Smell
To begin, swirl your wine in the glass a few times and take only a couple of full, quick sniffs. Aromas are released, revealing many of its qualities, such as variety and aging treatment.
If the wine is young, you can smell the characteristic scents associated with the variety:
- Riesling is limey
- Chardonnay smells like peaches
- Shiraz is peppery
- Cabernet Sauvignon smells like black currants
With experience, you should be able to detect what type of oak a winemaker has used, such as a vanilla-like American oak or lemony/cashew-like French oak.
