For wine lovers, tasting wine isn’t just about sipping and swallowing; it’s an art form that engages all your senses. Whether you’re a novice wine enthusiast or a seasoned connoisseur, understanding the fundamentals of how to taste wine can enrich your appreciation of this ancient libation. From holding the glass to swirling the wine, there’s something deeply engaging about the experience. So, if you’re ready to elevate your wine-tasting experience to the level of a sommelier, we’ve put together a guide to help you get started.

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Understanding the Basics

Before diving into the intricacies of how to taste wine, it’s essential to grasp the basics. Wine tasting involves observing the wine’s appearance, assessing its aroma, savoring its flavor, and evaluating its finish. Each step provides valuable insights into the wine’s character and quality.

1. Visual Examination

Begin by pouring a small amount of wine into a clear glass. Take your glass by the stem and hold it against a white background. Observe the wine’s color, clarity and viscosity. White wines range from pale straw to golden yellow, while red wines can vary from light ruby to deep purple. Swirl the wine gently to release its aromas and observe any legs or tears that form on the glass.

2. Aromatic Assessment

Next, bring the wine in your glass to your nose and inhale deeply. Take note of the bouquet, the wine’s smell, which encompasses its various aromas. Swirl the wine again to intensify the aromas before smelling it once more. Pay attention to fruit, floral, herbal and spice notes, as well as any oak or earthy undertones. Wine aromoas can also provide clues about its grape varietal, age and winemaking techniques.

3. Palate Pleasure

Now it’s time to taste the wine. Take a small sip and let it coat your entire palate. Notice the wine’s texture, acidity, sweetness and tannins. Is it light-bodied or full-bodied? Crisp and refreshing or smooth and velvety? Identify the primary flavors and secondary characteristics, such as minerality or oak influence. Consider the wine’s balance, complexity and length on the palate

4. Evaluating the Finish

Finally, assess the wine’s finish, also known as its aftertaste. Paying attention to how long the flavor lingers on your palate, is it pleasant and lingering or abrupt and short-lived? A wine’s finish can reveal additional nuances and insights into its overall quality and aging potential.

In Chile, visit Kingston Family Winery, a small boutique winery located in Casablanca Valley for an introduction to and tasting of their exquisite wines. on Classic South America.

For the ultimate wine tasting experience in Italy, ready about our Founder’s Collection: An exclusive invitation from La Famiglia Mazzei, a Tuscan wine dynasty

Developing Your Wine Palate

Becoming proficient at wine tasting takes time and practice. Key to the tasting experience is development of the pallette. For most people, chances are you’ve never really considered your palate. Our tongues hold up to 4,000 taste buds in five regions, but that is not the only place we taste. Here are some tips to help you hone your palate and refine your sensory skills:

Taste Widely: Explore a diverse range of wines from different regions, grape varieties, and styles. Experiment with both red and white wines to exoercise your tatse buds, as well as sparkling and dessert wines, to expand your tastepalate. Older wines often taste smoother and richer.

Take Notes: Keep a wine journal to record tasting notes of your experiences, including the wines you’ve tried, your observations and your preferences. Documenting your impressions can help you identify patterns and enhance your abilities of how to taste wine over time.

Seek Guidance: Attend wine tastings, classes, and workshops led by knowledgeable sommeliers and wine professionals. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek guidance from experts who can offer valuable insights and recommendations.

Trust Your Senses: While tasting wine like a sommelier involves analyzing its various components, it’s also important to trust your instincts and enjoy the experience.

In Tuscany, take a private tour of the Guardastelle estate with a wine expert to learn about the various grape varieties and visit the ancient cellars on Ultimate Italy, 

Bookmark for later: What to look for in a top-quality Pinot Noir, by wine expert Courtney Kingston

What to expect from some popular wines

Chardonnay is known for its versatility, offering a range of flavors from crisp green apple and citrus to creamy vanilla and buttery notes. Depending on the winemaking style, you may encounter oak influences such as toastiness and caramel. Coming from a cool climate wine region, expect a medium to full-bodied wine with moderate acidity.

A Cabernet Sauvignon typically features bold flavors of blackcurrant, black cherry and plum, complemented by hints of cedar and tobacco. It often has firm tannins and a full-bodied structure, with a long, satisfying finish. Look for wines with good acidity and aging potential.

