Wine Judge Training Progam

Syllabus for Year 1

Essentials of Wine Tasting

This syllabus covers all areas of the first year of wine judge training. Portions of the outline will be covered in class at the National Conference. Trainees are expected to know all areas in the outline and can be expected to be tested on any or all areas listed.

1. Senses Used in Experiencing Wine
   1. Sight
      1. Color: Hue, Strength & Purity
      2. Clarity
      3. Reflectance & Transmission
      4. Viscosity
   2. Smell
      1. Aroma
      2. Bouquet
      3. Off Odors
   3. Taste
      1. Physiology
      2. Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Salt
      3. Other Effects: Metallic, Chemical, Spice, etc.
   4. Flavor: Interaction in Mouth, Nose, and Sinuses
   5. Feel
      1. Body
      2. Texture
      3. Astringency
      4. Heat
      5. Gas
   6. Aftertaste
      1. Spitting vs. Swallowing
      2. Time Response
      3. Stomach Effect
2. Basic Vocabulary
   1. Descriptive
      1. Meaning
      2. Relevancy
      3. Referential vs. Emotional
   2. Quantitative
   3. Locational
   4. Metaphoric
3. Components & Combinations
   1. Responses to Alcohol, Sugar, Acid(s), Bitter, Astringency
   2. Levels & Balances of: Sweetness, Acidity, Bitterness, Tannin, Alcohol
4. Concepts of Quality and Faults
   1. Concepts of What Makes a Quality Wine
   2. Common Wine Faults
5. Scoring Systems
   1. AWS
   2. Others (Intervin, Davis, etc.)
   3. Self-generated
6. Tastings
   1. Elements of
   2. Conducting
   3. Objectives of
7. Competitions
   1. Organizing
   2. Judging
   3. Table Captains
8. Examination