How to taste wine without being ‘that person’

Tasting wine well has nothing to do with swirling dramatically or announcing notes of “wet slate.” It’s much simpler than that, and a lot more fun.

Start by looking — tip the glass against something white and notice the colour. Then smell: give it a gentle swirl, put your nose right in, and ask yourself what it reminds you of. Berries? Citrus? Something toasty? There are no wrong answers.

Then sip, and let it sit on your tongue for a second before you swallow. Notice whether your mouth waters (that’s the acidity), whether it feels grippy (that’s tannin), and how long the flavour hangs around after.

That’s the whole game: look, smell, sip, notice. You don’t need the vocabulary — you just need to pay a little attention and say what you actually taste. Do that at a tasting and you’ll get more out of every glass, no pretension required.