Professional Tasting Notes: Writing Like a Sommelier

What Makes a Note "Professional"?

The difference between an amateur tasting note and a professional one is not the number of aromas listed or the obscurity of the descriptors — it is precision, economy, and communicative clarity. A professional note tells a reader, quickly and accurately, what a wine smells and tastes like, how it is structured, and what they might expect from it. It uses vocabulary that is shared and understandable, applies descriptors that are specific rather than vague, and says exactly as much as the wine warrants — no more.

This guide walks through the components of professional tasting notes as written by certified sommeliers (CMS, WSET Level 3 and above) and working wine critics, with annotated examples and exercises for improvement.

The WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT)

The most widely used professional framework in trained wine tasting is the WSET SAT, which divides assessment into four sections: Appearance, Nose, Palate, and Conclusions. Each section has standardized vocabulary for each element — vocabulary designed to be cross-culturally comprehensible and reliably consistent across tasters.

Section 1: Appearance

Clarity: Clear / hazy (if hazy, is it a fault or intentional — e.g., unfiltered natural wine?) Intensity: Pale / medium / deep Color: - Whites: lemon-green, lemon, gold, amber, brown - Rosés: pink, salmon, orange - Reds: purple, ruby, garnet, tawny, brown

Other observations: Bubbles (fine/coarse, persistent/brief), viscosity/legs

Example: "Clear, deep ruby with a garnet rim; no visible sediment."

Appearance notes are typically one sentence. Unless something unusual is present, readers primarily use the color information to confirm identity (young vs. aged, light-fruited vs. full-bodied).

Section 2: Nose

Condition: Clean or faulty? (if faulty, identify: TCA/cork taint, volatile acidity, reduction, oxidation, etc.)

Intensity: Light / medium(-) / medium / medium(+) / pronounced

Aroma characteristics (primary / secondary / tertiary):

Primary aromas (grape-derived): - Floral: rose, violet, orange blossom, elderflower, jasmine - Green fruit: apple, pear, gooseberry - Citrus fruit: lemon, lime, grapefruit - Stone fruit: peach, apricot, nectarine, plum - Red fruit: raspberry, strawberry, redcurrant, cherry - Black fruit: blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, damson - Tropical fruit: mango, passionfruit, guava, lychee - Dried/cooked fruit: fig, prune, raisin, jam, stewed fruit - Herbaceous: grass, tomato leaf, green pepper, asparagus - Herbal: thyme, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus - Spice: black pepper, white pepper, liquorice

Secondary aromas (fermentation-derived): - Yeast: bread, biscuit, toast - Malolactic fermentation: butter, cream, yoghurt - Lees: brioche, mushroom, savory

Tertiary Bouquet (maturation-derived, from oak and/or bottle aging): - From oak: vanilla, clove, coconut, cedar, new wood, Toasty smoke - From bottle: Earthy notes, leather, game, forest floor, dried flowers, truffle, tobacco, dried herbs, dried fruits, petroleum (specifically in aged Riesling)

Professional format: State primary character first, then modifiers. "Primary black fruit (blackcurrant, plum) with secondary notes of cedar and vanilla from oak; some tertiary complexity emerging — forest floor, dried tobacco."

Section 3: Palate

This section is where structural assessment happens most rigorously. Assess each element individually before synthesizing.

Sweetness: Bone dry / dry / off-dry / medium-dry / medium-sweet / sweet / luscious

Acidity: Low / medium(-) / medium / medium(+) / high Texture descriptors: zesty, Crisp, fresh, soft, flabby (negative)

Tannin (reds only): - Level: low / medium(-) / medium / medium(+) / high - Nature: ripe, soft, supple, fine-grained, Silky, Velvety, round, grippy, Angular, Austere, drying, coarse, Grip

Alcohol: Low (<11%) / medium (11–13.9%) / high (14%+) Sensation descriptors: Warm, burning (excessive), cool (very low alcohol)

Body: Light / medium(-) / medium / medium(+) / full

Flavour intensity: Light / medium(-) / medium / medium(+) / pronounced

Flavor characteristics: Use same vocabulary as nose, noting whether the palate matches, expands, or diverges from the aromatic impression.

