Below is tasting guide I compiled from other folks' guides. Particularly, I would like comments on the relative weights (1:3:4:2) allocated to the four components (sight, smell, taste, overall) on the
10-point scale.I have tried these weights only on a few wines so far. A score of 6 seems to indicated a pleasant product.
Do these weights make sense or is there a better proportion? I look forward to your feedback.
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Tasting Guide
SIGHT (Appearance) (0-1 points) Consider clarity, brilliance and appropriateness of color. Downgrade for haze or opacity. If sparkling, consider persistence of the bubbles and pinpoint size.
CLARITY - cloudy, bitty, hazy, opaque, dull, clear, brilliant DEPTH - watery, pale, medium, deep, dark COLOR/HUE - (white wines) green tinge, pale yellow, yellow, gold, amber, brown (red wines) purple, purple/red, red, red/brown VISCOSITY - slight sparkle, watery, normal, heavy, thin, oily DESCRIPTION: straw, amber, tawny, ruby, garnet
SMELL (Aroma/Bouquet) (0-3 points) Is it pleasant or unappetizing? What specific aromas can you identify? Consider both fruit smells and other aroma qualities that may result from oak or bottle age.
GENERAL APPEAL - neutral, clean, attractive, outstanding, off (e.g. yeasty, acetic, oxidized, woody, etc.) FRUIT AROMA - none, slight, positive, identifiable (e.g. Riesling) BOUQUET - none, pleasant, complex, powerful DESCRIPTION: cedar, cigar box, woody, corky, flowery, smoky, honeyed, lemony, spicy, moldy, sulphury, chemical, pungent, oxidized, microbiological, floral, spicy, fruity, vegetative, nutty, caramelized, earthy
TASTE (Flavor/Palate) (0-4 points) Is it "dry" or sweet? Full-bodied or light? Is it appropriately acidic (sour), tongue-twistingly sour, or lacking acid ("flabby")? Does the flavor seem consistent with the aroma? Does it remind you of any specific fruit or other flavor? Is the flavor appropriate to this wine? Finally, is the "finish" or "aftertaste," the flavor remaining in your mouth after you swallow, short, medium or long in duration?
SWEETNESS (white wines) - bone-dry, dry, medium-dry, medium-sweet, sweet, very sweet TANNIN (red wines) - bitter, astringent, hard, dry, soft FRUIT - highly extracted, rich, luscious, deep, disappearing or drying out, gone ACIDITY - flat, refreshing, marked, tart, sour BODY - very light and thin, light, medium, full-bodied, heavy LENGTH (FINISH) - short, acceptable, extended, lingering, layered BALANCE - unbalanced, good, very well, perfect TEXTURE - creamy, silky, elegant, big DESCRIPTION: apply, bitter, blackcurrants, burnt, caramel, earthy, fat, flinty, green, heady, inky, flabby, mellow, metallic, moldy, nutty, salty, silky, sappy, spicy, fleshy, woody, watery
OVERALL (Quality) (0-2 points) After the aftertaste has faded, what do you think of the wine overall? Is it pleasant and appealing? Simple or complex? Are all the components in balance. Does it make you want another sip? In short, do you like it?
IMPRESSION - coarse, poor, acceptable, fine, outstanding DESCRIPTION: supple, fine, elegant, harmonious, rich, delicate, complex
TOTAL (0-10 points) Your final score, the total of the four elements above, "grades" the wine on your personal scoring form.
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