Pinot Noir is renowned for its elegant and delicate profile, offering aromas of red fruits along with earthy and floral undertones. On the palate, expect a medium-bodied wine with silky tannins, vibrant acidity, and a smooth, lingering finish.

Last but not least, Sauvignon Blanc is known for its bright and zesty character, featuring aromas of citrus, green apple and tropical fruits like passion fruit and pineapple. It often exhibits herbal notes of grass, green bell pepper and gooseberry, with refreshing acidity and a crisp, clean finish.

Enjoy wine tastings with Luxury Gold in some of the world’s most iconic wine producing countries, including Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Chile, South Africa and Australia, with our worldwide collection of small group journeys.

Picture the scene: a sommelier comes over as you flick through the wine list. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of options to choose from. You feel overwhelmed: you know what you like, but you’re interested in trying something new. It can be hard to know what to ask a wine professional, or how to talk their language. We caught up with Aisling Bury, sommelier and Restaurant Manager at The Olive Tree in Bath, UK ‒ the city’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, which as a Luxury Gold guest you’ll visit on our British Royale journey ‒ to learn how to talk to a sommelier on your travels.

What is a sommelier?

First things first: what is a sommelier? Essentially, it’s the wine expert employed by a restaurant to help select wines for the venue. They talk guests through the wine list, helping them choose a good match for their dish. Depending on the country, a sommelier usually has a diploma or qualifications from an institution such as the Court of Master Sommeliers. Much of their role happens behind the scenes: designing a restaurant’s wine list ‒ which can run into the tens of thousands of bottles ‒ and working with head chefs to plan food and drink pairings. But they’re also here to guide you. If you’re wondering how to talk to a sommelier, think of what you want from the chat: usually, to help them understand your tastes while also learning a bit about the evening’s wines and getting some new recommendations. Go in confidently with this bluffer’s guide to sommelier talk.

For further reading: From Prosecco to Pecorino: a Guide to the Best Italian White Wines For 2024

Dishes and varieties

The Olive Tree specializes in seasonal fine dining (credit: @olivetreebath on Instagram)

By the time a sommelier comes over to your table, you’ll likely have had time to peruse the menu, and this is vital. You might like a Pinot Noir or a Sauvignon Blanc at home, but your choice of dish is the biggest influence on the wines they will choose. This is especially true of dishes involving red meat, fish, chocolate or cheese, but everything from herbs to char-grilling can influence their choice. So before your chat, note the dishes you’re most interested in ordering. Try to communicate what you like: even if you think you don’t the terminology of wine tasting, you’ll certainly know which flavors your palate responds to. Think of it like ordering a cocktail: you might tell a barman you prefer bright, acidic, citrus flavors, or mellow, sweet or fruity flavors. Those same preferences can be transferred to wine, so don’t be afraid to describe your favorite things to your sommelier.

A sommelier will often talk to you about dryness versus sweetness and the options of full-bodied, medium-bodied or lighter wines. These choices enhance different textures and flavors in your food: so a fatty meat might need a juicy, acidic wine to cut through that fattiness, while an off-dry white wine has the sweetness to complement spicy dishes.

For food lovers: Why South Africa is the Ultimate Setting For a Gourmet Road Trip

Scent and clarity

Once a first wine has been selected, your sommelier will pour you a small glass to try. But don’t knock it back just yet. “The first thing you’re going to do is swirl the wine,” explains Aisling Bury, who encourages diners to get a deep noseful of the wine’s aroma. “You’re looking for things that smell out of place; so scents of wet cellar, damp cardboard, a caramel note or just generally an unpleasant vinegar smell.” Next, you should hold the wine up to the light, taking note of the color and transparency of the liquid. “You’re looking for clarity,” explains Aisling. “Unless it’s a natural wine, you want it to be clear and not foggy.” Natural wines aren’t filtered or fined, due to their low-intervention style of winemaking, hence a slight cloudiness when you hold them to the light. Feel free to talk to a sommelier about how the wine was produced and any unusual techniques. 

Your sommelier may also talk to you about the “legs” on your wine. Aisling explains: “When you swirl a wine and it goes up the glass, it’s how slowly the little rivulets of liquid stream down the inside of a glass. The slower they move down suggests a higher alcohol content or sugar content in the wine.” Think of it as syrup running slowly down a glass surface, but water running quickly, hardly leaving any trace. The sweeter the wine, the slower the “legs”.  “Most people think that it’s either to do with the age of the wine or the quality of the wine, but it’s actually a lot simpler than that,” says Aisling.

