Getting started

Next time you taste a glass of wine, take note of your initial thoughts. Would you be able to identify the same wine another time? Try to make distinctions about the wine that will help you to identify it, or to describe it to someone else. You could buy wine that a well-respected wine critic recommends, and see if you agree with his or her tasting notes. Likewise, do your ideas relate to the tasting notes on the bottle? It is very likely that you will disagree with some of the notes - we all have different tastes and preferences - but making the comparisons will provide you with useful practice in the art of tasting.