How to train your sense of taste

The world of flavours and wine is fascinating. When drinking a sip of wine we can discover a myriad of sensations derived from our palate. If the first thing that comes to mind when you drink a glass of wine is simply that it tastes like wine, you still have a lot to learn. At Bodegas Murillo Viteri we propose several exercises to train your sense of taste and learn how to taste wine, to discover all the flavours and nuances of a glass of wine.

1. Use your sense of smell

The first step to develop your sense of taste and begin to differentiate nuances is to use your sense of smell. Include the practice of smelling things several times in your daily life, in order to store the smells. Try to separate the basic tastes (sweet, bitter, salty, sour) from the aromas. In this way, you will be able to mentally store and create a database in your memory of the different flavours. When tasting a wine, it is advisable to smell it several times.

2. Drink slowly

If you want to improve your sense of taste, get used to not being in a hurry. To enjoy a good wine it is necessary to do it slowly. Slow down, don’t drink it fast and pay attention. The longer the wine is in your mouth, the better you will be able to taste it. Bear in mind that the wines will show differences between the first and the last glass. They become more oxygenated and show their full aromatic and sensory potential as time goes by. For this reason, it is also important to allow time between sips.

3. Close your eyes and visualise

Close your eyes when you have a glass of wine in your hand. Forget about sight and focus on smell. Your brain can turn a glass of wine into a plum or cherry. Mentally visualise that aroma you have perceived. Our brain is capable of configuring mental realities from the information provided by our senses. What is essential is invisible to the eye.

4. Taste several wines

If you want to train your sense of taste, consistency, repetition and lots of practice are essential. A good way to practice is by comparing different types of wines. You can start by tasting wines that are very different from each other, so that you can easily distinguish their characteristics. By comparing one wine with another variety, it will be easier to perceive the similarities and particularities of each one. By training your senses in this way you will be able to build up a mental repository of each grape variety.

5. Delve deeper into the wine

When tasting a wine, the first sip will usually offer a dominant taste. Our sweet or bitter receptors will be activated. Pay attention to the plurality of aromas between sweet, sour and bitter, but pay attention to their intensity and you will be able to appreciate some fruits in your mind. You must go further and deeper to appreciate more subtle secondary flavours.

Follow these tips to develop your sense of taste. It will take time and practice, but you will discover a world of senses, flavours and aromas that will not leave you indifferent. Enjoy the peculiarities and characteristics of each red, white or rosé wine and tell us how it went.

Bodegas Murillo Viteri Rioja Wines