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| Clarity | action | check for suspended particles |
| information | this bears more on aesthetic appreciation of the wine than its quality (first impressions count) but can indicate bad winemaking (clarification and stabilisation), infection, or age (bottle sediment). | |
| descriptors | clear, brilliant, crystal, hazy, dull, faint | |
| Colour | action | assess the colour of the wine |
| information | this most signifies wine style, fruit variety and ripeness, area of production, method of vinification, and age | |
| descriptors |
whites: clear, green, yellow, straw, gold, brown, object (e.g. lemon) reds: purple, crimson, blood red, brown, tawny, object (e.g. brick) rosès: blue-pink through purple-pink to orange-pink | |
| Intensity | action | assess the intensity of colour from a vertical, angled and side eye position; assess the variation in colour from the core of the liquid to the rim |
| information | rim to core colour persistence indicates quality, rim colour best indicates age | |
| descriptors | pale, light, deep, dark, intense | |
| Other | action | examine the mousse's (bead of bubbles in sparkling wine) size and frequency |
| information | a smaller bead indicates superior carbonation | |
| descriptors | fine |
| Cleanliness | action | examine the wine's nose for faults |
| information | foul smells such as mouse and wet cardboard may be an indication of microbial spoilage | |
| descriptors | clean, dirty, off, foul | |
| Intensity | action | assess the intensity of the nose |
| information | the intensity of the nose should be balanced with the rest of the wine's attributes | |
| descriptors | subtle, delicate, light, powerful, concentrated, strong | |
| Aroma and Bouquet | action | define the wine's aroma by associating it with other aromas, and determine it's complexity, self-integration and balance with the wine |
| information | some differentiate between aroma (the smell of a wine's primary unaged aromas due to the original fruit and fermentation) and bouquet (the smell of a wine's secondary, aged or developed aromas) | |
| descriptors | anything you associate with the wine's smell Some common descriptors include: fruity (lemon, grapefruit, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, black currant (cassis), cherry, apricot, peach, apple, pineapple, melon, banana, dried fruit, raisin, prune, fig, jam, confectionery (artificial)), floral (orange blossom, elderflower, rose, violet, geranium), spicy (clove, pepper, liquorice/aniseed, nutmeg), herb (marjoram, thyme, rosemary), vegetable (cut grass, pepper/capsicum, eucalyptus, mint, artichoke, olive, asparagus, bean, pea, tea, tobacco, hay/straw), nutty (walnut, hazelnut, almond), sugar/caramel (honey, butterscotch, diacetyl (butter), soy sauce, chocolate, molasses), wood (vanilla, cedar, oak, bacon, medicinal, coffee, burnt toast, smoky), earth (soil, dusty, mushroom, mouldy), chemical (tar, plastic, kerosene, diesel, oil, rubber, hydrogen sulphide, mercaptan, garlic, cabbage, burnt match/sulphur, sulphur dioxide, wet wool / wet dog, ethyl acetate, acetic acid (vinegar), ethanol (alcohol)), oxidised (e.g. sherry), microbiological (baked yeast, bread, sauerkraut, sweaty, yoghurt, horsey, mousey). An aroma wheel may assist. |
| Sweetness | action | detected on the tip of tongue and is physiologically the first aspect to be detected in the mouth |
| information | sweetness should be in balance with acidity and body in particular, its impression decreases with an increase in acidity | |
| descriptors | bone dry, dry, off dry, medium, sweet, cloying (too sweet) | |
| Acidity | action | detected at the sides of the tongue and with the mouth watering after swallowing |
| information | acidity should be in balance with sweetness and body in particular, its impression decreases with an increase in sweetness and increases significantly with a decrease in temperature | |
| descriptors | flabby (low), flat, low, medium, high; fresh, crisp, rasping, sharp, searing (high) | |
| Texture / Mouthfeel / Tactile Impression | action | mouthfeel is complex, involving a number of factors such as residual sugar, alcohol, tannins, acidity, dissolved carbon dioxide and extract, but it is important to consider separately from these other components as part of an holistic approach to wine tasting (for example, "a tingle on the tongue" from dissolved carbon dioxide, or a feeling of "chewiness" given by tannins). Mouthfeel may be divided up into the following components: volume, acidity, tannic intensity, astringency, dryness, and bitterness. |
| information | carbon dioxide increases our perception of acidity, increased viscosity softens our perception of acidity, polymerisation of tannins results in softer mouthfeel, unripe fruit tannins result in harder impressions | |
| descriptors | any number of descriptors apply and mouthfeel wheels provide an excellent base from which to work (example descriptors include chewy, silky, furry, supple, chalky, spritzy, viscous, luscious) | |
| Tannin | action | causes bitterness (the flavour sensation detected at the back of the tongue) and astringency (the tactile sensation felt as a puckering of the cheeks or a furriness on the teeth, gums and lips (like very strong tea)) |
| information | should be in balance with the wine, the impression of tannin diminishes with wine age; in modern times tannins have come to be described in further terms than quantity | |
| descriptors | soft, velvety, silky, supple, fine, smooth, moderate, gripping, drying, harsh, hard, firm, chewy, dusty, course, astringent, tannic; green, ripe, fine, tough, wood, grainy | |
| Body | action | this is the impression of weight given by (predominantly) alcohol but also extracts (sugar-free soluble solids such as proteins, tannins) and is perhaps best likened by analogy to the respective lightness or heaviness of water or cream in the mouth |
| information | body should be in balance with the wine style | |
| descriptors | thin, watery, lean; light, medium, full (bodied); heavy, extracted | |
| Flavours | action | determine the flavours you associate with the wine, and their intensity |
| information | assess the flavours `across the palate' (from the first impression right through to the finish) | |
| descriptors | as for Aroma/Bouquet | |
| Alcohol | action | assess the alcoholic content (this requires experience but may be seen somewhat by the legs and the `heat' of the finish) |
| information | alcohol gives a sweet and warming impression, an increase in alcohol results in a perceived decrease in bitterness | |
| descriptors | warm, hot, high alcohol, alcoholic (excessive) | |
| Finish | action | the aftertaste (taste after swallowing) of a wine |
| information | the flavours and aromas last in the mouth for some time and may change and develop; length and development of finish are indications of quality | |
| descriptors | short, fleeting, long, lingering |