Finish: Short (<3 sec) / medium (3–5 sec) / long (5+ sec) Quality descriptors: clean, bitter, drying, acidic, warm, complex

Full palate example: "Dry; medium(+) acidity, bright and Zesty; medium Tannin, fine-grained and ripe; 13.5% — medium(+) alcohol, Warm; full Body. Flavour: intense black fruit (blackcurrant, cassis) with violet and graphite; oak shows as cedar and new wood. Long Finish with persistent fruit and mineral notes."

Section 4: Conclusions

Quality assessment: Faulty / poor / acceptable / good / very good / outstanding

Reasoning: What earns the quality rating? Identify Balance, Complexity, Length, intensity. A wine with one exceptional element but lacking overall Balance is typically rated no higher than "good."

Readiness/drinking window: Ready to drink? / Can drink now but will improve? / Needs cellaring?

Suggested drinking window: e.g., "Best 2025–2035"

Optional: Grape variety, region, vintage identification (for blind tasting exercises)

Common Vocabulary Pitfalls

Avoid Hollow Descriptors

Instead of: "Complex and elegant" Write: "Shows successive waves of black fruit, graphite, cedar, and dried violet that continue to evolve in the glass over thirty minutes" — this demonstrates complexity rather than asserting it.

Instead of: "Well-balanced" Write: "The medium(+) Acidity integrates seamlessly with the plush tannin and generous fruit, creating a cohesive whole with no element dominating."

Tasting Note Scoring Systems

100-point scale (Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, Vinous): 80–84 = Good; 85–89 = Very good; 90–94 = Outstanding; 95–100 = Classic. The system was designed for consumer guidance but is sometimes used as a proxy for quality ranking without the attached note.

20-point scale (Jancis Robinson, WSET): Scores above 17 are exceptional; 16 is "recommended"; 15 is "acceptable minus." Used more commonly in traditional markets, particularly the UK and Europe.

Stars: Some publications use 1–5 star systems for accessibility to general consumers.

For exam purposes (WSET Level 3 and above), numerical scores are not used — candidates must write assessments that demonstrate analytical thinking through language rather than through a number.

Annotated Example Notes

Professional Note — Syrah/Shiraz, Rhone Valley

"Deep ruby-purple, clear. Pronounced Nose: dark fruit (blackberry, plum) with black pepper and violet; secondary smoked meat, leather, and a flinty Minerality. The Palate is full-bodied, with high but ripe Tannin (Grip, not harshness), high Acidity, and a very long Finish showing black fruit, white pepper, and earth. Outstanding. Drinking now through 2032."

What this note does well: - Intensity and color specifics in appearance - Layered, hierarchical aroma description (fruit → secondary → mineral) - Structural specifics (high tannin — with quality qualifier "ripe, not harsh") - Quality conclusion with reason (very long finish) and drinking window

Professional Note — Chardonnay, Burgundy

"Clear, deep gold, medium(+) intensity. Nose: clean and pronounced. Primary white peach, toasted hazelnuts, and lemon curd. Secondary notes of brioche and cream from extended lees contact. Tertiary: a beginning minerality — wet stone and struck flint — suggesting the wine is just entering its drinking window. Palate: dry; high Acidity, bright and crystalline; full Body; Oaky notes integrated but detectable (vanilla, cedar); very long Finish with sustained mineral and citrus. Very good to outstanding."

Semi-Professional Note — Casual Blog Style

"On the Nose, this Viognier from Rhone Valley is almost aggressively floral — apricot and white peach layered under jasmine blossom and a whisper of orange peel. The Palate is richer and rounder than the Nose suggests: full-bodied, slightly off-dry in impression despite being technically Dry, with soft acidity and a medium Finish that lingers on dried apricot and cream. Perfect with a dish of mild Thai curry."

Both notes are professional in different contexts. The first suits a trade publication; the second suits a lifestyle wine blog with a general audience.

Practice Protocol

Taste one wine per week with a timer: 5 minutes for each of the four WSET sections. Do not skip or rush; feel the discipline of full systematic assessment.
Write before you discuss: Never let group conversation contaminate your notes before you have written your first impressions.
Review published notes on the same wine: Read what a professional critic wrote about a wine you have just assessed. Note where you agree, where you disagree, and what descriptors they used that you missed — then go back to the glass and look for those elements.
Keep a vocabulary log: Every time you encounter a wine term you could not have written yourself, add it to a reference list with a one-sentence definition and an example wine where you would apply it.

The gap between competent casual tasting and genuine professional note-writing closes steadily with structured practice. Every note you write in full is an investment that pays dividends in every tasting that follows.