💡 Sips of Wisdom #1: A Curious Way to Taste Wine

💡 Sips of Wisdom #1: A Curious Way to Taste Wine

 

Welcome to Sips of Wisdom—your weekly swirl of wine knowledge, brought to you by Wine Curious.

If you've ever seen someone swirl, sniff, and sip their wine like it holds the secrets of the universe and wondered what on earth they're doing, this is the place for you.

We’re starting our journey with a tool used by wine professionals, students, and curious minds alike: the Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine. Don’t let the name scare you—this isn’t about memorising obscure terms or sounding fancy at dinner parties. It’s about slowing down, tuning in, and getting more out of every glass.

Let’s break it down.

đŸ‘ïž Appearance

We start by looking.

Before you even take a sip, wine already has a lot to say. We focus on two main visual clues:

Intensity

This tells us how concentrated the colour is when we look through the wine in the glass.

  • Pale: Lighter styles, maybe from a cool climate or younger wine

  • Medium: A balanced, everyday wine

  • Deep: Rich, bold wines with potential power

Colour

The shade of wine hints at grape variety, age, and winemaking style:

  • White: Lemon, Gold, Amber

  • RosĂ©: Pink, Pink-Orange, Orange

  • Red: Purple, Ruby, Garnet, Tawny

A pale lemon might mean a zesty young white. A deep garnet? Possibly an aged red. The colour alone can spark all kinds of questions—and in next week’s post, we’ll dive deeper into what these colours reveal.

👃 Nose

Now we swirl and sniff.

This is where wine gets aromatic, and a little poetic.

Intensity

Can you smell the wine from a distance (pronounced), only when you’re up close (light), or somewhere in between (medium)? That’s your aroma intensity.

Aroma Characteristics

Here’s where things get fun. Are you picking up fruits, flowers, spices, herbs, oak, or even something funky like petroleum, earth or smoke?

We don’t expect you to nail “ripe black cherry with a hint of leather.” It’s more about noticing what you smell and learning to trust your nose.

👅 Palate

Now for the best part: tasting.

When wine hits your tongue, we assess more than just “yum” or “not my vibe.” Here’s what we’re tasting for:

Sweetness

From bone dry to sweet dessert wines—can you detect sugar on the palate?

Acidity

Think of how much your mouth waters. High acidity = zippy and refreshing. Low acidity = softer, rounder wines.

Tannin (mainly in reds)

That drying, grippy feeling—kind of like licking a tea bag? That’s tannin. It adds structure.

Alcohol

Does the wine feel warming or light-bodied? That can help estimate alcohol content.

Body

This is the weight or “fullness” of the wine in your mouth. Is it light and crisp? Rich and velvety?

Flavour Intensity & Characteristics

What flavours stand out? Do they match the nose? Are they stronger or more subtle?

Finish

How long do the flavours stick around after you swallow? A long, balanced finish is often a mark of quality.

🧠 Conclusion

So
 is it good?

This is where we bring it all together and ask: how balanced, complex, and expressive is this wine?

In formal tastings, this is when tasters give their quality assessment:

  • Poor

  • Acceptable

  • Good

  • Very Good

  • Outstanding

But here at Wine Curious, we’re less about scores and more about understanding why we like (or don’t like) a wine—so we can make more informed, confident choices.

đŸ„‚ Why We’re Here

Sips of Wisdom is a weekly series designed to help you build wine knowledge, one sip at a time. We’re breaking down the world of wine into approachable, easy-to-digest lessons—no snobbery, no pressure, just clear info and a bit of fun.

Whether you’re tasting for the first time or looking to refine your skills, the Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine is your toolkit—and we’ll guide you through it, piece by piece.

Next week, we’re taking a closer look at Appearance, exploring what colour, clarity, and intensity really reveal about your wine.

Until then, stay curious. Sip wisely.
— Wine Curious

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