Let's Taste - Tasting 101 with IWEG & Wines of Germany

Whether you are a professional taster, tasting for fun, or (my favourite) an "educational drinker"; wine tasting is a vital aspect of the world of wine. There are many reasons why we taste including, but not limited to, determining regional/varietal hallmarks, assessing and judging, putting together food and wine pairings, and throughout the vinification process. Let's break it down further...

DEFINITION: THE EVALUATION THROUGH SIGHT, OLFACTORY, AND PALATE TO DETERMINE FLAVOURS/AROMAS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WINE IN QUESTION

There are 4 major aspects when tasting wine, the visual, olfactory, palate, and conclusions. 

VISUAL: What do you see? Wine style, colour intensity, aging, and potential alcohol/ripeness of grape. 

OLFACTORY: What do you smell? Intensity, fruit or earth/mineral driven, and oak use. 

PALATE: What do you taste? The wine's structure (acid, alcohol, tannin, body), fruit/earth/mineral notes, oak usage, and sweetness level.

CONCLUSIONS: What is this wine? Using all the above to determine grape variety(s) and country/region of origin.

The use of a Tasting Grid is commonly used by studying/practicing sommeliers to document and ensure every aspect of the tasting process is fully analyzed. Although this grid may not be physically used during a tasting, this grid is embedded into a sommelier's mind and internally used when analyzing a wine. 

Let's Taste: 2019 Villa Wolf Pinot Noir from Pfalz, Germany 

👀 Medium Ruby / Youthful Rim / No CO2 or Sediment

👃 Medium Intensity / Earth Forward / Fruit: Tart Cherry, Strawberry, Rhubarb, and Cranberry / Subtle Oak: Cherry Cola, Sweet Tobacco, and Baking Spices

👄 Fruit Forward / Fruit: Almost Ripe Cherry, Strawberry, and Blackberry / Oak: Cherry Cola, Baking Spices, Sweet Tobacco, and Vanilla

🏠 Dry / Moderate Alcohol, Tannin, and Body / Bright, Mouthwatering Acidity

Let's Taste Legend

🍷 Wine / 👀 Visual / 👃 Olfactory / 👄 Palate / 🏠 Structure / 🍇 Winemaking