How to Appreciate Wine Like a Sommelier

"Wine is bottled poetry." - Robert Louis Stevenson

wine glasses shallow focus
three people having a toast using three clear crystal wine glasses

What is a Wine Sommelier?

A wine sommelier is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, often working in fine dining restaurants. Their primary role is to assist guests in selecting wines that will complement their meals and enhance their dining experience. This involves understanding the flavor profiles of various wines, knowing how they pair with different dishes, and often curating the restaurant’s wine list.
 
Sommeliers are skilled in the art of wine tasting, storage, and service, ensuring that each wine is served at the optimal temperature and in the appropriate glassware. They often have certifications from wine education institutions, reflecting their expertise and dedication to the field.

"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." - Benjamin Franklin

How to Appreciate Wine Like a Sommelier

Look: Observe the wine’s color and clarity. Hold the glass against a white background to see its true color, which can provide clues about the wine’s age and grape variety.
 
Swirl: Gently swirl the wine in your glass. This helps to release its aromas and prepares it for the next step.
 
Smell: Take a few deep sniffs of the wine. Try to identify different aromas, such as fruit, floral, spice, and earthy notes. Sommeliers often break down the aromas into primary (fruit, floral), secondary (fermentation-related, such as yeast), and tertiary (aging-related, like oak or earth) categories.
 
Taste: Take a small sip and let it coat your entire palate. Pay attention to the wine’s flavor profile, including the initial taste, mid-palate, and finish. Note the balance of sweetness, acidity, tannins, and alcohol.
 
Savor: Notice the wine’s texture and body. Think about how the wine feels in your mouth – light, medium, or full-bodied. Observe the finish – how long the flavors linger after swallowing.
 
Pair: Consider how the wine pairs with food. Experiment with different pairings to see how the flavors of the wine and the dish enhance each other.
 
Learn: Study the regions, grape varieties, and winemaking techniques. Understand the terroir, climate, and traditions that influence each wine.
 
Practice: Regularly taste different wines. The more you taste, the more you’ll refine your palate and understanding.

Useful Wine Terms

Terroir: The unique combination of soil, climate, and topography that influences the flavor and characteristics of grapes.
 
Vertical Tasting: Tasting different vintages of the same wine, allowing you to compare how the wine evolves over time.
 
Vigneron: A French term for a winemaker or vineyard owner, emphasizing their hands-on role in the winemaking process.
selective focus photography of purple grape fruit
wine cork lot
person holding grapes
Facebook
Twitter