How Long to Develop Your Tasting Abilities?

[Brian_Tuite]

@Dave McCloskey

Here’s one approach to developing your Palette. Start with a flat rounded piece of wood and place 12 different colors of paints on it in separate pools…

FIFY!

Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

[Jeff_NC]

@Guillaume Deschamps

First thing I’d say is that it doesn’t matter so much, at least if we’re talking about flavors. What’s probably more important is to at least understand what all the structural elements refer to (tannin, acidity, residual sugar and so on) and to learn to detect them.

Agree. Most people go on to the subtleties without understanding the basics. It happened to me, and I didn’t get too far. I’m starting from scratch again.

I’d make the list

• tannin
• acid
• sugar, if any (don’t confuse with fruit)
• fruit
• alcohol

Note if those are in balance, or in the ratio you prefer. Note which ratios go good with which types of food.

After that, you can start to talk about which kind of fruit, and if it has - beyond that - just a whiff of burnt tires, everlasting gobstoppers, and your old college roommate’s gym socks.

[Jeff_NC]

@Dave McCloskey

Here’s one approach to developing your palette. Go to the grocery store and buy, jams/preserves, dried fruits, fresh fruits, chocolates, coco powder, herbs, spices, vegetables etc., etc. and smell/taste each one. Take notes while you’re sampling and try and lock the different characteristics into your memory.

Try finding lychee. Or first drink a Gewurztraminer, and try to figure out what the hell that strong smell is. Then go buy a lychee. You’ll never forget that one as long as you live.

[Anton_D]

Absolutely agree with tasting in a group and discussing.

Also, play with the UC Davis aroma wheel and as you taste a wine, peruse the wheel vocabulary and see if anything catches your nose!

[mike_pobega]

Here is the empirical answer: 30 years. No more, no less.

[Millert327]

thanks for the chart above, it was extremly helpful

[Roberto_Rogness]

“I suppose you could gather up some anise, vanilla, a cigar box, strawberries, etc. and try to memorize each but that sounds like too much work to me. ”

That is precisely how to build your sensory vocabulary: Go to the farmers market, smell EVERY fruit, green and veg. Go out in the forest, smell the leave, the dirt, the rest. Repeat forever…

[Dave_McCloskey]

@Anton D

Absolutely agree with tasting in a group and discussing.

Also, play with the UC Davis aroma wheel and as you taste a wine, peruse the wheel vocabulary and see if anything catches your nose!

The next step is to go out and buy as many of those items and familiarize your senses with them.

The easiest way to learn is to join a club and go to many tastings and share impressions with others. Talk about the wine and ask questions to get a sense for what others are perceiving. Remember wine is a journey.

[GregT]

what Roberto said. Don’t just pay attention to wine but eat fast food and drink diet soda. If you continue ually eat and drink crap, that’s all you will know. Pay attention to EVERYTHING. I ate two oranges this morning. Big dif in flavor between them.

And then, as mentioned, don’t worry about flavors, etc. I wonder if people really taste some of the things they write.

Btw , there’s nothing wrong with a “smooth” wine.

[JDonner]

Much like Gladwell mentions in his Outliers book,
I like the 10,000 touches/taste/experiences(TTE) vs. Hours as mentioned in Outliers.
What I mean is everytime you spend Reading/inspecting/tasting, counts.
IE-if you go taste 25 wines and talk about it/share with others that probably aquaits to 50 TTE.
My biggest slogan is finding out what you don’t like about wine
is even more important than what attracts you.
I hope that is somewhat clear.
P.S. Don’t worry too much about it either.

[Curtis_Chen]

@JDonner

Much like Gladwell mentions in his Outliers book,
I like the 10,000 touches/taste/experiences(TTE) vs. Hours as mentioned in Outliers.
What I mean is everytime you spend Reading/inspecting/tasting, counts.
IE-if you go taste 25 wines and talk about it/share with others that probably aquaits to 50 TTE.
My biggest slogan is finding out what you don’t like about wine
is even more important than what attracts you.
I hope that is somewhat clear.
P.S. Don’t worry too much about it either.

Never thought I’d see Gladwell’s 10,000 hour mastery rule used like that, though loosely. That’s a new one.