Common Mistake

Often I see people making the mistake that they need to judge a wine to enjoy the wine. I always see people swirling and tilting, sniffing, prodding and examining the wines. Which is what you should be doing if you are trying to judge the wine but in most cases wine is consumed in a funness for pleasure. The wine should be doing exactly just that, it should be pleasing to you. People think they have to judge it in order to enjoy it. Which simply isn’t true. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t judge a wine. Sometimes by doing so may make it so that we can enjoy that wine even more.

The Simple Question

At all points we should be asking the simple question, is this wine pleasing? Going with the sight and appearance, just ask the simple question, is it pleasing? For me I always love and take a moment to enjoy the deep purple hues that a full body Syrah gives off. Then move on to smells and aromas. Is it pleasing or does it bring about smells you are not fond of? Then lastly with mouthfeel and taste. Is the wine pleasing on the palate? Do you enjoy the mouthfeel that it brings about? Perhaps you dislike the drying astringency of tannins. Make notes of what you enjoyed about the wines and disliked about it. 

Finding A Wine You Enjoy

If you have answered yes on multiple aspects and found it more pleasing than displeasing then you have found a wine you can enjoy. Just keep asking the simple question is it pleasing? Because that’s the defining line; I can judge a wine I do not like, but I cannot enjoy something that I do not like. It’s really that simple, but often it needs reminding. Even to myself. If the wine at hand had more flaws and dislikes then that’s okay. Not every wine and style is going to appeal to us. With the notes earlier we can start to find something pleasing and that we enjoy. By knowing what we enjoyed in that wine and what we do not like, it helps us better know what to ask and look for in future wines.