1) When you are a complete novice:

Don’t look for aroma or flavor, ask yourself the most basic question: Is this wine strong? Is this wine astringent? Is this wine sour? These are the most basic structures of a wine. If you can really accurately judge the richness, tannin, and acidity of a wine, as well as their coordination, then you are not far from the level of a master. . .

2) When you are a semi-rookie:

A. When smelling the aroma, ask yourself whether the smell is sweet (fruity) or salty (savoury/earthy) earthy). Although you can’t smell the gardenia, black currant, pepper, tomato leaves, or cinnamon in this wine, I believe you can make the difference between sweet and salty! !

B. If you don’t know what fruity taste feels like, it’s very simple. Find an old wine and a new wine (the quality of both should not be too bad or too good, because a top wine has been aged for decades. The aftertaste may still be maintained very well), you can understand exactly what the fruity flavor is.

3) When you are no longer such a novice

A. What you need to learn to try to feel is the state of the fruit and its maturity (especially through the aroma): whether it is raw, green or hard Astringent and sour fruits, still fresh and crisp fruits dripping with dew, still just ripe fruits that are about to fall off the branches, still ripe fruits that are a little out of date, or still fruits that can be used to make jam. , or has it been made into preserved fruit?

It is also very simple to compare different fruit states. Find a hot New World production area (such as Barossa Valley in Australia, Napa Valley in the United States, etc.), and then find a cooler Old World production area (such as Burgundy, France), you will know that the ripeness of the wine fruit can really be drunk! ! If you go down this broad road, you will be one step closer to the ultimate dream of poseurs - a year of blind tasting! ! !

B. Gradually learn the different types of wine flavors: I'm going to leave this out here. Please continue to pay attention to our column "Penguin Guide to Eating and Drinking". We will explain the wine flavors most clearly in history. The picture was taken out!

C. Learn to understand the unique texture and dynamics of a wine. These are relatively high-level, and we will talk about them later.

Summary: If you have the above skills, it’s time to judge the quality and style!

Taste structure: tell me whether this wine is more boney (sour, astringent) or meaty (wine body, flavor intensity); adjectives for boney include: strong, refreshing, refreshing, etc.; Adjectives that are more fleshy include: plump, round, soft, etc. Being boneless and meatless is called dull.

In terms of flavor characteristics: tell me whether this wine is fruity or non-fruity; whether it is simple or complex

Okay, you have basically understood this wine clearly. .

Variety and production areas:

Warning: Don’t jump into the different characteristics of different production areas at once! ! That's the last step! !

To learn wine well, the most important thing is to know what factors affect the style of wine.

Climate is the biggest factor in determining style. The wine that comes from a hot place will be rich, and the wine that comes from a cold place will be refreshing. There is no doubt about it. So if you like refreshing wine, should you choose Chile, or Austria?

You have to know first whether it’s Chilean fever or Austrian fever, right? !

So, if you want to learn wine well, you must learn geography well! ! !

Climate will affect which varieties are grown where, and varieties will be shaped by the unique local terroir. So the order that affects wine style is: climate - gt; variety - gt; specific place of origin

So:

When I am a novice:

1 ) learn climate. Learn where it is hot and where it is cold, where is the Mediterranean climate, where is the continental climate, and what varieties are suitable for different climates.

When you are a semi-rookie:

2) Learn varieties.

Learn the natural characteristics and taste characteristics of each variety, and the relationship between the two. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon has thick skin and small grapes, so the flavor is naturally rich; Chardonnay, for example, has a neutral aroma, so wooden barrels are often used to increase its complexity.

When you are not so new:

3) Learn about the specific production areas and understand the different microclimates, different soil types, different brewing traditions of different sites, etc. There will be no shortage of discussions about the production area if there is a place where poseurs drink. Young man, quickly lay the foundation of climate and varieties, and go for the quality of the production area! !