The faint buzzing of the bees, the soft yet crisp air whistling through the vineyard and a glass of white chilled white wine in your hand, ready to be tasted; what could be better than that? Wine tastings is one of the luxuries of life. But more than that, it is a rite of passage for all who value the hard work and determination that goes into crafting that perfect glass of wine.

However, if you are just beginning to learn about the beauty of organic wine itself, it can take some time to understand the complexity and intricacy that a sip of wine can represent. So here, we have enlisted the help of Tuscany’s well-known vineyard Montemaggio, to help you taste wine like an expert.

How to Taste Wine Like an Expert

Evaluate Through Sight

There are several ways to examine your wine, such as through the straight angle view, side view or the tilted view. Each angle gives you a perspective of the wine. A straight angle view gives you a sense of the wine’s depth, allowing you to see the density and saturation of the wine.

A side view will allow you to see how clear it is. This can help, since you will be able to pinpoint whether the wine has any chemical or fermentation problems. A clear, sparkling and good red wine is always a good sign.

A tilted view will show you how thin the wine gets, thus displaying its age and weight. There is quite a balance when you examine a wine by tilting it. If the edges are pale and watery, it can mean the wine is rather thin. However, if you have a white wine which is brown around the edges or a red wine which is rusty brick, it can mean that the wine is oxidized and past its age.

Smelling Your Wine

Smelling the wine can really help in pin-pointing the flaws. For example, if your wine smells a little too much like nail polish, it might be because of ethyl acetate. If the wine has a sweaty saddle scent, it could mean that the wine has too much yeast.

If the wine does not have any off-scent aromas, look for the fruit notes. Wine is made from grapes, so it should smell like the fruit. However, it should also smell fresh, unless the wine is very old, sweet or very cold. Remember, the grape in your wine will give you many specifics about their creation if you concentrate.

Smelling your wine will also allow you to smell any flowers, spices, herbs and vegetables as well. But more than that, they will also give off the wine barrel aroma. So if you suddenly smell smoke, vanilla, chocolate, roasted nuts or even caramel in your wine, you are likely picking up the notes that come from aging in those oak barrels.

Tasting the Delicacy

When you taste, suck on it as if you’re sipping your Italian wine through a straw. Do not swallow large sips of your wine. Sucking on your wine will allow you to aerate the wine and let it circulate through your mouth. Tasting your wine will give you the chance to taste the acids, alcohol and tannins, which is something you may not be able to detect by smelling.

Along with which, you will also note how harmoniously all the components of the wine integrate with one another, thus giving you a look into the complexity of the wine as well. The complex wine will dance on your taste buds, giving your palette a chance to understand the different notes and flavors.

With the help of Montemaggio, we hope that you can use these basic steps on your wine tasting trips and learn more on how to choose the right wine to suit your choice.