The Proper Way To Sip And Enjoy Afterwards

Maybe it’s being in a concentrated region that’s easily traversed, but after spending so much time in Napa, we came back knowing more about wine than we ever thought. By the end of our trip, we could tell the difference between wines grown in different parts of the valley.

Duckhorn was one of our favorite stops. The tasting room is housed in a beautiful home with a wraparound porch that sits amid lush flowers and greenery.

We were joined at our tasting by Duckhorn’s fiercest guardian and happiest resident, Kitter, who stayed near us the entire time.

A glance into Duckhorn’s indoor tasting room. There were more than a handful of these White House menus and invitations that covered the walls at Duckhorn from State Dinners and Inaugural events where the vineyard’s wines were served.

Along our trip to Napa, we learned the proper way to taste wine…don’t be intimidated. It’s easy to get the hang of and, after all, practice makes perfect! Here’s the breakdown from our perch overlooking the vines:

  1. Sniff. Smell the cork to make sure the wine is in a good state and it hasn’t corked. If it smells off, don’t be afraid to dump it out or send it back.
  2. Tilt. Check the age of the wine by tilting the glass on its side over your finger or a light surface. If a clear ring appears around the wine, it’s young. If it doesn’t, it’s an older wine.
  3. Sniff the wine. Resist the urge to swirl your glass! Take a few moments first to smell the wine – nose in the glass, mouth open. Take note of what you smell – earthiness? berries?
  4. Swirl your wine. You can do this by moving your glass in a circular motion on the table, or, if you have a bit more coordination, holding your wine glass by the stem in the air and swirling around in a circle. This lets in oxygen and helps your wine breathe.
  5. Give it another sniff. You’ll notice that now a few flavors that weren’t there before have surfaced. Note any changes in the taste.
  6. Sip. Move the wine around your entire mouth to take in every flavor. Try taking another sip and sucking in just a bit of air. It sounds easier than it is, but you’ll be surprised by the changes that take place with the wine when you try this.
  7. Finally, take notes and photograph your favorite wine labels. Our favorite at Duckhorn? Their fabulous Merlot.

Here are a few other do’s that we gathered…

DO: Remember that it’s okay to take a taste and dump the rest out, especially if you don’t particularly care for the wine or you have a long day of tasting ahead. Just remember not to rinse your glass out with water. This could alter the flavor of the next wine.

DO: Try your wines with a cheese and charcuterie pairing. Different cheeses and salumi bring out unique and wonderful flavors in the wine. Definitely upgrade to this! Bonus: most of the charcuterie and cheeses served in Napa and Sonoma are either made in-house or sourced from a local cheesemonger or butcher.

DO: Enjoy the vineyard or winery’s grounds. Take your time to soak in the outdoors and beautiful settings. Check out my earlier post on the grounds and gardens of Napa (and Sonoma).

DO: Invest in a Coravin to enjoy wines back home by the glass while still keeping them preserved. I’ve been curious about this handy tool for a long time (see this post on bar essentials), so I was thrilled to see it being used by a number of vineyards out here – and for everything from $30 bottles to $300 bottles. Let’s just say it’s 100% on my list to purchase now.

DO: Consider a wine club – especially for wines you fall in love with that aren’t widely distributed. The estate wines of most of these vineyards are truly special, and you can’t always get them outside of Napa and Sonoma. We carried several home with us.

A few of the vineyards who bottle a small batch of wines each year will distribute to allocation list only. If you indicate your interest, you can often join their list and have a chance to purchase your favorite wines this way. And, don’t worry, all of them ship.

DO: Download Vivino to track your purchases, build your at-home cellar, and capture your favorites. We have loved this app so far and use it to keep track of our favorites when we’re out now that we’re back home.

DO: Prepare to check wines back home if you’re flying. It’s easy and cost-effective if you’re willing to put up with the minor hassle of propping a few boxes on a cart once you land. You can go to a local box and shipping store and purchase styrofoam-lined wine boxes. We’ve been known to order these and have them shipped to our hotel, as in this case and during our Kentucky Bourbon Trail trips.

The most important thing about wine tasting? Just have fun doing it!

Cheers!