What to Expect From Wine Tasting

A tasting is not a test. It is an hour or two sat down with good wine, a bit of cheese, and someone on hand to answer whatever you want to ask. You do not need to know your Solaris from your Seyval Blanc, and you do not need any special vocabulary. You just need to turn up.

We host wine tasting at our vineyard in Nun Monkton six days a week, all year round, and we have watched a lot of nervous first-timers relax by the second glass. This guide covers what actually happens on the day, how to taste wine properly, whether you have to spit, whether you can drive home afterwards, and what to wear.

What actually happens at a wine tasting

A typical wine tasting runs between 45 minutes and two hours. You will taste somewhere between three and six wines, poured in 50ml measures, which adds up to roughly one to two large glasses in total.
The shape of the session is usually the same wherever you go. You arrive and get a welcome, often with a glass of something sparkling. Your host introduces the estate and explains what you are about to drink. Then the pours begin, normally working from lighter wines to heavier ones, so sparkling and whites first, then rosé, then reds. Sweet wines come last if there are any.

You taste, you ask questions, and your host talks you through what is in the glass and why it turned out that way. Most tastings finish at the shop, where you can buy the bottles you liked.
That is it. No exam, no spitting into a bucket unless you want to, and no expectation that you will say anything clever.

Worth knowing: there is no clock running at our cellar door

Most vineyards give you a time slot and move you on. Our Cellar Door Wine Tasting has no time limit at all. Once your wine is poured, the table is yours. Sit in the Winehouse, take your glass out to the terrace, and look at the vines for as long as you like.

How to taste wine: the 4 S’s

Every wine tasting you attend will use some version of the same five steps. They exist because wine gives up most of its flavour through your nose rather than your tongue, and because swallowing quickly skips past almost everything interesting.

Here is the whole method.

StepHow to do itWhat you are looking forLookTilt the glass away from you against something white, like a napkin or tableclothColour and clarity. Depth of colour hints at age and grapeSwirlKeep the base on the table and move it in small circlesAerating the wine, which releases the aroma compoundsSmellGet your nose properly into the glass and breathe inFruit, florals, anything toasty, herbal or earthySipTake a small sip and move it across your whole mouthSweetness, acidity, tannin and bodySavourSwallow or spit, then pauseThe finish, and how long the flavour hangs around

Two practical points. Hold the glass by the stem rather than the bowl, because your hand warms the wine and fingerprints make step one harder. And work from light to heavy, because a big red will flatten a delicate white if you taste them the wrong way round. That is why our sparkling wines always come first.
Do not worry about naming things correctly. If a wine smells like your nan’s fruit bowl, that is a perfectly good tasting note. The point of the five steps is to slow you down enough to notice something, not to make you sound like a critic.

The four S’s applied to one wine

Abstract instructions are easier to follow with a bottle in front of you, so here is the method run through our Latimer White, which is the wine most first-timers start with.
Look. Pale gold, and clear rather than cloudy. Swirl. Give it ten seconds and the aromatics lift straight out of the glass. Smell. Floral first, then something green and orchard-like underneath. Sip. Crunchy green apple and gooseberry, finished with a distinct hit of lemongrass. Savour. Crisp, dry and mineral, with a tart finish that lasts longer than you expect from a wine this light.
That mineral quality comes from our young vines. Latimer is made from 100% Solaris grapes grown right here in our Nun Monkton soil, a variety that ripens early and packs in fruit flavour before we pick.

Six terms cover almost everything a host will say to you.

Dry: not sweet. Most table wine is dry
Body: how heavy the wine feels in your mouth, from watery to creamy
Tannin: the drying, tea-like grip you get from red wine
Nose: the smell of the wine
Finish: how long the flavour lasts after you swallow
Vintage: the year the grapes were picked

Do you have to spit at a wine tasting?

No. Spitting is entirely optional, and at a small tasting like ours most people swallow.
The spittoon is there for a practical reason rather than an etiquette one. Six 50ml pours works out at roughly one to two large glasses of wine, which is more than enough to affect you if you are driving, working afterwards, or tasting on an empty stomach. Spitting lets you taste everything properly without any of that.
It is also standard practice at trade tastings, where people might work through forty wines in an afternoon. Nobody will think you are being precious about it. Equally, nobody will look at you sideways for finishing the glass. Do whichever suits your day.

What to wear to a wine tasting

There is no dress code. Come as you are.
Three things are worth thinking about, though. Wear flat, comfortable shoes if you are doing a guided tour, because you will be walking on grass and soil rather than gravel paths. Bring layers, because the cellar stays cool even in August and the weather here does what Yorkshire weather does.
And go easy on the perfume or aftershave. This is the one most people have not thought about. Since roughly everything you taste in wine actually arrives through your nose, a strong scent will flatten the aromas for you and for everyone sat near you. Save it for the evening.
Dark colours are a sensible choice if you are nervous about red wine and a wobbly hand. It happens to all of us eventually.

Wine tasting etiquette in five lines

Hold the glass by the stem, not the bowl
Let the host pour, and do not worry that the measure looks small
Eat between wines, because the nibbles are there to reset your palate
Drink the water. Pace yourself
Pour away anything you do not enjoy. Nobody minds, and nobody is offended

Wine tasting at Yorkshire Heart

We run four wine experiences, and they suit very different days out.

The nibbles are not an afterthought. Both cellar door tastings come with three of your choice from cheese, meats, crackers, olives and chocolate, so you build your own small grazing board as you go.
If you want to stretch the visit out, you can add a Light Lunch Platter or a Yorkshire Afternoon Tea to either booking, or just carry on into the Winehouse Café afterwards. Plenty of people arrive for a tasting at eleven and are still on the terrace at three.
Tastings run Tuesday to Sunday, all year round. We are closed on Mondays outside bank holidays, and booking ahead is sensible because weekends fill up.

Getting here. We are on Pool Lane in Nun Monkton, just off the A59 between York and Harrogate, with free parking on site. The nearest station is Hammerton on the York to Harrogate line, about three miles away, but there is no footpath from the station, so pre-book a taxi for that last stretch.
You can see what our wines have won on our awards page if you want to know what you are getting into.

Trying wine tasting at home

The five S’s work just as well at your kitchen table, and practising at home is the fastest way to get comfortable before a proper tasting.
You need three things: three contrasting wines, one glass each so you can go back and compare, and something to eat between them. Pour small measures, work from lightest to heaviest, and write down one word for each wine before you move on. That last bit matters more than it sounds. Naming something, even badly, is what makes you notice it next time.
A white, a rosé and a red from the same producer is the ideal set, because you are comparing three genuinely different characters made by the same hands. Our Latimer Wine Taster Pack is built for exactly that, and if it is out of stock you can put the same trio together from our Yorkshire wines.

Come and taste them properly

The best way to understand a wine is to drink it where it was grown, with the person who made it stood next to you. Book a tasting, bring someone good, and take your time. There is no clock, no test, and no wrong answer.