A systematic tasting protocol gives you a language for what you experience. Always begin by looking at the wine: colour, clarity, and intensity tell you about grape varieties and age. Red wine shifts from ruby red toward brick red over the years; white wine deepens from pale straw toward gold and amber.
Next, smell: hold the glass still and take a calm breath, then rotate the glass and smell again. Identify fruit, flowers, spices, or earthy notes. Finally: take a sip and let the wine cover the whole mouth. Note sweetness, acidity, tannin, body, and finish — how long the aftertaste lingers. Three simple steps, but an infinite amount to discover.