Wine Tasting Protocol: From the Five Senses to the Master of Wine
Tasting wine well is a learnable skill, not an innate talent. The vocabulary and the techniques are systematic, the aroma wheel is navigable, and the professional qualification ladders — WSET, Court of Master Sommeliers, Master of Wine — are structured so that anyone with sufficient dedication can progress through them. Understanding the protocol makes the difference between drinking wine and actually tasting it, and the difference between reading a tasting note and understanding what the note is trying to communicate.
The Five S's
The five S's — See, Swirl, Smell, Sip, Savour — are the foundational framework for any structured wine tasting. They are a mnemonic more than a prescription, but the order matters because each stage builds on the last.
See: Examine the wine against a white background in good light. Observe the colour's hue (for reds: purple-ruby-garnet-brick-tawny, moving from young to old; for whites: greenish-straw-gold-amber, similar progression), intensity (pale, medium, deep), and clarity (clear vs slightly hazy — relevant in natural and unfiltered wines). The colour gives information about the grape variety (Nebbiolo is pale even when young; Malbec is opaque and purple), the age (bricking at the rim indicates age in reds; deep amber in whites indicates either oxidation or botrytis ageing), and the winemaking (a russet haze suggests natural or unfiltered wine).
Swirl: Swirling the glass coats the sides and accelerates evaporation of volatile aromatic compounds. The "legs" (glycerin streaks running down the glass after swirling) are a function of alcohol and glycerol content — high legs suggest high alcohol or residual sugar, though they are not a quality indicator. Swirl for five to ten seconds before smelling.
Smell: Nose the glass before and after swirling; the first nose before swirling catches the most delicate volatiles, which evaporation can strip away. Take a short, sharp sniff, then a longer exploratory breath. Allow the brain to process the aromatic impression before reaching for descriptors. The aroma wheel (developed by Ann Noble at UC Davis in 1984, revised in 2002) organises wine aromas into primary, secondary, and tertiary tiers — fruit, earth, and floral in the outer ring; broader categories (citrus, berry, tropical, floral) in the middle; generic descriptors (wine) at the centre. Using the wheel forces precision: not just "fruity" but "fresh red cherry" or "preserved plum" or "citrus peel."
Sip: Take a moderate sip and allow the wine to reach all parts of the palate — front (sweetness), sides (acidity and tannin), back (bitterness, weight, alcohol warmth). Hold the wine in the mouth for five to ten seconds. Many serious tasters draw a small amount of air through the wine while holding it (the "slurp"), which accelerates retro-nasal aromas reaching the olfactory epithelium. The palate delivers information about structural elements that the nose cannot: residual sugar, acidity (saliva production), tannin (drying sensation, astringency), body (overall weight and viscosity), alcohol (warmth in the throat), and finish (how long distinct flavour remains after swallowing or spitting).
Savour: Consider the finish — how long, and in which direction. A great wine's finish extends for twenty or more seconds (counted in caudalies, units developed by Michael Broadbent); a simple wine's finish disappears in under five. The quality of the finish — whether it becomes bitter, hot, or harsh, or whether it remains complex and harmonious — tells you more about a wine's quality than almost any other factor.
Spitting at Trade Tastings
Professional wine tasting, at any event involving more than two or three wines, requires spitting to preserve palate and mental acuity. Trade tastings — Prowein, Vinexpo, the Grand Crus Classés en Primeur events in Bordeaux — involve dozens to hundreds of wines in a single session, and drinking even a fraction of each would make accurate assessment impossible within the first hour. Spitting is not considered rude at professional tastings; it is mandatory for serious work.
At amateur tastings — wine dinners, consumer events, winery visits — spitting is less universal but entirely acceptable and increasingly normalised. Any winery that receives serious tasters provides a spittoon; any sommelier or tasting room host will understand if you spit. Spitting has nothing to do with disrespecting the wine: it is how the wine is actually evaluated.
The WSET Ladder
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) provides the most widely recognised wine education qualification ladder in the world, with over 700,000 candidates annually in 70 countries.
Level 1 (WSET Award in Wines): Entry-level. One day. Covers basic wine styles, varieties, and service. No formal prerequisite.
Level 2 (WSET Award in Wines): Intermediate. Typically two days of instruction plus self-study. Covers the major wine regions and varieties systematically, introduces the Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine (SAT) analytical framework, and requires a multiple-choice examination.
Level 3 (WSET Award in Wines): Advanced. The most commercially significant WSET qualification. Requires multiple months of study and a combined written-examination and blind-tasting assessment. Covers all major wine regions, climate, viticulture, vinification, and appellation law in detail.
Level 4 (WSET Diploma in Wines): The pre-Master of Wine qualification. A two-year part-time programme equivalent to an undergraduate wine studies degree. Six units covering sparkling, fortified, still wines, spirits, business, and a research paper. The Diploma is the most technically demanding commercially available wine qualification and the standard prerequisite for the Master of Wine.
Master of Wine and Master Sommelier
The Master of Wine (MW) is awarded by the Institute of Masters of Wine in London, founded in 1953. There are currently approximately 420 MWs worldwide. Qualification requires passing three theory papers covering viticulture, vinification, and the contemporary global wine trade, plus a practical tasting examination (blind identification and evaluation of 12 flights of wines over three sessions), and submission of a 10,000-word research paper on an approved topic. The MW is the most demanding wine qualification in existence; the average candidate takes five or more years and multiple examination attempts.
The Master Sommelier (MS) is awarded by the Court of Master Sommeliers, founded in the UK in 1969. There are approximately 270 Masters globally. The Court's examination structure leads through three stages — Introductory, Certified, and Advanced Sommelier — before the Master Sommelier examination, which includes a theory exam, service examination (decanting, table-side service, beverage pairing), and a blind tasting of six wines in 25 minutes requiring variety, vintage, country, and appellation identification. The MS focuses more on restaurant service and beverage management than the MW's trade and academic orientation.
The Decanter Scoring System
Decanter Magazine, the world's most widely read wine publication, uses a 100-point scoring system for its annual Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) — the largest wine competition in the world by entry volume (approximately 18,000 wines annually). The Decanter scale runs: Bronze (87-89), Silver (90-94), Gold (95-96), Platinum (97-98), and Best in Show (the highest tier). Critical notes in the magazine use the same scale. Independent critics including Robert Parker (Wine Advocate, 100-point), Wine Spectator (100-point), Jancis Robinson (20-point scale), and Falstaff/James Suckling also publish widely referenced scores. The diversity of scoring systems means that cross-comparison requires understanding the scale in use.
Flight Sequencing
The order in which wines are tasted significantly affects the impression each makes. The professional rule: whites before reds, lighter before fuller, drier before sweeter, younger before older. Each principle has a chemical basis: a tannic red after a heavy sweet wine will taste harsh and thin; a light Muscadet after a rich Puligny-Montrachet will seem almost flavourless. Opening with sparkling wine cleanses and stimulates the palate; finishing with a sweet or fortified wine allows its intensity to close the tasting without obliterating earlier impressions.
At a winery tasting of a single estate's range, the progression typically follows the estate's hierarchy: entry wines first, prestige wines last. At a comparative tasting of, say, ten Barolo from different producers, the flight should proceed from younger and lighter to older and more structured to prevent palate fatigue from the tannin-heaviest wines skewing perception of the lighter ones that follow.
Find Estates to Taste on the Map
The winery map lists producers across every major appellation discussed in WSET and MW curricula, with tasting room information. Use it to plan a visit that puts your tasting skills into practice — there is no better education than tasting wines in the vineyards where they are produced.