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.

We also think you’ll like: For Fine Dining in Spain, This City Sets the Gold Standard

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 

How can you choose just 20 out of the thousands of life-affirming restaurants in France, the most visited country in the world, the country that consistently tops the Michelin guide? If you have plans to join us on one of our France luxury tours, you’ll want to make sure you have a few special meals along the way. We’ve listed 20 of the best restaurants in France below, but before we launch into them, we thought we’d answer some FAQs.

What should I eat at a French restaurant?

Everything! Sometimes menus in traditional bistrots read like lists of your most long-held desires, and they’re different between regions. You won’t want to skip town without getting a steak-frites, a sole meunière, a terrine de Campagne, a French onion soup, a bouillabaisse, a croque monsieur, a Paris-Brest, an îles flottantes, a crème brûlée and eight crepes under your burgeoning belt … will you?

Do you tip at restaurants in France?

Tipping in France is optional so there is no specific percentage you need to keep in mind, but of course good servers appreciate and deserve a gratuity. French restaurant bills include a 15% service charge by law and waiters get paid a living wage, but a discretionary pourboire is commonplace.

How many Michelin star restaurants are there in France?

Unsurprisingly, France is the country with the most Michelin-starred restaurants: 654 in 2025. This includes 31 restaurants with three Michelin stars and 75 restaurants with two Michelin stars.

You may also enjoy reading: What To Wear To A Michelin Star Restaurant

Are restaurants open in France on Sunday?

The eternal question! Who among us hasn’t planned their trip to France to within an inch of its life only to be met with an unexpected French public holiday? Many more restaurants in France do open on Sundays these days, but if you want to eat somewhere specific, you must check and plan well in advance.

Arpège

Paris (7th arrondissement)

Initially, chef Alain Passard’s vegetarian menu was considered radical, but now there are decorated vegan restaurants aplenty. Nonetheless, someone had to get things going, and Arpège continues to be one of the best restaurants in France. It has three Michelin stars, despite (or maybe because of) the kitchen flying by the seat of its pants, sending out whatever ingredients happen to be seasonal and good on any given day.

Mirazur

Menton

This restaurant’s dramatic spot is unsurpassed – it sits in a 1930s-era rotunda building at the foot of the mountains, with panoramic views of the sparkling sea. Somehow, it’s also surrounded by gardens, in which wild rosemary, jasmine, almonds, medlars, peaches, grapes, cherries, asparagus, lemons and flowers thrive, just before they arrive on your plate. It’s a Cote d’Azur dream scene.

Table by Bruno Verjus

Paris

One of the best restaurants in France, but very much itself, Table offers fine dining with an atmosphere that’s warm and accessible. Over the wave-shaped counter, Bruno Verjus himself will happily talk you through his ingredients of the day. The daily menu is called “couleur du jour”, changing completely depending on what his trusted local producers have brought him.

 

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Septime

Paris (11th arrondissement)

Chef Bertrand Grébaut worked at Arpège before he opened Septime, which has redefined what contemporary bistro-style dining can be. The interior – bare wood, industrial lighting, exposed concrete and ivory pillar candles – lets the cooking shine. Look out for truffle potato velouté with brioche, veal sweetbreads with harissa and couscous broth, and some (when in season) special asparagus alchemy.

Maison Lameloise

Chagny, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

In a former post house in the heart of Burgundy, chef Éric Pras brings light, playfulness and vibrancy to classic Burgundian cooking. Think: snail tart with fizzy pickled garlic and nettle coulis, a seared scallop in lemon broth, and a chocolate-cassis mousse.

You may also like to read: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024 and Where to Find Them

Le Doyenne

Saint-Vrain

Le Doyenné is a restaurant, guesthouse, and farm set within the historical grounds of the Château de Saint-Vrain, about an hour south of Paris. Guests dine in stunningly restored stables, beneath soaring wooden eaves, with views of the cottage garden. The “potager” (kitchen garden) is the beating heart of the restaurant – chefs harvest the choicest picks each morning.

 

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Pic

Valence, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 

The Pic family has been through the Michelin wringer – beginning with three Michelin stars in 1939 and currently holding three again, under Anne-Sophie Pic, the only female chef in France to hold three stars. The Michelin guide describes Anne-Sophie Pic  as “an iconic figure” and her gastronomy is served the appropriate way – on a porcelain plate, under a cloche.

Flocons de Sel

Megève

Emmanuel Renaut fell in love with the Haute-Savoie as a child visiting the mountains on daytrips. Now, he showcases his profound and extraordinary knowledge of Alpine ingredients at the mesmerising chalet that houses his three-Michelin-star restaurant. He says of his menu: “Behind each product are the men and women who enhance our mountain landscape”.

