Welcome to
Intro to Wine Tasting!
The free mini-course that will teach you how to taste wine like a pro.
Video 1 of 4
Introduction
What you will be learning, what you need to practice tasting wine, and some baseline info to get started!
Tip!
Print out The Basics of Wine Tasting (PDF) now (in the Course Resources section below) so you can follow along in the coming lessons!
Video Transcript
Hi everyone! Welcome to this mini course on how to taste wine. In this course, the goal is to help you move from simply saying “I like it” to understanding what you like about a wine and why, and to talk about what you’re tasting with confidence.
That confidence shows up everywhere: when you’re tasting wine with friends, ordering at a restaurant and explaining a style you enjoy to a server or sommelier, or walking into a wine shop and choosing a bottle you’ll actually like.
We’ll begin with the major international grape varieties: grapes grown all over the world that you likely already know, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as red varieties like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.
These grapes have clear, recognizable traits and form the backbone of confident tasting. No matter where they’re grown, certain characteristics tend to show up, and you can learn both what those traits are and how they present themselves to you.
To set up your tasting, you don’t need anything fancy. A few glasses of wine are enough, ideally with good lighting so you can see the wine clearly.
Try to keep the environment neutral, no candles or perfume, so you can focus on what’s in the glass.
A blank sheet of paper can help you evaluate color, and a notebook is useful for jotting down notes.
A spittoon is optional. The fun part is often drinking the wine! But that’s really all you need.
Simple, approachable, and ready for learning.