A Beginners Guide to a Wine Tasting Experience

I’ve been sipping (and let’s face it, sneaking) my parents wine for as long as I can remember, I’ve been attending wine tastings since I was 16 years old, I’ve been drinking wine out on my own since I got a fake ID at 17, and have toured more wineries than I can count.  This is all coming from a girl who has numerous family members in the wine industry, and a dad that some people would consider a to be a “wine snob”.  After this fairly expansive past of drinking wine, you would think I would be quite the expert.  I hate to tell you…it ain’t so.  Despite the fact that I’ve drank enough wine in my life to fill an Olympic-sized pool, I have unfortunately retained little in terms of wine knowledge…ok…that may be an understatement.  I could sit here and write an article entirely based on information found on google searches and pretend to know what I’m talking about, but that won’t help anybody, especially not myself.  So instead I’m going to share with you what I do know and use this as an opportunity to begin taking the steps to learning more for myself.

The first thing I would like to dispel is the myth that wine tastings are for old, snobby, fuddy duddys.  Yes those wine tastings still exist, but that is quickly becoming a thing of the past thanks to new local wine clubs that emphasize the social aspect of wine tastings.  This week I attended the iYellow Wine Club’s event A Global Wine Experience, a wine tasting that allowed attendees to taste over 40 different wines from around the world.  Located at 99 Sudbury Loft, and packed with a young and trendy crowd, the sold-out event was a raging success.  This came as no surprise to me, as I have never been let down by iYellow, Toronto’s hottest social wine club.  Becoming a member of iYellow is a great first step to take in learning more about wine.  With free membership, weekly events, tours, and classes, and a fun, approachable and knowledgeable host, Angela Aiello, it’s super easy to get yourself started.  The second step is where I come in.  Through my experience of attending wine tastings, I have learned a few things, things that everyone should know before throwing themselves into their first wine tasting.

1. Never carry a clutch purse. Trust me, with a wine glass, a tasting booklet, and an hors d’oeuvre, the last thing you want is another thing to juggle. And let’s not forget about the struggle of attempting to free a hand for a handshake.
2. Always (and I mean always) take a tasting booklet. I know it seems annoying and inconvenient at the time when all you want to do is fill your wine glass, and the thought of juggling another thing in your hands makes you cringe, but after hours of tasting wine, let’s see how well you remember the wines you tried.
3. Do not, I repeat, do NOT wear white. You’re just asking for some tipsy guy to spill his glass of red all over you.
4. Feel confident in what you’re saying.  Dummies.com has a great little chart on how to pronounce different types of wine and different wine regions.  You’ll be thanking me later when you have to ask for a glass of Gewürztraminer.
5. Don’t wear perfume or any fragrance, as it will impair your sense of smell…and will annoy others.
6. Do engage the servers and/or wine representatives. They can often offer helpful information about the wine you’re tasting. If you’re lucky you may even meet the winemakers, allowing you to hear first-hand about the process of creating their wine, and the passion behind it.
7. Ask the server straight up what flavour notes you should be tasting. This will help you identify the flavours in the wine easier.
8. Ok so you may be timid to stick your nose in your glass and take a whiff the first time you attend a wine tasting, but do take the time to sip and really taste the wine. What flavours are you tasting? Is there vanilla, citrus, red fruits?  You may feel more comfortable smelling your wine after this.
9. Don’t be afraid to use the spittoon. You don’t want to be that person at the end of the night stumbling out of the venue hammered because you wanted to “respect” the wineries and taste them all! If you’re uncomfortable spitting, just take a sip and pour the rest into the spittoon.
10. I know it’s tempting to attack every tray or table of food you come across, but make an effort to try and pair light foods with white wines, and heavy foods with red wines. don’t eat something that will overtake the wine. You’re looking for balance. Cheeses are always safe…and delicious!
11. Try and jot down a few notes beside each wine in the tasting booklet. A rating of how much you enjoyed it is obviously helpful, as well as some of the flavours you picked up in the wine, and the cost.
12. See a lineup? Think of that as you’re green light that there’s going to be some great wine. No line?…wonder why.
13. Bring business cards. This is a great opportunity for young aspiring professionals to make connections and network with people of various backgrounds and fields.
14. Do not drive. This is definitely the most important rule of wine tasting. Be responsible and take a cab or public transit. Even if you don’t plan on drinking much, let’s face it, it’s a wine tasting, when surrounded by temptation like that, you’re bound to have your fair share of alcohol

Photos courtesy of Steve Blackburn of YYZEvents.com.