The following are brief analytic instructions on how I taste wine. There are also desciptors I like to use on how to descibe the color of wine as well as descriptors to describe the smells and flavors.
(1) SITE Hold the wine against a white backdrop and look at the wine assessing the color and clarity. Swirl the wine to observe the viscosity or “legs” (aka tears) as they form down the side of the glass. Fast, slow, clear, or colorful— legs do not mean anything in regards to the quality of the wine it just helps to determine the weight and body!
(2) SMELL Swirl the wine to release the aromas and smell in small sniffs. (Just like a police dog!) Repeat several times. FEW! Fruit, Earth, Wood! First think of fruit smells, then earthy (floral) smells, then wood (baking spice) smells.
(3) TASTE Take a small taste of the wine letting it coat your tongue. Repeat if necessary. What is the body of the wine—LIGHT, MEDIUM, FULL? FEW! Fruit, Earth, Wood! First think of fruit tastes, then earthy tastes, then wood tastes, if any.
SITE & COLOR SPECTRUM
WHITE WINE: PALE YELLOW-GREEN →YELLOW-STRAW→YELLOW-GOLD→GOLD→YELLOW-BROWN→BROWN
RED WINE: PURPLE→RUBY→RED→GARNET-RUST→BROWN
(I believe this is stolen from Kevin Zraly's great read...)
WINE DESCRIPTORS words & verbs to descibe wine
FRUIT
ORCHARD-APPLE, PEAR, QUINCE
CITRUS-LEMON, LIME, ORANGE, POMELO, GRAPEFRUIT, TANGERINE, CLEMENTINE
STONE-PEACH, APRICOT, NECTARINE
TROPICAL-PINEAPPLE, GUAVA, BANANA, STAR FRUIT, LYCHEE, MANGO, PAPAYA, KIWI, PASSION FRUIT
RED/BERRY-STRAWBERRY, RASPBERRY, BLUEBERRY, BLACKBERRY, GOOSEBERRY, CRANBERRY, POMEGRANATE
BLACK/DARK-PLUM, CHERRY, CURRANT, FIG, CASSIS, DATES
EARTH
HERBS-ROSEMARY, SAGE, THYME, PARSLEY, EUCALYPTUS, CILANTRO, LAVENDER, FENNEL, GREEN PEPPER, OLIVE, ASPARAGUS, TOBACCO, BLACK PEPPER, WHITE PEPPER, CUCUMBER, BLACK TEA, WHITE TEA, LEMONGRASS
FLORAL (FLOWERS)-ORANGE BLOSSOM, VIOLET, ROSE, LILAC, TULIP, HIBISCUS, GRASS, HONEYSUCKLE, BEES NEST, BEES WAX, CHAMOMILE, YEASTY, BREAD DOUGH, BISCUITY
EARTHINESS-MUSHROOM, FOREST FLOOR, CEDAR, PINE, MULCH, CHANTERELLE, MOREL, COMPOST, TRUFFLE, PETROL, DIESEL
ANIMAL-BACON FAT, LEATHER, BARNYARD, SWINE, CAT
WOOD
(OAK INFLUENCE IN WINE)
VANILLA-VANILLA BEAN, VANILLA EXTRACT
NUTS-HAZELNUT, ALMOND, MACADAMIA NUT, COCONUT, WALNUT, PECAN
BAKING SPICE-CINNAMON, NUTMEG, ALLSPICE, CLOVE, ANISE