Writing effective tasting notes can be challenging, yet an essential skill for those interested in wine. A well written tasting note can provide information about primary, secondary, and even tertiary flavors; body texture; way it finishes; structure (textural versus tensile); character traits like mineral or fruity characteristics as well as whether tannins are firm or richly powdery; etc.
Not all tasting notes are created equal; some use flowery language that may put off consumers, while others take a more technical approach which can be tiresome and difficult to read. Still others are incomprehensible even to non-experts.
Wine tasting notes remain increasingly popular despite these challenges, as most wines sold are to customers who have never sampled them before and a high numerical score can often make the difference between sales or rejections. Therefore, wine tasting notes have become essential tools in the wine business’s ongoing cycle from grape sourcing through sales and distribution.
William Kiernan and Andrew Jefford will join us to explore the role of wine tasting notes in today’s complex and ever-evolving industry. They’ll touch upon scoring, as well as how evocative and emotive language should coexist with more technical, descriptive writing styles.