How Does a Wine Tasting Work?

Many people visiting a wine tasting for the first time wonder whether there's a "correct" way to taste wine. The answer: there's no single right way, but there are a few steps that help you get the most out of the glass.

Colour

Before you smell or taste the wine, look at it. Tilt the glass against the light and observe the colour and its intensity. White wines range from almost clear to deep gold or amber (the latter typical of macerated whites), while reds range from pale ruby to almost opaque violet. Colour often tells you something about the wine's age and how it was made, before you even smell it.

Aroma

Give the glass a gentle swirl — swirling increases the wine's surface area in contact with air, releasing additional aromas. Then smell it, first without swirling, then after, and try to recognize what the aroma reminds you of: fruit, flowers, earth, spice. There are no wrong answers — smell is a very personal experience, and everyone picks up on it a little differently.

Taste

When you finally taste the wine, let it spread across your whole mouth before swallowing. Pay attention to the acidity (a feeling of freshness and "watering" in the mouth), and for red wines the tannins (a drying sensation on the gums and tongue), as well as how the taste changes from the first sip to swallowing.

Finish

Pay attention, too, to what happens after you swallow the wine. A long, complex finish that lasts several seconds or more is usually considered a sign of a well-made wine, though length alone isn't the only measure of enjoyment.

A tasting is an experience, not an exam

Most important of all is understanding that a tasting isn't a test of your wine knowledge. It's a chance to take your time, compare different wines against each other, and figure out what you like — whether or not you can describe it in technical terms, or simply say it "smells like something nice."

Tastings at Vina Durcik

Our tastings take place at the farm in Pliskovica and include a selection of our wines along with a cellar tour. We offer a short and a long tasting, both paired with food. Find details on duration, price and booking on the Tasting page.