SEARCH
You are in browse mode. You must login to use MEMORY

   Log in to start

level: Level 1

Questions and Answers List

level questions: Level 1

QuestionAnswer
The clarity and the colourLook
Brilliant - Bright - Clear - Dull - Hazy - Cloudy / Sediment? Crystals?Clarity
dilute, v. pale straw, pale straw, medium straw, yellow, lt. gold, medium gold, amber, tawny, adobe, brownColour (White wine)
light / medium / dark: garnet, ruby red, purplish-red, or combinations / tawny, brown edge, any rim variation?Colour (Red wine)
The older is a wine (white or red), the closer to the brown will the colour beOld colour
The first sniff, swirling, and the second sniffSmell
Is the wine presentable? Fresh nose or aged-developed bouquet? OK to proceed? Any FAULTS? Corked, vinegary, oxidized / stale, stinky / eggy, sulfitesFirst sniff
Needs a good wine glass, makes the flavor easier to smellSwirling
Fruity / floral / spicy / berry / ripeness-level: under ripe through jammy, raisiny / estery / herbaceous / vegetal / grassy / nutty / minerally. Also, think about intensity. Woody: fresh woody, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, smoky-char,coconutSecond sniff
Find the basic tastes, the retro odours, and identify the mouthfeel (body), and measure the persistenceTaste
Sweetness, Acidity (sourness), Bitterness (think about balance)Basic Tastes
Do the retro-nasal odours while on your palate confirm the ortho-nasal odors? Any new odours?Retro-Odours
The wine's weight (lt. body, medium body, full body) Mouthfeel: smooth or rough, astringent? Hotness from alcohol?Mouthfeel / Body
Short (under 30 sec), medium (up to a minute), or long finish (a few minutes)Persistence
Did you like it? How much would you rank it (compare to other similar ones)Feeling
Take your time. Be attentiveTwo basic rules
Tasting without seeing the bottle, and without knowing the priceBlind tasting
The tears you see from the wine does not mean that the wine is good or badTears
Don't wear a perfume, train to identify every flavor to train your noseTricks for smelling
Put a white background, a paper is good, and a reflection of sunlight would be the bestTricks for looking
Spitting is recommended to stay fully lucid while tasting different wineSpitting
It is the opposite of dry. If you eat a grape and you remove the skin you will find what sweet is. Be careful sweet doesn't mean fruity.Sweet
The sourness of the wine. In white wine, it compensates for the sweet taste. It generates saliva in your mouth.Acidity
The bitterness of the red wine, it comes from the skin. If you eat the skin only of a grape you will find this taste. It generates the dry taste.Tannin
A wine is balanced if sweet, acidity, tannin, and alcohol are compensating each otherBalance
The way the wine is doing in your palateLength
The layers of taste and aromas of the wineDepth
A wine is complex if it has a good length and depthComplexity
If the tastes are similar to the other ones of the same raceTypicality
If it tastes like a rotten fruit, like vinegar, chemical, oxide, burnt or corkWhat is a bad wine
If you taste different wine, here is the recommended order: 1. Sparkling wine; 2. White wine, rosés; 3. Young red; 4. Strong white or sweet wine; 5. Strong red wine; 6. Fortified wineTasting order