Wine: drink it or taste it?

Wine Aroma Wheel

 Origin

What country did it come from? And who was the winery that made it? Is there a specific person named as the winemaker? Did the grapes come from a specific area, or even a specific vineyard?

Year

The “vintage” - the harvest year of the grapes used in this wine.

Appearance
Wine back often would appear cloudy or have lots of sediment in it.

Smell
Stick your nose inside the wine glass and focus hard on what you smell. Do you smell fruit? What kind of fruit? Are the aromas intense or light? Is there a burn from the alcohol vapours or not? See how many different aromas you can detect.

Taste
Take a sip. How does it feel? What flavours do you taste? Are the various flavours similar to what you smelled or were there some surprises you didn’t see coming? Is it acidic or sweet? Does it dry out your mouth or is it more of a smooth feel? Do the flavours overwhelm your mouth or are they light? Do you feel like all the flavours and feels are in balance with each other or is it more of a bumpy ride?

Finish
Swallow the wine. What is the aftertaste in your mouth? Do the flavours just ring on and on like a vibrating bell or do they immediately die off? How does your mouth feel? Happy? Set on edge? Do the same things you detected in the Smell and Taste continue on for the aftertaste of the wine?

Overall Impression
What you like and don’t like about the wine. Try to sum it up.

Take notes and keep them.

“A person with increasing knowledge and sensory education may derive infinite enjoyment from Wine.”

Ernest Hemingway