Step 6: Evaluate the Wine

First note any sweetness, acidity and tannic toughness that your tongue detects. Write down your first impressions, then the taste that develops after the wine has been in your mouth a few moments.

Some flavours are unmistakable; others shift subtly, and always seem slightly out of reach. Don't try too hard to identify the flavours and aromas; they are more likely come to you when you are relaxed. Tension, stress and anxiety all make it harder to taste what's in your mouth.

You may not taste everything a wine veteran claims to taste, but if you listen to what more experienced wine drinkers say about a wine, your mind and your mouth will begin to sense what they are talking about. With time, you will be able to experience and understand the many flavours of wine, as well as its important components such as acidity and tannin.