INTRODUCTORY

SOMMELIER
COURSE AND EXAM
 CMS TASTING METHOD

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING EVALUATIVE METHODOLOGY

 Taste with purpose

 Improve your palate and ability to taste

 Develop your aroma/taste/flavor memory

 Improve your ability to describe and sell wine

 Form valuable references to classic wines of the world

 HOW WE WILL
APPROACH THIS

• We will teach you the

language and format used to
describe wine

• You will often hear this

systematic approach called
“The Grid”
THE GRID
Tasting
Evaluation
Format
PRO TIP!
 AREAS OF EVALUATIVE TASTING

SIGHT
PALATE

NOSE

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |8
SIGHT

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |9
KEYS TO
EVALUATING SIGHT

 Tilt the glass away from you at

45º
 White background
 Evaluate in the best light possible
(daylight)
 Hold the glass by the stem
 Clean, well-polished glass

10
 SIGHT

Clarity
 Turbidity- the amount of solids in the wine
 Winemaking technique
 Filtered vs. unfiltered wine
 Age
• Aged wines can precipitate sediment
• Youthful, highly extracted wine may also contain sediment

Clarity Scale: Clear / Hazy / Turbid

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |1 1
 SIGHT
Sediment & Particles
White Wines
 Visible tartrates
 Seen as crystals
 Often removed before bottling
• Filtration
• Cold stabilization
 Mention if there

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |1 2
SIGHT
Sediment & Particles
Red Wines
 Color pigment and tannin
precipitate as red wine ages

 Sediment is also found in

young unfiltered red wine

 Mention if there

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |1 3
SIGHT
Concentration of Color
 Intensity or depth of color
 Gives clues to a wine’s…
• Age
• Storage conditions
• Possibly grape variety
Concentration of Color Scale
• Pale / Medium / Deep

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |1 4
SIGHT
Concentration of Color
 White Wines
• Age (youthful or aged)
• Barrel use
• Botrytis
• Grape variety pigment
• Other exposure to oxygen

15
SIGHT
Concentration of Color
 Red Wines
• Grape variety
• Color extraction
• Age

16
 SIGHT
Colors of White Wine

STRAW YELLOW GOLD

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 SIGHT
Colors of Red Wine

PURPLE RUBY/RED GARNET

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 SIGHT
Secondary Colors & Hues

WHITE WINE RED WINE

 Silver  Ruby
 Green  Garnet
 Copper  Orange
 Gold  Brown
 Blue

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |1 9
SIGHT
Rim Variation
 Phenomenon of age
 Color difference between core and
rim
 The older the wine, the more rim
variation
SIGHT
Color Extract & Staining
 For Red Wines
 Intense extraction of color
(vinification)
 Warm climates
 Highly pigmented grape varieties
 Scale:
None / Light / Medium / Heavy
SIGHT
Tearing
 Created by:
• Alcohol
• Residual sugar
 Shape & cleanliness of glass
 Thin vs thick tears
 Staining or coloration
 Scale:
Light / Medium / Heavy
SIGHT
Gas Evidence
 Usually in young wines that are
bottled soon after fermentation
 CO2 from fermentation trapped in
bottle
 Often seen in cool climate white
wines
 Screw cap closures
 Mention only it if its there
NOSE

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |2 4
 NOSE

 The most important aspect of

tasting
 Human sense of smell vs
sense of taste vs flavor
 Aroma accounts for 85% of
flavor
 Swirl the glass

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |2 5
NOSE
Clean vs. Flawed
First things first! Is the wine clean?
Be aware of the following wine flaws
• TCA / Corkiness
• Oxidation
• Volatile Acidity - VA
• Ethyl Acetate - EA
• Excess Sulfur Dioxide - SO2
• Brettanomyces
• Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |2 6
NOSE
Intensity of Aroma

Scale:
 Low (delicate)
 Moderate
 High (powerful)

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |2 7
NOSE
Age Assessment
Scale:
 Youthful
• Young, bright, primary fresh fruit aromas