Discover more about our luxury journeys to France: Sophisticated and Stylish: why Southern France is Unmissable

Le Petit Nice

Marseille

Another address with three Michelin stars, this epically sun-soaked restaurant describes its location as “between sky and sea”, which is an accurate summation of its panoramic views. The colors here are only white and various blues; the menu is a heady combination of Mediterranean and maritime, with any combination of dentex, bream, bonito, whiting, comber, snapper and moray coming straight from the fishing boats.

 

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L’Auberge de l’Ill

Illhaeusern

This age-old auberge is an Alsatian inn in the truest, most decadent sense – in a storybook riverside setting, complete with manicured lawns and copious weeping willows. The restaurant is something of an institution, now helmed by chef Marc Haeberlin, grandson of the founders. It’s one of the best restaurants in France for dessert.

Epicure

Paris (8th arrondissement)

At Le Bristol, one of the most iconic luxury hotels in France and indeed the world, no fewer than three Michelin stars will do. Candelabras, damask upholstery, Louis XVI chairs and tasseled tablecloths set the haute cuisine tone at Epicure, where the dishes are technically flawless and endlessly delicious.

Bookmark for later: The Best Restaurants in Paris and Where to Find Them

Régis et Jacques Marcon

Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

A father (Régis) and son (Jacques) are behind this unique, somewhat out-of-the-way spot, amid rolling hills, two hours west of Lyon. There are 10 rooms if you need to stay overnight. The village sits in a cool, damp microclimate, making it famous for its mushrooms, which are abundant on the three-Michelin-star menu every autumn.

 

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La Table d’Elise

Monaco

This is a modern, generous restaurant with one Michelin star that visitors to Monaco should keep in their back pockets (if you happen to be taking our 12-day journey  Ultimate Southern, for instance). The menu is perfectly Provencale: cod with aioli and seasonal vegetables, crab and leek ravioli and slow-cooked Sisteron lamb shoulder with caramelized onions, raisins, cinnamon and semolina.

La Grenouillère

La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil

In a classic old farmhouse by a stream in the picturesque village close to Calais, chef Alexandre Gauthier’s incredible avant-garde culinary personality disrupts the idyllic setting. Inside, the dining room is as artistic and experimental as the food, with lots of glass, wood and rusted metal. The menu is 11 courses of riotous flavor and texture.

You may also enjoy: This Country Takes the Crown for the Most Michelin-Starred Restaurants in 2024

Flaveur

Nice

There are two Michelin stars at Flaveur, one for each of the chefs, brothers Gaël and Mickaël Torteaux. Their menus are inspired by their travels and childhoods in Guadeloupe. In the heart of Nice, the dining room has huge fish-themed wooden cut-outs on the walls and space for just 20 diners. The three, four and seven-course menus are wild adventures.

 

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Pierre Gagnaire

Paris (8th arrondissement)

Another address in Paris means you should probably book our 14-day Ultimate France journey and then stay in the capital for a hectic schedule of haute cuisine at the end. Grandiosely located just off the Champs-Élysées, Pierre Gagnaire is the iconic, poetic restaurant from the chef who grew up in his father Jean Claude’s Michelin-star kitchen. On his website, the chef says “I want to put feeling and intelligence into my cooking. People need poetry, tenderness and well-made things”.

La Villa Madie

Cassis

L’Anse de Corton is a magical little cove known to the people of Cassis, but not to everyone else. La Villa Madie sits snugly within it, a restaurant that was once the darling of Cassis and is now one of the best restaurants in France, even though its chef-owners – Marielle and Dimitri Droisneau – modestly describe themselves as a ‘contemporary innkeeper couple’.

You might be interested to learn: How Do Restaurants Get Awarded a Michelin Star?

Rouge

Nimes

Beninese chef Georgiana Viou brings her favorite West African flavors, her warm disposition and her love for her adopted hometown of Marseille to the table. The result is a creative, Mediterranean fusion menu. The dining room is a cosy, welcoming space, featuring rose velvet, marble and amber tones. The patio is even more inviting.

 

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La Vague d’Or

Saint-Tropez

Among the pine trees and bikinis of Saint-Tropez, La Vague d’Or is chef Arnaud Donckele’s three Michelin-star tribute to this unique, seductive place. He promises guests a magical journey through land and sea, celebrating the traditions of the region, and remaining steadfast on his quest for innovation.

Les Prés d’Eugénie – Michel Guérard

Eugénie-les-Bains, Nouvelle Acquitaine

Michel Guérard, one of the founders of la nouvelle cuisine, sadly died in 2024. This restaurant in a stunningly serene spa hotel, overseen for a few years now by head chef Hugo Souchet, is a testament to Guérard’s dedication and to how admired he was. It’s a light, enchanting temple to French gastronomy, which has retained its three Michelin stars since 1977.

Feeling inspired to experience the best France has to offer, or may the rest of the world? Take a look at our collection of small group luxury journeys.