We like wine. We taste a lot of wine. We learn more every time we taste; we learn about specific varieties, growing conditions, winemaking techniques, different region characteristics, and mostly, we learn about our own palates. It’s a never ending process, as there’s always more to learn!
In your opinion, what is the best way to taste wine so that you learn the most about a specific variety or wine?
1. Brown bag a bunch of wines and taste them blind
2. Taste several wines side by side and compare vintages, regions, etc.
3. Have an “experienced” wine friend walk you through a tasting, telling you about each wine.
4. Research specific varieties, vintages, and regions, and what effect they have on the wines.
Let us know what you think…
My spouse and I are constantly changing our method on how to taste wines. We basically take the #2 approach listed above. We also have been attending wine events because it gives you a broader tasting of the region, but you can get into palate overload with these events, so we try to plan at least 1 1/2 to 2 days in the region for tasting. We recently went to the Calaveras Passport Weekend and did about 2 1/2 days of tasting – Friday through Sunday. I have been doing a little more of #4 listed above, especially with bigger wine regions like Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. Another method we are trying when tasting is to pick 2 varietals to try and then maybe do one more – we do not try all 4, 6, or 8 tastings at a winery – just too much and this way we can go to about 3 or 4 wineries in one day. Then if we really enjoyed a tasting at a winery we may go back the next day and do some further tasting and purchasing. This is just my opinion and everyone has their own tasting method and have some combination that works for them.
Hey Renee! Way to go…sounds like you guys have quite a system down! We’ve used all of those ways to taste wine and think it just depends on the situation you’re in. As long as you’re out there tasting and learning, there’s no wrong way. I still think that one of my favorite ways to learn about a variety is to brown bag a few bottles from different vineyards/labels/vintages, etc and taste them blind. It really makes you focus on what you think you’re smelling and tasting! Cheers!!!