Most people drink wine. Very few actually taste it. The difference takes about ninety seconds a glass, and it changes what you get out of every bottle you open from now on.
The three-step method
- Look. Tilt the glass against something white. Colour tells you age and body before you smell anything — purple-edged reds are young, brick-edged ones have lived a little.
- Smell. Swirl once, then get your nose properly in the glass. Name the first three things you smell, out loud if you can bear it. There are no wrong answers, only unexamined ones.
- Taste. Take a proper sip and hold it for three seconds. Notice the attack (first impression), the mid-palate (weight and texture), and the finish (how long the flavour stays after you swallow).
What to write down
You don’t need a tasting journal with gilt edges. A notes app entry per bottle with name, vintage, one word for the nose, one for the palate, and a mark out of ten beats any scoring system you’ll abandon by Tuesday.
Put it to work
The fastest way to calibrate your palate is tasting several wines side by side — which is exactly what a Winedrops membership delivers to your door. Start with our best wines list and see how your scores line up against the critics.