People have been drinking wine for generations, but to the average person, the act of wine tasting may seem a bit complex. However, anyone can learn this practice and develop a refined palate. Here is brief guide to tasting this beverage. 

How to Develop Your Palate for Wine Tasting

Look

This first step is brief and should last about five seconds. When you receive the wine, look at its color, opacity, and “wine legs” or the droplets that form inside the glass. The visual appearance will tell you a lot about the type of wine you’re sampling. For instance, an abundance of wine legs usually indicates a higher alcohol or sugar content. 

Smell

After visually inspecting the drink, it’s time to smell it. You don’t need to single out the exact ingredients, but there are several aromas you’ll learn to identify, including:

• Primary: This scent comes from grapes, herbs, and flowers used to make the wine.
• Secondary: The smells from the wine-making practices are detectable. 
• Tertiary: The aging and storing process are apparent and manifest in savory aromas like nuts, leather, cedar, and vanilla.

Taste

Your sense of smell is connected to your sense of taste, but once you swallow some of the wine, what you initially smelled in the glass may change. Take a sip by sucking up the drink from the glass, as if you’re using a straw, to aerate the sample and circulate it around the mouth. Your tongue will detect sweetness, sourness, and bitterness, although all wines are sour because of the acidity in the grapes. Your tongue will also identify the wine’s “texture” or its richness and the mouth-drying effect often found in reds.

Reflect

Once you have completed the previous steps, it’s time to develop a mental profile of the drink. Reflect on how much or little you enjoyed the wine. Was it too acidic or was it well-balanced? Were there any remarkable features that made it stand out? You’ll develop a deeper understanding and learn to differentiate between various types of wine.

If you’re ready for a remarkable wine tasting, head over to Hidden Lake Winery & Banquet Center in Aviston, IL. This winery has many award-winning wine varieties to satisfy any palate. Their bar and grill also serve delicious seasonal food that pairs perfectly with their impressive wine selection. Call (618) 228-9111 or visit them online to learn more about their wine and dine experience.