20 wine-drinking tips that will turn you into a sommelier

When wine is in its bottle, it doesn’t have access to oxygen, which it needs to become the wine it was meant to be. If you don’t have time to let it breathe, swirl your wine in your glass to aerate it. Then, you’ll get the experience the winemaker wanted you to have. 

Scent and taste are related, so if you want to improve your wine-tasting skills, you need to improve your scent detection. As you develop your nose, you’ll notice yourself picking up notes in wines that you didn’t detect before. 

If you’ve just tasted a food with strong flavor, it’s going to affect how wine tastes. To give the wine a fair shot, make sure you’ve cleansed your palate. You can use sorbet, citrus, coffee, or just a glass of water. 

Wine glasses are constructed to be used with different types of wine. To get the most out of the bottle you’re drinking, use a specific glass with that type in mind. For example, if you’re drinking a cabernet, use a big-bodied class. For a pinot grigio, use something a little thinner.

The quality of the glass can also affect the taste of the wine. A high-quality glass can improve the taste of a low-quality wine, while a low-quality glass can diminish the taste of a high-quality wine. Generally speaking, the thinner the glass, the better the quality. 

Wine is not meant to be chugged. It’s a complex alcohol that requires time in all aspects. If you drink wine too fast, you’ll miss important details like notes, mouthfeel, and finish. 

As noted, wine needs time to open up, especially older bottles and full-bodied reds. The best way to let wine open is by decanting it. The age and the body will determine how long you should decant your wine. Some will take an hour or longer to open fully, but even 20 minutes will do the wine well. 

If you don’t have a decanter, opening your bottle long before you drink it will suffice. If the wine isn’t in a decanter, it will likely take longer to open up, but it will be better than popping and pouring. There are pour spouts that claim to aerate the wine as it’s being poured, but no pour spout can replace time. 

Chugging is not a good idea when drinking wine, and neither is taking huge gulps. To really appreciate the wine and taste each of its notes, you need to sip it. Let it rest on your tongue to get the full experience. 

Some wines are meant to be had alone, but many are meant to be had with a tasty meal. Pairing your wine with the right food can enhance its flavor. For example, many red meats pair well with different types of reds, while fish often go well with whites. 

When tasting wine, you also need the right amount in your glass. Too little and you won’t get the full effect, and too much and you won’t have a good comparison with others. 

It sounds like an obvious thing to do, but many people do not read wine labels before tasting. Labels often give lots of details about tasting notes, the grapes used, and if there are other fruits in the wine. Learning which grapes and which notes you like will help you pick out new wines in the future. 

Wine tastes different depending on where in the world it comes from. Learn about different regions to better predict whether you’ll like wine and what qualities wines from those places typically exhibit. 

There are many different categories of wine, and each is slightly different in taste, texture, body, and finish. Learn the qualities of different wine types so you can better choose bottles according to what you like and make recommendations to others. 

Wine tastings are very educational experiences. You’ll get to taste various wines and hear from the winemakers themselves. They’ll give you details on each bottle and what went into making them. 

If you can’t hear directly from a winemaker, listen to a sommelier at a restaurant. They’ll be able to give you details on particular bottles and make pairing recommendations. You’ll learn a lot about your preferences just by speaking with a sommelier. 

The color of a wine can tell you quite a bit about its personality. Of course, start by determining whether the wine is red or white, but go deeper from there. Does the white wine have more of a yellow tinge? Is the red leaning toward purple? These factors will affect how the wine tastes. 

Holding your wine glass incorrectly can also affect its taste. If you hold your glass by the bowl, the heat from your hand will change the flavor of the wine. Instead, hold the glass by its stem. If you’re using stemless, hold the glass in the middle and only use a finger to secure the bottom. 

Wines are made to be served at different temperatures. Either store your wines at the appropriate temperature or prepare them for drinking at the correct temperature ahead of time. Generally speaking, white wines should be served colder than reds. 

Like with anything, practice makes perfect. The more you drink wine, the more you’ll improve your tasting skills.