What Are You Looking For In A Tasting Note?

[TomHill]

@Stuart BeauneHead Niemtzow

Anton/anyone…who are you writing “tasting notes” for?

As long as you understand them and what they’re saying about the tasting experience one has just had, is that enough?

It is for me…FWIW. I want to be able to look at the note and know what I thought/found…the next day…or 20 years later.

Or, are we mainly talking about what we are “looking for” in others’ notes? To be honest…I don’t have much credence in many others’ notes…anyone, so I am happy to glean what I can…whether from a “professional” taster…or someone on WB. There are very few people I consider that reliable, for my interests, though I am always curious to know what people think of the wines that interest me. I just don’t look for much in their notes.

Hmmmmm…you’re learning, Stuart. I see several spots where you could’ve squeezed in a few more /////'s.
Tom

[Blake_Brown]

I want to know enough to decide whether or not to go for the wine being reviewed. This includes what sensory elements exist from the nose throughout. Contrary to some here, I do want to know specifics about the fruit profile since that tells me a lot about a wine that I`ve had or want to have. And contrary to many here, I am not interested in a subjective point rating system.

[Nathan_Smyth]

@Michael Powers

structure (tannin and or acid depending on the wine), overall quality, how it is drinking at the time and perhaps a prediction on aging.

Also some indication of the oxidation curve, and how much time the wine needed before it started strutting its stuff. Did it peak by the end of Day 1? Day 2? Day 3?

And hints as to serving temperature - for example, it turns out that Poulsard drops all of its fruit after a few years, and so aged Poulsard is best served chilled as a very complex Rose.

Finally, a numerical score - or even just a binary “would/would-not purchase again at this price point” - goes a long way towards cutting through all the noise and the bovine manure in this hobby.

[David_Welch]

Basic aromas and flavors, sweet or tart, and tannins/acids. I write notes for myself as a reference point on that wine in point in time. I can then decide when I want to open the next one.

[Bill_Tex_Landreth]

Points and funny pictures.

[Matthew_Brown]

100% agreement with my opinion. I’m a validation junkie

[Jon_A-K]

Some of the main things I’m looking for are how much the taster liked the wine, whether the wine was interesting/characterful/complex vs. merely good/tasty/enjoyable, whether it had explicit oak (usually trying to avoid this), whether it had plenty of acidity (I like), whether it was ready to drink, and whether it benefited from significant air. I’m also interested in some of the particular aromas/flavors/textures. I also like to see lots of ///////s, of course.

To some extent I try to include those things when I write notes, but my biggest reason for writing notes is to get myself to focus my attention entirely on the wine and to think carefully about my perception of the wine. For most of the bottle, I’m probably having a conversation with my wife or someone, and/or eating, reading, watching tv/movies, working, etc. Writing a note makes me stop doing those things for a few minutes and give my full attention to the wine. If my note ends up being a useful reference for me or for someone else, that’s good too, but it’s a secondary motive.

[alan_weinberg]

I am a structuralist and not an adjectivist, but like some descriptors of the wine to augment the description of structure. Jeremy writes an ideal note for my liking.

[A_S_K_R_O_B_A_C_K]

@Blake Brown

I want to know enough to decide whether or not to go for the wine being reviewed. This includes what sensory elements exist from the nose throughout. Contrary to some here, I do want to know specifics about the fruit profile since that tells me a lot about a wine that I`ve had or want to have. And contrary to many here, I am not interested in a subjective point rating system.

Agree

[Mike_DiSalvo]

Disclosure, if you’re receiving something for writing the tasting note it should be disclosed.

[ky1em1ttskus]

I want to know if the taster(s) liked the wine. I have read so many notes that by the end, I’m not sure if the wins was enjoyable or not.

[Bill_Tex_Landreth]

@Mike DiSalvo

Disclosure, if you’re receiving something for writing the tasting note it should be disclosed.

ABSOLUTELY.

[A_S_K_R_O_B_A_C_K]

@Mike DiSalvo

Disclosure, if you’re receiving something for writing the tasting note it should be disclosed.

