A Beginner’s Guide to Going Wine Tasting for the First Time

A Wine Lover’s Paradise

Wine tasting is a wine lover’s paradise. With wine consumption going up every day in the United States, wine tastings are becoming more and more mainstream. The wine tasting experience has become a staple for many wine lovers, who enjoy going on wine tours to learn about their favorite wines.

Going wine tasting for the first time can be intimidating, but there are some things you need to know before going wine tasting for the first time. In this article we will cover what wine tastings are and how they work, what to wear when wine tasting, and give some tips on being a successful wine taster. We’ll also mention Schnebly Winery in Florida – one of our favorite wineries!

What is a Wine Tasting?

A wine tasting experience is where wine lovers go to try out different wines and learn about them. Wine tastings are similar to wine tours, but they usually involve a smaller group of wine drinkers (and no tour). At wine tastings, you’ll get the opportunity to taste many different types of wine, and get to learn the history and the winemaking process behind them.

When wine tasting for the first time, you might be worried about what wine tastings are like. Don’t worry – they’re fun! At wine tastings, there will usually be some appetizers and snacks on hand to enjoy with your wine (and many times these go very well together). People at wine tastings are always happy to talk about wine, so don’t be afraid to ask questions!

What To Expect at a Wine Tasting

The first thing that you can expect from wine tastings is some education around the particular winery that you are visiting. They can tell you a little bit about their history, maybe it’s a winemaking family and it has been around for many years, or how they got into it at first.

Getting to know the Winery you are visiting is important. It will give you a better wine tasting experience!

Get to Know the Area

Some wineries pride themselves in the area they are located in, for example, the famous wine-making area of Napa in California, or the Chianti area in Tuscany.

In the United States, most wineries are located up north, but one particular one, Schnebly Winery, is the Southernmost Winery in the United States. Located in Homestead, at the heart of the Redlands in South Florida, this winery’s location is definitely something to brag about.

The Redlands in South Florida is rich in wine history, and Schnebly Winery stands among some of the most famous wineries in Florida. The area is also covered in very fertile soil, where exotic tropical fruits are grown.

This is important about the area because these amazing fruits such as lychee, avocado, starfruit, coconut, and much more can be featured in some of their super special wines!

For a winery, location is everything, and you should learn about it to understand the wines you’re about to taste a little better.

Scheduling Your Wine Tasting Experience

If you are planning to go wine tasting for the first time, it is important that you plan ahead when scheduling your wine tasting experience. Some Wineries do not have tastings every day, some need tickets to enter, some only have tours during the weekends…it’s important to schedule and do your research beforehand!

At Schnebly Winery, for example, wine tastings are available every day, but if you also want a complete tour of the winery, you might want to visit during the weekends since tours are just available on Saturday and Sunday.

What Should I Wear?

When wine tasting for the first time, you might also wonder what is appropriate attire. Wine tasting etiquette states that men should wear long pants and closed-toe shoes (no sandals), but this really just depends on each winery. The most important thing is to be comfortable!

Check what the weather is like at the place you’re visiting, and dress accordingly. We recommend not wearing your favorite white shirt in case you might be a little clumsy!

When visiting Schnebly Winery wine tastings for the first time, feel free to wear whatever you are comfortable with! The winery is casual all around – very laid back, fun environment of people who love wine enjoying wine together! Of course, the Winery offers beautiful views all around, so you might want to be a little fashionable for your photo-ops!

Ask Questions!

When going wine tasting, you’ll be met by a lot of wine connoisseurs and lovers! They are always happy to answer any wine-related questions you have, so don’t hesitate to ask away!

There might be a lot of different wines to try, and wine tastings usually just let you try a few. Ask a lot of questions about the wines you will be tasting to help you understand what the flavor might be like and truly enjoy the wine-drinking experience!

Let your sommelier know what types of wines you usually like. Do you like them sweet? Or maybe you prefer wine that is on the dry side? This will help them recommend wines they think you might enjoy!

Don’t be afraid about looking silly if you have no idea what certain wines taste like – everyone was a beginner at one point. If something tastes delicious, ask them why it’s good or what grapes or fruits were used in that wine!

Practice the Technique

When you go wine tasting for the first time, you will be told about the five S’s of trying wine. Sip, swirl, smell, savor and swallow are the five wine tasting basics that will be taught to you during your wine tasting experience.

Sip – Take a little bit of wine into your mouth but don’t swish it around just yet! This is an important step so you can assess its aromas before actually tasting it.

Swirl – Swirling wine around your glass releases a lot of its aromas which makes it much easier to smell. You can use this time as well to check the wine’s clarity and legs – how far does the wine go up the side of the wine glass? Legs are important because they help you assess if there is alcohol in that wine, and what type of wine you’re drinking.

Smell – This is the most important step, and while we all know wine should be enjoyed through your nose (that’s why wine glasses are so long!), it would be helpful to assess what aromas come from that wine during this part of tasting. It might smell like fruit or other things such as flowers or even wood!

Savor- This is the wine tasting part where you start taking in all those wonderful wine flavors! Savoring just means to try and experience as much of what that wine has to offer. They will even tell you to pass and swish the wine all over your mouth before swallowing again! Swishing the wine in your mouth changes the wine’s flavor because it warms up and makes the wine more intense.

Swallow- Finally, swallow the wine after assessing everything it offers. You might notice a lot more after swallowing than before!

Don’t be afraid to follow all the steps of the technique to truly taste the wine as it should be! You will discover so many different things from each wine with every step.

Eat Some Sustenance

Before a wine tasting, make sure you have a good breakfast and have eaten a substantial lunch. You want to make sure that there’s something in your stomach! This will keep you from getting drunk, and also, food is the perfect pairing for wine!

Wine Tasting at Schnebly Winery

At Schnebly Winery’s Ultimate Wine Tasting, your guides will be more than happy to share some of their wine knowledge with you in addition to showing off their magnificent wines.

Schnebly Winery’s wine tastings are very popular, and you’re sure to meet some new wine-loving friends. Plus, one of the best parts about wine tasting is that all this classy fun comes at a great price! Wine tastings in this Florida winery will only cost around $25 per person (that’s for the Ultimate Wine Tasting!) and you can get 5 of your choice Schnebly Winery wines to try, plus, take home a souvenir glass!

You can also take a couple of wine bottles home from their in-winery store, so you can continue enjoying the amazing experience afterward!

You can buy tickets here! The Winery is open daily for wine tastings, and on the weekends for the wine tasting + tour experience.

You’ll be sure to become an expert wine taster in no time!

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