Wine Tasting 101

“The primary purpose of wine is to provide pleasure and refreshment. It can do much more than that, but should never do less.”—Eric Asimov, NYT Wine Critic

Does the idea of wine tasting cause you to break into a cold sweat? Fear not, here at Ponte Winery, our motto is “If you like it, it’s good wine.” ™ We’re not here to dictate which wines you should enjoy, rather, we encourage you to have fun as you sample our bottles and get to know the thrilling world of wine.

How to taste wine?

No doubt, you’ve seen people swirling their glass on the silver screen and out at restaurants. Everyone seems to know that first step in wine tasting, but then what? Let’s break it down together. By following a few simple steps, anyone can learn to appreciate wines and improve their palate.

STEP 1: For starters, you want to take a good look at the color of the wine you’re about to sip. What does it look like? Is it light or dark? Deeply pigmented and murky, or translucent? Start by jotting down the visual characteristics in a notepad that you keep for wine tasting notes. This could be a fun activity to share with a friend or family member—plus, it’s a great date activity.

STEP 2: Smell the wine. This may sound odd, but by now, you’ve probably also seen folks doing this. Stick your nose in the glass and take a few quick sniffs. What do pick up on? There are no wrong answers and you should never feel intimidated about blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. Plums! Dark cherries! Leather! Oak! Mango! Gasoline! As silly as it may sound, just say what you detect and have fun with it.

STEP 3: Take a sip. Yes, finally, we get to the part where you get to actually drink the wine. Before you chug that vino, take a small sip and swish it around gently in your mouth. Let the wine coat your tongue, cheeks, the roof of your mouth, and the area below your tongue. Hold it for a moment before swallowing. Is it bitter, sweet, or sour? Write down a few keywords that come to mind. You might even pick up on different notes after you’ve swallowed the wine, so take your time.

STEP 4: Ponder what you just experienced and form an overall opinion. Did you like this wine? Did you dislike it? Write down the product’s name, vintage (the year the wine was made), and which varietal(s) or type of grape(s) used to produce this bottle. In doing so, you’ll keep track of what you enjoy so when faced with selecting wine at your next dinner outing or work-related event, you’ll be cool as a cucumber and ready to confidently suggest a wine.

We invite you to visit us for some of the best Temecula wine tasting soon and be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Better yet, join our wine club and take advantage of our member benefits today. You’ll be taking notes and tasting at home in no time!

As always, our knowledgeable staff is ready to help you enjoy wine tasting at our facility. Saluté!