The Wine Swirler
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Wine Study
    • WSET3 Exam
    • Tastings
    • Videos
  • Resources
    • Documentaries & Movies
  • Blog
  • Contact

Organizing your Tasting Notes

9/6/2017

3 Comments

 
One of the biggest challenges I had when I first started studying wine was how to taste and evaluate. Of course, I had plenty of experience drinking wine and most of the time knew if I had a good bottle of wine, but I didn't know why it was a good bottle of wine. One of the most rewarding parts of WSET2 was that it taught be how to taste and evaluate wine. There's not a blind tasting test for the level 2 certificate, but there definitely is one for level 3. Tasting and evaluating are more challenging for level 3 since there's a big jump in the amount of criteria you have to learn, especially when it comes to primary, secondary and tertiary aromas/flavors. 

The most important advice I can offer is to practice, practice, practice! Taste as many different varieties and styles of wine as possible. When I have a glass of wine, whether I'm at a restaurant, at a shop tasting, or at home, I take a few minutes to evaluate it and take down some notes. I even carry a set of tasting notes with me in my purse...you never know when you'll come across a chance to have a glass of wine. In the beginning, I wrote down my own notes, but after a month, it was too difficult to organize them into categories and keep track of my tastings. I then came up with my own stylized evaluation note taking system. Based on WSET's categories, I made up my own template that would only require me to circle my criteria. Such a time saver! Basically, I print out the double-sided template, cut it up, and staple 15-20 sheets into "tasting notebooks." When I do a tasting, I can take down my notes fairly easily and then snap a photo of the wine label. You can download and use my tasting sheets below!
3 Comments
Larry link
26/9/2021 07:12:40 am

Great reading yourr blog

Reply
Iris Smith link
4/9/2022 06:58:36 pm

You made an intriguing point when you advised drinking as many different types and kinds of wine as you could. My spouse and I are huge wine enthusiasts and love to sip wine. We are new to wine tasting and would want to attend wine-tasting events if possible.

Reply
Olivia Smart link
6/1/2023 09:47:06 am

Thank you for explaining how practice is important with wine tasting. My sister and I want to be better at wine tasting since we visited a winery last month. I'll share this with her so we can get together more to test ourselves and continue learning.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017

    Categories

    All
    Ace Of Spades
    Amarone Della Valpolicella
    Australia
    Australian Wines
    Bordeaux Blends
    Bourgogne Rosé
    Canadian Wines
    Celebrity Wines
    Champagne
    Chardonnay
    Château De Ferrand
    Château De Sales
    Château Gaudet
    Clay-based Soil
    Cork
    Cristal
    Elevate Tours
    Evaluating Wine
    Gamay
    Hunter Valley
    James Halliday
    Jay Z
    Le Nez Du Vin
    Limestone-based Soil
    Luncheon Menu
    Luncheon Recipes
    Luncheon Wines
    Merlot
    Mike Veseth
    Mornington Peninsula
    Oak-aging
    Orphorus Tours
    Pinot Noir
    Pomace
    Pomerol
    Provence Rosé
    Rhône Blend
    Rosé Potato Chips
    Saint Émilion
    Save The Koala Foundation
    Soil Types
    Sparkling Wine
    Sparkling Wine Production
    Systematic Approach
    Table Setting
    Tasting Profiles
    Unicorn Wines
    Wine Apps
    Wine Cellar Software
    Wine Faults
    Wine Pairing
    Wine Recommendations
    WSET
    WSET2
    WSET3
    Yarra Valley

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Wine Study
    • WSET3 Exam
    • Tastings
    • Videos
  • Resources
    • Documentaries & Movies
  • Blog
  • Contact