 Developing
• Beginning to show signs of age

 Vinous
• Signs of age and oxidation

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |2 8
NOSE
Describing Aroma - Fruit
WHITE WINES
 Apple/Pear: Green, red, or yellow apples, pears

 Citrus: Lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, tangerine

 Stone/Pitted Fruit: Peach, nectarine, apricot

 Tropical Fruit: Pineapple, mango, papaya, passion fruit

 Melon: Cantaloupe, honeydew

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |2 9
NOSE
Describing Aroma - Fruit
RED WINES
 Red Fruits: Cherry, raspberry, red plum, cranberry, strawberry pomegranate

 Black Fruits: Blackberry, black cherry, black plum, blackcurrant

 Blue Fruits: Blueberry, boysenberry

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |3 0
NOSE
Consider the Condition of the Fruit
Is the fruit……
 Ripe
 Fresh
 Tart
 Baked
 Cooked / Stewed
 Dried
 Desiccated
 Bruised
 Preserved / Jam
 NOSE
Consider the Condition of the Fruit… EVEN MORE!
NOSE
Describing Aroma - Nonfruit
 Flowers  Butter
 Spices  Honey
 Herbs  Leather
 Vegetal  Tobacco
 Animal  And much
 Fermentation more!
 Petrol

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |3 3
NOSE
Describing Aroma - Earth

 Forest floor
 Compost
 Mushrooms / truffle
 Potting soil
 Fresh-turned earth

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |3 4
NOSE
Describing Aroma - Mineral
 Wet Stone
 Limestone
 Chalk
 Slate
 Flint

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |3 5
NOSE
Describing Aroma - Oak
Aromas & flavors indicating oak use
 Baking Spices
 Vanilla
 Dill
 Coconut

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |3 6
NOSE
Describing Aroma - Oak
 Certain aromas can give an indication of
the type & size of barrel used
 Describing Oak / Scale
• None
• Large barrels vs. small barrique
• Old oak vs. new oak
• French vs. American oak

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |3 7
PALATE

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PALATE
 Take a SIP of the wine

 Gargle! Swish!

 Spit!

 Focus on how the flavors

evolve on your palate –
especially the finish
PALATE
Describing Flavor
Using the same descriptors as for the nose, describe each of the following…
• Fruit
• Fruit condition or character
• Non-fruit flavors
• Earth
• Mineral
• Wood (oak indicators)

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |4 0
PALATE
Describing Flavor

Anything new that was not there on the nose

or has changed on the palate?

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PALATE
Structure
Sweetness / Dryness
 The presence of residual sugar in the wine
 Bone Dry / Dry / Off-Dry / Medium Sweet / Sweet /
Lusciously Sweet

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |4 2
PALATE
Structure

Phenolic Bitterness (white wine)

 Cause: Specific grape varieties
 Effect: Sensed as bitterness and/or astringency

 Yes or No

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |4 3
PALATE
Structure

Tannin (red wine)

• Cause: From grape skins and or oak
• Effect: Sensed as bitterness and/or astringency
• Low / Medium - / Medium / Medium + / High

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |4 4
PALATE
Structure
Acidity
• Focus on the salivary glands and the finish
• Low / Medium - / Medium / Medium + / High

Alcohol
• Sensed as heat in the nose, throat and chest
• Low / Medium - / Medium / Medium + / High

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |4 5
PALATE
Structure
Body
• Weight of the wine
• Alcohol, glycerin and grape solids
• Light / Medium / Full

Texture
• The feel of the wine on the palate
• Lean / Creamy / Round / Other textures

I N T RO D U C T O RY C O U R S E |4 6
PALATE
Balance
• Does any one element dominate?

Length / Finish
• Length of time wine flavors stay on the palate after swallowing
• Short / Medium - / Medium / Medium + / Long
• Quality of the finish: tart, astringent, silky, bitter

Complexity
• The number of aromas and flavors in the wine
• Low / Medium - / Medium / Medium + / High
OTHER IMPORTANT
ASPECTS TO CONSIDER
• What made this wine
unique?

• Make a list of a few

important markers

• What types of food would

you pair with this wine?
THANK YOU!