2 Classical Approaches to Wine Tasting

Here are  2 classical approaches. 

Horizontal Wine Tasting: 

The horizontal tasting is conducted by focusing on a wine varietal (type of grape) from a single year, but from multiple producers. Basically you grab a 2005 Cab from 4-6 unique wineries and give them a go side by side. 

For example, you may want to pick a Cabernet Sauvignon as your varietal and compare Napa Valley Cabs from 2005. So you might try the 2005 Clos Du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 75 Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 Carpe Diem Cabernet Sauvignon and so on.

Vertical Wine Tasting : Same winery and grape varietal from different vintages ie SAME Vineyard's Cabernet Sauvignon from 2002,2003,2004,2005 vintages.(year)

A vertical wine tasting is surveying a series of wines based on vintage years and is a nifty way of experiencing just how unique every year can be in the world of wine.

A vertical tasting is conducted by tasting one wine  varietal (type of grape)  from the same producer from several vintages (years).

For example, you may set up a tasting to feature Clos Du Val’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from 2003, 2004 and 2005. Tasting the same varietal of wines from the same maker and the same vineyard and leaving the production year as the “single” variable allows the party to see how dramatic or subtle a wine changes from year to year.

You will get a better feel for a particular winery’s varietal style and composition with this type of tasting. You can also see how unique weather patterns may affect the grapes from one year to the next and develop an better understanding of what they mean by a great year for wine.