Wine Tasting

Australian wines are hugely popular and are today receiving world wide acclaim for their outstanding quality. The range of wines is broad and includes red wine, white wine, sparkling wine and more. If you love nothing more than a glass (or two) of a good Australian wine - then you might like to know more about wine tasting and selecting a quality wine.

Wine Evaluation

A professional wine taster will conduct a sensory evaluation - looking at the overall quality of the wine. They may consider the aroma, the appearance, the feel of the wine in the mouth and of course, the taste. When a taster has gained experience, they can detect wine maturity, quality and even faults, as well as aroma and colour. A wine evaluation consists of three elements; the look of the wine, the smell and the wine's taste.

What to look for in your wine selection

As a general guide - most wines are either red or white. However, there are a range of different variations you will find upon this in Australian wines. White wines can vary from a green-yellow through to a brown tint. If you are looking at red wines, then you can see the range of colours varying from a pale rose through to a deep maroon red. White wines are generally drunk while they are young. Red wines however mature with age. Consequently, the appearance of the wine is often firstly judged by tilting the glass and swirling the wine while holding it before a white background.

A professional wine connoisseur will judge the colour at the edge of the wine. This colour may be orange to brown in colour in a mature wine; or it may have a purple shade at the edge if it is a young wine. They may also asses the body of the wine - seeing if it has a higher sweetness, more alcohol content or a thicker body.

How to evaluate your wine selection

Once the colour is assessed, the taster then considers the wine's smell and taste. Wine scent, known as bouquet or nose is smelled by swirling the wine again in the glass to allow the aroma to rise and be smelled more easily. You can also do this and see if you recognise scents such as pepper, chocolate, berries or plum. Reflecting upon the aroma, you will notice different scents in the several different smells in the glass of wine. The different bouquets of the wine may reflect the different varieties of grapes and different conditions under which they were grown and prepared.

Finally the taster will have a small sip of wine and move it around their mouth to allow the complete tongue and taste buds have contact with the wine. The feel or body of the wine can be assessed. See if you can select whether the flavour is light or rich, or smooth or rough. You may also consider any aftertaste that the wine may have.

To fully appreciate your wine, take the time to evaluate the appearance, scent and taste of the wine. Australian wineries have many wine tasting and cellar door outlets. Try tasting the wine while at the winery and see what different options you enjoy. This will help you understand the wine better; gaining an increased appreciation of the wine through an enhanced wine tasting experience.