Getting Ready to Taste
Listen to this lesson
Tasting wine properly is simply paying attention. A little preparation helps your senses do their best work.
Set the scene
Good light
Taste in daylight or bright light, against a white background, so you can judge the colour.
The right glass
A clear, clean glass with a tulip-shaped bowl. Pour a small amount so you can swirl.
Water & crackers
Plain water and bland crackers refresh your palate between wines.
What to avoid beforehand
Strong flavours and smells overpower wine. Avoid brushing your teeth, drinking coffee, chewing mint gum or wearing strong perfume or aftershave just before a tasting: they mask aromas and change how wine tastes.
Taste in the right order
When tasting several wines, go from light to full and dry to sweet: sparkling first, then whites, rosé, reds and finally sweet or fortified wines. Big, bold wines can overwhelm delicate ones if they come first.
🇿🇦 Cape spotlight
Most Cape tasting rooms pour their range in exactly this order. Now you know why.
🍷 Try this
Taste a crisp white after a sweet wine, then the other way round. Notice how the sweet wine makes the white seem sour.
🧠 Quick check: tap to reveal
🤔 Name something to avoid just before a tasting.
Toothpaste, coffee, mint gum or strong perfume.
🤔 In what order should you taste several wines?
Light to full and dry to sweet: sparkling, white, rosé, red, then sweet.
Next up: Look: Reading the Glass