Your tasting checklist

The point of tasting is not to impress anyone. The point is to notice enough that you can remember the wine later. Use the same four steps each time: look, smell, sip, think. Look first. Notice color, depth, and bubbles if they are present. White wines can range from pale lemon to deep gold. Reds can range from light ruby to dark purple. Color does not tell you everything, but it gives clues about grape, age, extraction, and style. Smell next. Do not panic if you cannot name ten things. Start broad. Does it smell like citrus, apple, peach, red fruit, dark fruit, herbs, flowers, earth, spice, toast, or something else? "Tastes like cherry" is useful. "I cannot smell much" is also useful. Honesty builds faster than decoration. Sip with structure in mind. Ask about sweetness, acid, tannin, body, alcohol feel, and finish. Sweetness is sugar. Acid is mouthwatering snap. Tannin is drying grip. Body is weight. Alcohol can feel warm. Finish is how long the wine stays with you. These ideas matter more than a long aroma list. Then think. Did you like it? Why? What food would help? Would you buy this style again, or only in a certain setting? Was it refreshing, heavy, sharp, soft, grippy, sweet, savory, or simple? Write one plain sentence if you can. "Crisp white, tastes like lime and green apple, good with salty food." That sentence is better than a paragraph of borrowed language. Over time, your memory gets sharper because you keep asking the same questions.