Wine Tasting 101: The 5 S’s

https://prairieberry.com/wine-news/wine-tasting-101-the-5-ss/
Wine tasting doesn’t have to be intimidating. By
using the 5 S’s (see, swirl, sniff, sip, and savor),
you’ll be able to get the most out of any glass of
wine
SEE: What color is it?

Look at the wine. Notice if the wine is clear and brilliant or cloudy and
dull. A wine’s color is better judged by putting it against a white
background. Colors give the taster clues to the grape variety, and
whether the wine was aged in wood. Typically, wine that had been oak
aged is darker in color.
The intensity of color within each varietal gives the drinker an idea of
how the wine will taste. As a general rule, color saturation tends to go
hand in hand with flavor intensity.
SWIRL: Give it air.

Swirl the wine a couple times. Heavy wines will be deeper

in color and generally more intense on the nose. Sweeter
wines, being denser will leave thick, viscous streaks
down the inside of the glass when swirled.
SNIFF: What do you smell?

Smell is the main sense used in wine tasting, so sniffing

the wine before tasting is essential. A wine’s quality can
be judged by its nose and taste. Consider what you are
smelling. What does the aroma remind you of? Fruits or
vegetables? Herbs or spices?
SIP: What do you taste?

Take a slightly larger sip than usual and hold the wine in your
mouth for 3-5 seconds letting it coat the surface. It is here that the
complex taste experience and characteristics of a wine actually
happen.
Look for sweetness, fruitiness, saltiness, acidity, bitterness, and
alcohol. What’s your overall impression? Does any component
over power the others or is the wine is balanced?
SAVOR: Does the taste linger?

The finish is the sensation you get from actually swallowing

the wine and it can be very different from the taste you get
on your palate. What you want to look for is an alcohol taste
and the length of time the wine taste stays with you. This
length of time is called the finish and some wines can linger
for as long as a minute.