It’s really quite simple…

White to Red

• Big reds can dull or dominate your palate and you can miss all the subtleties of the lighter whites.

Light to Heavy

• Similar to the first directive, having a big bad red before a lighter wine can prevent your taste buds from picking up the nuances of the lighter wine.

Dry to Sweet

• Having a sweet wine before a dry wine will make the dry wine taste very acidic.

Young to Old

• The general rule is to end your tasting with your best bottle so as to enjoy the complexities of that older and developed wine.

However, I tend to open my aged (better) wines first. After you have opened two or three regular bottles they all start to mesh or taste similar. So I like to appreciate the better wines while my palate is still able to and the inebriation has not kicked in. This is simply an observation through experience.

And end off with a dessert or fortified wine such as Port. The higher alcohol wines can be ‘hot’ and somewhat burn your sense of smell and palate.

Cheers & enjoy your wine!