Wine is an intimidating category. With a seemingly secret language ascribed to it, we can understand why you might tense up when the sommelier asks: "What kind of wine would you like to drink?" Luckily, it doesn't need to be that way. By tasting just a few wines and learning a handful of associated wine descriptors, you'll be comfortably navigating the wine list in no time!
To get you started, our team put together Wine Tasting Sets of the classic grape varietals. Each set includes three wines of the same grape but of differing styles. By tasting them side-by-side you will get a sense of the differences between them - sometimes subtle flavor nuances, and other times surprising textural changes.
As you taste through each wine, you can follow the notes on the provided tasting mat and watch one of our experts taste through them at the same time. We also have a short guide on what to look for as you go through any wine tasting.
- An Earthy cabernet (which still has plenty of fruit notes!) in the style of a Bordeaux blend.
- A Structured cabernet, where the tannins, fruit and earth are perfectly balanced.
- A Rich cabernet, where jammy fruit flavors abound, and the texture is full and pleasing.
- A Crisp chardonnay, with light critrus and green apple notes. If you tasted this blind, you might not even recognize it as chardonnay!
- A Balanced chardonnay, that features much of the acidity of the crisp style, but with some added body and texture.
- A Creamy chardonnay, with rich fruit flavors and the signature creaminess that comes from oak-contact and malolactic fermentation (part of the winemaking process).
- An Earthy pinot noir from Burgundy, full of spice and textured with subtle tannins.
- A Floral pinot noir that finds the middle ground between old world Burgundy with new world California.
- A Fruity pinot noir, full of ripe red berry flavors and a fuller mouthfeel.
- A Spicy cool-climate syrah, in which the tannins and oak-aging shine through.
- A Savory mild-climate syrah that shows earth and sprice alongside ripe fruit.
- A Jammy warm-climate syrah with dark, rich fruit.