Of course.

[PaulM]

@Doug Schulman

My criteria for a useful tasting note is very similar to Gerhard’s, but there are some differences.

color: I don’t care unless the wine is old or there’s some reason for mentioning it like in the case of an orange wine.

character of fruit: tart/ripe/fresh/jammy/baked/etc.

general types of fruit: red/black/blue for reds, or how ripe for whites (citrus/orchard/stone/tropical). Specifics are fine but not at all necessary to convey what type(s) of fruit might be there, which is far less subjective than specifics anyway.

structure

style of wine: modern/rustic/oaky/restrained/etc. I want this described rather than just mentioned.

state of development and potential for aging

I think that’s a very simple, straightforward list, but most major critics almost never hit every part, and some like to describe almost none of those things. I can find a note useful without every one of those elements, but there had better be more than one element or I feel like I’ve wasted my time reading it.

I like this. I also want some sense of how excited the taster was about the wine. Points, grades, stars, whatever - it’s not a question of false precision, but I’d like some idea of whether this is OMFG WOW!!!, solid, or meh. Of course, you need some sense of the taster’s palate for this to be useful. (Back in the olden days, I actually found Parker’s higher scores for wines that were NOT described as hedonistic fruit bombs pretty helpful - and I knew to discount the ones that were.)

What don’t I find useful? First,the Carmen Miranda school of descriptors. I don’t care whether you think it was blackberry vs. boysenberry or saddle leather vs. rich Corinthian leather. Second, most notes that are samey-samey and add up to something like “tasted like a pretty good Left Bank Bordeaux” for a Pauillac - many notes of non-flawed wines could have been written without actually tasting the wine.

I’ve actually stopped doing notes myself in most cases, other than toying around with the impressionistic 7 word reviews, in part because I think it’s so hard to make them worth the trouble for writer or reader and in part because I found that I never systematically filed or went back to review my own.

[David_Glasser]

Style, structure, maturity, if the taster liked it.

[Sanjay_Nandurkar]

There should be a repository of tasting notes. So you can just write down ’ this wines is #6352" So everyone knows exactly what to expect. Simple.

[GregT]

I want to know a few things.

First of all color. Is it purple or reddish purple or purple/red? This is absolutely critical.

If there are flowers, what color are they? White, pink, red? I don’t care about the specific flower - daisies and petunias and chrysanthemums are exactly the same. It’s color that makes the scent.

Then I want to know if there are minerals. Silicates, sulfates, carbonates, I don’t really care. After all, minerals are minerals and they all taste the same.

Of course I want to know if there is fruit. If there is, I need to know if there are gobs and gobs of it or just a little bit.

Spice is also important. I need to know if it has Asian spice, because that’s a single and specific spice, vs “spice box”, which means nothing but I know it when I read it.

Then I want to know if a wine is racy, vibrant, exotic, or hedonistic.

But I do like Sanjay’s idea. It’s very practical actually.

[Gerhard_P]

@Mike DiSalvo

Disclosure, if you’re receiving something for writing the tasting note it should be disclosed.

If someone is paying me anything for a TN … please let me know !!!

[Ian_Sutton]

For anyone wanting to explore writing tasting notes, there are some useful books out there that cover not just flavours, but how you might describe acidity, tannins, viscosity etc. Broadbents wine tasting book has been out for years, but for something more focused, Michael Schuster’s Essential Winetasting is a very good book, including what are effectively practical tutorials where you compare wine styles (and even explore the effects of acidity/tannin etc.)

For a useful starter internet resource, I believed Ric Einstein (aka TORB, aka **** on the insular e-bob) still has his site up, which he has a tasting note sheet (for red wines only - naturally for ‘the other red bigot’). Circle the best descriptors in each category and hey presto a TN sheet. Wrap words around it to emphasise certain elements. It is a great way to start writing TNs

regards
Ian

[Ian_Sutton]

@Matthew Brown

100% agreement with my opinion. I’m a validation junkie

That comment is too close to the truth for comfort!