Katie Anderson

The last and fifth “S” is to savor the wine. Once you have really rolled that wine around in your mouth, swallow it. This part is called “the finish” and is what you experience after you have swallowed the wine. It is what you will observe as the wine goes down your throat.

If you feel warmth in your throat and mouth after swallowing, that could be a hint that the wine was higher in alcohol content than normal. You should try and think: What do I still taste? Even after it’s gone. Is your mouth still watering and your cheeks tingling? That might mean it was fairly high in acidity.

Whatever it is, it might be a good idea to get a wine journal where you can write down what you’re drinking and what you tasted in it. That way you get an idea of what wines you like and why you like them. The wine may be robust and full as you first taste it but the memory of it might not last so long. It’s always nice to have it written down somewhere so if someone asks your advice on a bottle of wine you can refer back and say, “Oh, yeah, this one was great. Try this.”

Well, that concludes the five steps to wine tasting. This is just a basic idea of what you should be paying attention to when you really want to “taste” a wine. Now is an especially opportune time to buy wine. The recession has hit all of us pretty hard and the wine industry is no exception. At this moment, however, people in their 20’s are staying strong in their purchases compared to older generations. That means we have a lot of clout within the wine world and by buying wines that we like (and that attract us), we can shape the way in which the industry evolves. Buy wines, experiment and share. Most of all, enjoy.