Savor: How long does the taste and feel of a wine stick around in your mouth
Congratulations! You now have all the information you need to taste wine and have the knowledge you need to read between the lines of the story it is trying to tell you. DOMSOM’s goal is not to give you magical powers to identify exactly the varietal, or blend, the vineyard, the vintage or the vintner, but to provide you the ability to use the 6 Ss to understand what you are tasting and why you are experiencing certain elements in the wine. The 6 Ss will tell a story, and we highly encourage you to to read (or sip!) it over and over again!
Principles of Wine Tasting: Red Wine
Sight: Describing the Appearance of a Wine | |
Clarity | Clear Hazy Cloudy |
Intensity | Pale Medium Deep |
Color | Purple Ruby Garnet Rust |
Swirl: Describing the Impact of Wine on the Glass | |
Aroma Opening | Little Moderate Significant |
Tearing | Light Medium Heavy |
Staining | None Light Medium Heavy |
Smell: Describing the Smell of a Wine | |
Intensity | Light Medium Intense |
Aroma Characteristic | Primary Secondary Tertiary |
Sip: Describing the Flavor of a Wine | |
Floral | Rose Blossom |
Red Fruit | Cherry Raspberry Red Currant Strawberry Red Plum |
Blue Fruit | Blueberry |
Black Fruit | Black Cherry Blackberry Black Currant Black Plum |
Fruit Character | Just Ripe Ripe Overripe Baked Stewed |
Other | Herbs Eucalyptus Bell Pepper (pyrazine) |
Swish: Describing the Mouthfeel of a Wine | |
Acidity | Low Medium High |
Alcohol | Low Medium High |
Body | Light Medium Full |
Tannin | Light Medium Full |
Savor: Describing the Finish of a Wine | |
Length | Short Medium Long |
Complexity | Simple Medium Complex |
Secondary (Smell / Sip) | |
Yeast | Mushrooms Meat Pepper |
Malolactic Fermentation | Nuts Chocolate |
Oak | Vanilla Cloves Coconut Tobacco Smoke Meat Earth Mushroom |
Tertiary (Smell / Sip) | |
Bottle Age | Dried Fruits Earth / Mushroom Baking Spices Compost |
Oak Age | Vanilla Cloves Coconut Tobacco Smoke Chocolate Earth |