explains wine.  Most importantly the language has to communicate wine to others in a concise way that is common to both parties.  I have found that using everyday food experiences is the best solution.

The first step to getting your wine vocabulary functional is to actually notice nuances in wine and that is where most wine drinkers stumble.  What I would like to have each of you do is to start using a check off list for aroma and taste.  I have included an example of a simple check off list for white and red wine.  While you smell the wine ask yourself if the items on the list mimic the actual wine.  When you hit one that correlates use that as a descriptor.  For instance a glass of white wine is front of me and so I ask does it smell like lime, yes or no.  Does it smell like lemon, apple, peach, and so on.

My hope is that you will find what thousands of my students have discovered, your perception just needs to access your memory.  Go ahead depend on your 10,000 distinct aroma memories.  They will not let you down.

White Wines Cheat Sheet