What are the 7 S’s of wine tasting?

Wine tasting is some of the most fun you’ll have trying all types of wines.

Wine tasting may seem a bit daunting at first, especially if you might just enjoy wine but don’t know a lot about it. Thankfully, the winery staff actually don’t expect you to know everything, they’re the experts after all!

But if you’re about to go on a wine tour and want to know some tips on what to do, here are the 7 S’s you need to know.

See

Once you’ve got wine in your glass, pick up your glass and hold it to the light to see the colour.

The colour is always a giveaway of what the wine will be like. You’ll notice that lighter wines are refreshing while darker wines are heavier.

Swirl

You’ll probably notice most people swirl their wine around before drinking. This is because the aeration of wine helps improve the flavour and taste. Just go easy on the swirling so it doesn’t come out of your glass!

Smell

After you’ve done your swirling, this is when you can do a small sniff of the wine. You and everyone else will probably smell something different with each wine. You might smell oak, flowers, spices, or fruits.

Sip

Now it’s time to have your first sip of the wine! The first sip should be small, but big enough to swirl around in your mouth. This is usually prepping you before you have a bigger sip. This first sip you should try to ignore this and wait until your second sip to taste all the flavours.

Slurp

Here comes the second sip. This is when you taste more of the wine but try to slurp your second sip. But don’t slurp loud enough for everyone else to hear!

As you’re swirling this sip around in your mouth try to pick out the different types of flavours. Like when you smell the wine, you and everyone else will probably taste something different.

Savour

It’s time to start enjoying your wine a bit more. You can even think about what wine you love and what meal you’d think would suit this wine. And if you like it that much, you can buy a bottle directly from the winery.

Spit

If you’re not looking to get drunk and just want to try delicious new wines, you can spit out the wine after tasting. Ask the winery staff member for a spit bucket if one isn’t already provided to you at the table.

Doing the 7 S’s may seem like it takes a long time, but it really doesn’t! You typically do this as the winery staff member talks to you about each individual wine. If you feel ready for a wine tour, you can book a popular Hunter Valley tour here.

Cameron Ward

Managing Director at Sightseeing Tours Australia

Cameron Ward turned his travel passion into a thriving Australian tourism business. Before he co-founded his own business, Sightseeing Tours Australia, he was enjoying being a Melbourne tour guide. Even now, Cameron delights in helping visitors from all around the world get the most out of their incredible Australian trip. You’ll see Cameron leading tours or writing about his favourite Australian places where he shares his local insights.