Writing Useful Wine Tasting Notes

Writing wine tasting notes need not be a complicated activity. These notes are for you, they are meant to remind you about that particular wine in the future, so make them as elaborate or as simple as you want. The only rule is that they should convey the information that is important to you. The important things to consider when engaged in wine tasting, are: the taste, the color, the aroma, the sensation in our mouth, and how we think it compares to other wines that we have had before. Though I put the taste first; when writing notes it is next to last. Yes, in the final analysis, the most important thing is how does it taste to us. Is it good? Do we hate it?

But when it comes to describing wine we will use the order in which we perceive it.

First Things First

The first element to consider is the color, because it is immediately apparent. That will be the first thing that you notice about the wine. Is the color bright or dull? is the wine clear, or does it appear to have sediment?

The next thing you perceive is the aroma. Does it smell like anything you recognize? (besides wine, I mean!). Does it smell like apples, or like soil after a rain? Ok, that is a bit too poetic.

Don't worry if you cannot be too specific, maybe you do not have a very well developed sense of smell, and that is all right. So if you don't, just say it has a pleasant aroma, or not so much.

Now comes the description of how it feels in your mouth. Some ways of describing this sensation are: creamy, light, heavy, smooth. Again, don't feel you must fill in every slot in the wine tasting note.

Ah The Taste!

Finally we get to the taste, what does it taste like? Is it sweet, sour, bitter? And the most simple question of all, Do you like it? and if so, do we like it a lot?

Here is where you get into wine ratings by the numbers. What score would you give it when you compare it to other wines that you have tasted before? Click here to learn about wine ratings How does it compare to other Chardonnays that you have had before? Is it better?

Here is a simple chart that you can use, but you can design your own.

SSSS

See, Sniff, Sip, Summarize

Name of Wine

Winery

Vintage

Price

See

Intensity of Color

Brightness

Legs

Sniff

Intensity of Aroma

Sip

Flavor

Texture

Summarize

So that's it. That is all there is to wine tasting notes. Not too complicated, just useful information.

Be As Specific As You Want To Be, They Are Your Wine Tasting Notes!

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