Tasting the wine

Now, time to taste. Expert tasters swish a mouthful of wine around their mouths, identifying any sour, sweet, mineral, fruity or tannic notes. Tannins are substances from the wine skins and seeds that give your mouth a dry, coated feel, and are most common in red wines. You might take a small sip of air through your mouthful of wine to oxygenate the liquid and bring out different flavors.

One myth Aisling wants to bust is that this first taste is a chance for diners to give a wine the thumbs-up. “You’re not checking whether you like the wine,” she says. “At this point you’ve made your choice, so you’re checking to see if the wine is faulty, not whether or not you like it.” If either you or the sommelier detects a dank, musty, wet cardboard smell, or unpleasant taste, they may conclude the wine is “corked” and decide to open another bottle. Being corked simply means the bottle has become contaminated with cork taint, creating a chemical reaction. A sommelier may show you the wine’s cork, which will also smell if the wine is corked. 

Assuming the wine is of a good standard, take this opportunity to ask your sommelier questions about the country of origin and the winemakers who created it. They can tell you which grape varieties it is made from, what the terroir (earth) is like at the vineyard, any unusual methods that were employed, and which other foods it pairs best with.

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Three experiences to put your knowledge to the test

Fashionable mature women having fun toasting and drinking wine at luxurious restaurant in France

Rosés in Provence, France

On Luxury Gold’s 12-day Ultimate Southern France tour, you’ll stop by the prestigious Château La Coste winery outside Aix-en-Provence, to see its outdoor art and sculpture collection, stroll among the vines and try the acclaimed rosés. It’s had an “Organic Agriculture” label since 2009 thanks to its biodynamic methods of farming and production.

Cool-climate reds in Chile

Boutique winery Kingston Family Vineyards handcraft small-production batches of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in the cool climate of Chile’s Casablanca Valley, pioneering cool-climate reds as well as the white wines Chile is most famous for. Visit while touring the continent on Luxury Gold’s epic, 23-day Grand South America journey.

Scenic tastings in South Africa

On a nine-day Spectacular South Africa tour, you’ll meander through the luscious green countryside north of Cape Town, enjoying a scenic drive through the wineland towns of Paarl, Stellenbosch, and Franschhoek, packed with incredible vineyards. South Africa’s diverse wines are also a big part of your delicious Farm-to-Table meal at the award-winning Werf Restaurant, which is renowned for its sustainability.

Dine with us at The Olive Tree in Bath when you join our 10-day British Royale Journey 

Eating well in Paris is not difficult (even un poulet rôti in a brown bag from the market is delicious, par exemple), but if you want to eat at only the best restaurants in Paris, you must take care and you must plot your bookings well in advance. The long-time food capital of the world has a food scene that stretches far and wide, across arrondissements and cuisines, and you need your little black book to be very detailed, lest you trip up on idiosyncratic opening hours.

If you’re in town for multiple meals, you may want to factor in one extraordinary tasting menu (or menu de dégustation), one classic bistrot and one modern French restaurant, overseen by a chef of impeccable pedigree. You’ll find all three of these – and more – in our list below, which features our 10 current favorites. If you’re traveling with us on our Ultimate France journey, do discuss the possibility of extending your stay in Paris, so you can immerse yourself in the food scene, and eat a little bit of everything the food capital has to offer.

Le Clarence

31 Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 8th arrondissement

 

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We’ll begin with a bang, at a restaurant that’s twice as elegant as its beautiful name. Le Clarence is a two Michelin star chateau of gastronomy set in a lavish 19th century private mansion, just off the Champs-Élysées. It has all the chandeliers, wood paneling, drapery and period artworks one could hope to see on a night out in Paris – a perfectly flamboyant setting for a high-end multi-course meal that’s always full of surprises. The restaurant describes its cuisine as “vibrantly modern” but chef Christophe Pelé’s history includes many of Paris’s most acclaimed French fine dining restaurants. Choose between a five or seven course tasting menu, and settle in to your jewel box surrounds as you’re regaled with – perhaps – kadaif of langoustine, pig ears, citrus and green chilli cream, or morel gyoza with caviar and squid ink, orgrilled scallop with Sicilian tangerine and sorrel cream. Who knows? No spoilers here.

