Once you picked up on all the clues the wine is able to reveal - from visual, smells, and taste - you should be able to put together a solid tasting note for yourself. There are many different factors people deem important when reviewing wine. Some focus on it's flavors, others - its quality. Even some just review by value. Whatever you think is important when reviewing, do just that. Some things to consider when you compile your tasting notes:
- What kind of aromas do you smell?
- Does the nose compliment the flavors you taste?
- From the nose to the finish, how did the wine perform?
- Should it be cellared for a few more years?
- How is the value in comparison to it's quality?
- Most importantly, did you enjoy it?
Knowing if a wine should be aged for more time should be studied. When I started out, I would disregard wines that didn't immediately appeal to me. Sometimes the oak and fruit flavors seemed distant. Or even worse, I thought, the wine was incredibly tannic. Knowing a little more now, these wines are not necessarily bad, but were examples of wines that just needed a little time to themselves. Attempting to look past how a wine is tasting now and reading into the future can be difficult but very enjoyable when it comes time to try those rough wines a few years later. Make note of these wines and try them again later to see if you were accurate in you assessment.
I've always been a bit skeptical about other people's reviews - whether it's wine, movies, restaurants, or whatever. I take what they have to say with a grain of salt, and use their comments merely as a stepping stone. Regardless of whether or not a wine was deemed enjoyable is always up for debate. For instance, there have been numerous wines that I've tried that have never received any acclaim from major sources but I found them outstanding. On the flip side, I've tasted wines that even Wine Spectator thought were excellent, only to my palette, it left me wanting more. The best guidance I can say is read reviews from all over and see which critics you generally agree with. Just because they may be big named critics doesn't mean their palette is identical to yours.
If you publish your review just remember to anticipate opposing views. Everyone's senses are different and what appeals to you won't appeal to everyone. We all experience things differently including our opinions as to what constitutes good wine.
