The idea behind wine tasting is as simple as this: Slow down, relax and take the time to think about what you're drinking.

First, examine the color. Is it clear or hazy, transparent or opaque? Next, take a deep sniff. Swirl the wine to allow aromas to escape as the wine "opens up" in the glass. Does it smell like fruit? Flowers? Road tar or sweat socks?

Finally, take a drink. Swish it around in your mouth, sensing not only its taste but also its texture and weight, often described as "mouth feel." As the moment of tasting becomes swallowing, let the memory of the wine on your palate "speak" to your own taste. The aftertaste, or "finish," of a wine can be brief or lengthy, extraordinary or off-putting, but is usually a major influence in our ultimate enjoyment of a favorite wine.

Don't judge a wine solely on its looks – enjoy it with all of your senses – even sound! Listen as all of your tasting senses tell you what you like (or dislike) about each wine. Never underestimate the importance of smell. We actually smell most of the things that we think we taste. Our taste buds can
discern only four flavors – sweet, sour, salt and bitter – while the nose is capable of discerning thousands of subtle variation of scents, distilling sensations even from the recesses of memory.

How to Taste Champagne

Opening the wine is a simple process. As long as it is cold and not shaken, the cork should be controllable. Your goal is to have the opening be as quiet as is humanly possible. First, remove the foil, then cover the top of the bottle with a kitchen towel. This is very important to protect you when you remove the wire retainer from the top in case the cork pops. Reach up under the towel and remove the wire retainer. Withdraw your hand from underneath the towel and, using the towel, grab the cork tightly with the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand. Using your other hand, grip the bottom of the bottle and twist very slowly. When you feel the cork coming out, slow the twisting even further. Hold the cork tightly. The goal is to have the cork come out so slowly that all you hear is a hiss. You are now ready to pour.

Champagne and other sparkling wines should be drunk from a specific glass. The old-time traditional champagne glass, wide and shallow, is the worst possible choice - it allows the delicate bubbles to disappear in the air and provides no focus for the nose. A fluted champagne glass is the best choice. It has a narrow bottom to concentrate the bubbles and a small opening to spotlight the aromas.

Tasting champagne can be a formal ritual or a simple pleasure. The reason you buy champagne is for the bubbles. The only way to know about the bubbles is to roll them in your mouth. Looking at them doesn't work because bubbles are generated by slight imperfections in the glass. Therefore, the more imperfections, the more bubbles. In the mouth, roll the wine around to see how strong the fizz becomes. Enjoy the feel and note whether the bubbles are fine or coarse. As you taste more champagnes and sparkling wines, you will soon see the difference. Do like the Champenois do: With a strong overhead light, place the filled flutes on a large mirror and watch the light dance off the bubbles and the mirror. Check the aroma's flavor based on what you like, not what someone has told you.

Remember, when other tasters voice their opinions, expertise should never overrule your individual preference.

Michael’s System for Rating a Wine

My system for rating groups of wines at a tasting is simple – in fact, I think it’s the simplest rating system in the world, and it works very well!
•       If I like it a lot, I give it a ++
•       If I like it, I give it a +
•       If I don’t like it, I give it a –

A Helpful Hint

Save your receipts when you buy wines, and mark each wine on the receipt as I have suggested. Pretty soon your wine merchant will be able to help you build a "tree" of the things you like!

Champagne tasting tips from Wes Marshall, The Austin Chronicle, published Dec. 17, 1999

Flavors in White Wines

Among whites, Chardonnay typically recalls crisp, ripe apples and may add notes of butter, coconut, figs and other tropical fruits, particularly if it is aged in oak.

Riesling, the queen of German grapes, may evoke apples, too, and sometimes citrus fruit, cantaloupe and pine.

Sauvignon Blanc often shows a grassy smell and sometimes a hint of grapefruit.

Chenin Blanc can remind us of melons and, occasionally, orange blossoms.

A smell of peaches identifies Muscat and Gewurztraminer; the latter may add elusive spice.

Flavors in Red Wines

The aroma of Cabernet Sauvignon and the closely related Merlot grape, for example, often reminds us of cedar wood and pine needles mingled with a fruity smell reminiscent of currants. Some add hints that wine tasters call "vegetal" green olives, green peppers, tobacco leaves or grass.

Other grapes have their own trademark aromas: Zinfandel often evokes berries. Pinot Noir, the fine grape of Burgundy, may recall violets and spice. The pungently floral quality of freshly ground black pepper signals Syrah, the French Rhone grape.

Aging the wine in oak may add touches of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and almonds. Extended bottle aging may lend a toasty quality and impart earthy scents as variable as mushrooms, old leather, roses and wildflowers.