Table by Bruno Verjus

3 Rue de Prague, 12th arrondissement

 

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Before he was a restaurateur, Bruno Verjus lived many lives – as a medical student, an entrepreneur, a food writer and a radio host – but he has always cared deeply about ingredients. Table – one of the best high-end restaurants in Paris – is his rightful place, where he sources the very best of everything and elevates each ingredient without distorting it. He will animatedly talk to you about his suppliers, if that’s your kind of thing. And though the table at Table is in fact a wave-shaped counter, this is not a restaurant with casual credentials –it has two Michelin stars, and currently sits at number 3 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. It’s fine dining – a sensation of the Paris food scene –  but the atmosphere is warm and accessible. The daily menu is called “couleur du jour”, changing completely each day depending on what local producers have brought in. Bruno Verjus says, “we don’t place quantity orders, only quality”.

You may also enjoy reading: How Do Restaurants Get Awarded a Michelin Star?

Bistrot Paul Bert

18 Rue Paul Bert, 11th arrondissement

 

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What is the best French restaurant in Paris? It can be difficult for outsiders to decipher which traditional French restaurants are worth their appetites, but this bistrot is everything you need it to be. It has a mostly burgundy color scheme and a prix fixe menu which is presented to your table on its chalkboard. This is not just one of the best bistrots in Paris, it’s one of the best places to eat in Paris, and you must book it in advance (by phone, in as much French as you can muster). The menu is all your French dining dreams come true. For instance, to start: crème de lentilles au fois gras or house terrine. Then: onglet with shallots and fries, or sole meunière. Leave space for dessert, because all the French classics are here, vying to live in your memory forever: chocolate mousse, Grand Marnier soufflé, or the crown of your vacation: the Paris-Brest (a choux pastry ring, with praline crème mousseline).

Kubri

108 Rue Amelot, 11th arrondissement

 

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If you want to book something dynamic and creative, this Lebanese restaurant in the trendy north Marais is special. Kubri is run by three women, including chef Rita Higgins, who has put her beloved Lebanese cuisine firmly on the lists of the best restaurants in Paris, where it belongs. In a white and terracotta dining room, Parisians have fallen head over heels for Kubri’s three types of hummus (classic hummus, with zaatar and and dukkah; pea, mint and feta hummus; cuttlefish hummus). The rest of the menu is a riot of color and flavor, with meze dishes like cauliflower fattoush, with feta, crispy shallot, pistachio, herbs and lemon, as well as larger ‘tabak’ dishes like Lala roasted chicken with toum and black lime labneh. There are beautiful French and Lebanese wines, plus fabulous cocktails and homemade iced teas. Kubri is just a damn good time – for vegetarians, pescatarians, meat-eaters and everyone else, too.

Bookmark for later: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024 and Where to Find Them

Septime

80 Rue de Charonne, 11th arrondissement

 

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Rue de Charonne is a long, winding 17th century road that spans the whole of the 11th arrondissement. There, eyewear boutiques sit between fromageries, concept stores and très chic French brands like Sessun and Isabel Marant. This is also where you’ll find Septime, which Michelin describes as “the quintessence of the new breed of Parisian restaurants, resolutely hip and trendy, but also unwaveringly committed to good food”. It’s true this has become a genre of its own, but Septime was early on the scene, with its stripped back, industrial style interiors (big wooden tables, exposed lightbulbs) and contemporary bistro kitchen helmed by a chef (Bertrand Grébaut) who rose through the ranks at three Michelin-star Arpège, with French food legend Alain Passard. The setting is relaxed, and the seven-course dinner is always a thrill from beginning to end. If you can’t get a table, its sister wine bar, Septime La Cave, is round the corner on Rue Basfroi, offering 10 rotating natural wines by the glass, and a few small plates.

Sushi B

5 Rue Rameau, 2nd arrondissement

If you love Michelin-starred sushi, find a way to make one of the eight seats at Sushi B your own. Close to the Richelieu site of the historic and grandiose National Library of France the diminutive Sushi B is quietly exquisite, with lots of marble, straight lines and fine glassware. Choose the omakase menu to enjoy the chef’s choice of sushi and sashimi as well as two plates of the day. Dishes that foodies wax lyrical about at Sushi B include Breton lobster with wild asparagus and broad beans in a soy-cream sauce, fillet of grilled seabass with spinach and lemon-flavored dashi, and sashimi of amberjack. Remember Sushi B if you need somewhere on a Sunday, when many restaurants are closed, or if you’re dining alone – you may just grab the last seat.

You may also be interested to read: This Country Takes the Crown for the Most Michelin-Starred Restaurants in 2024

Plénitude

8 Quai du Louvre, 8th arrondissement

 

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Follow the trail of luxury: in the Samaritaine department store, a veritable palace of fashion, food and lifestyle, owned by LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA), you’ll find the Cheval Blanc Hotel, which describes itself as “a confidential haven”. Cheval Blanc is an incredibly sophisticated address, with glittering views of the Seine, and it contains the modern, light-filled dining room that belongs to Plénitude, a three Michelin-star cocoon of culinary wonders. Head Chef Arnaud Donckel is an artist and it’s impossible not to be awed by his process. He pays unfathomable attention to sauces, devoting himself to jus, dressings and elixirs and putting them centre stage. It’s like nothing you’ve seen or tasted before. And there’s yet more genius coming from pastry chef Maxime Frédéric, whose millefeuille took him two years to design. Plénitude means “fullness” and Michelin describes this epic Parisian restaurant as “the absolute pinnacle of fine dining”.

Le Colimaçon

44 Rue Vieille du Temple, 4th arrondissement

 

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Meandering the lively Marais on foot is a timeless activity for visitors to Paris, when the icons have been ticked off the sightseeing list. Once the city’s Jewish quarter, the Marais is full of patisseries, legendary falafel spots and big fashion brands, plus King Henry IV’s Place de Vosges, and the one-of-a-kind Centre Pompidou, too. But it’s never been a hub for the best restaurants in Paris, which is what makes Le Colimaçon such a find. It’s just a perfect little traditional French restaurant, exactly where you need it to be, with a big welcoming blackboard out the front, and adorable tables in windows with wrought iton balconies, overlooking the hubbub. It’s the pitstop you need in your back pocket. Head here for: six perfect crispy snails with garlic-parsley butter, eggs with truffle mayonnaise, knife-cut steak tartare with fries, duck confit, and bourbon vanilla crème brûlée. Then – if you can – get back out there and meander.

For even more French travel inspiration: Sophisticated And Stylish: Why Southern France Is Unmissable

Double Dragon

52 Rue Saint-Maur, 11th arrondissement

 

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Our fourth and final entry in the 11th arrondissement, where so many exciting menus are being drawn up every day, Double Dragon is an ‘Asian canteen’ run by sisters Katia and Tatiana Levha, who are also behind nearby Le Servan, the popular bistro with the big gold bar. Double Dragon holds a Bib Gourmand from Michelin for “cooking that is full of character”. Menus feature items like a Comte bao bun served with XO mayonnaise, a version of the Filipino dish lechon kawali (crispy, honey-glazed pork) and cauliflower kare-kare (Filipino curry) with peanut sauce and Thai chilli jam. Not forgetting the muscovado brownie with toasted rice ice cream. If they’re fully booked, you can usually put your name on a waiting list, so try your luck and head for the local caves à vin while you wait.

Les Arlots

136 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 10th arrondissement

This is a brilliant lunch if you need to be near the Gare du Nord, as visitors to Paris often do. But it’s one of the best places to eat in Paris if you don’t, too. It’s a small, cosy, carnivorous cavern, with a zinc bar and hundreds of wine bottles on shelves. There is scarcely a more ideal, more French plate than Les Arlots’ signature homemade herby sausage, with smooth, buttery mashed potatoes and gravy. And if that doesn’t sound very refined to you, wait until you eat it. There’s also (depending on seasonality and availability) a tuna tartare with (perhaps) artichoke and strawberry, and a divine dry-aged onglet steak (one of the best in the city). A sommelier will talk you through the wall of wine, and help you to choose something wonderful. Reservations are essential, particularly if you have a Eurostar to catch.

FAQs:

Is there a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower in Paris?

Currently, the two Michelin star Le Jules Verne occupies a space on the deuxieme étage (second floor), what they refer to as “a mythical setting”.

How many Michelin star restaurants are there in Paris?

As of 2024, there were 121 Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, making Paris the second city in the world for Michelin-starred restaurants, after Tokyo.

What is the most expensive restaurant in Paris?

At Guy Savoy, the 13-course tasting menu costs 680 euros per person. For comparison, Table by Bruno Verjus’s tasting menu costs 480 euros per person.

Of course exceptional French gastronomy is not only found in Paris. Take a look at our Ultimate France small group journey to see what else you could be tasting.