Red wine tasting sheet
A free, structured sheet for tasting red wine, with tannin and the red and black fruit families. Tap your choices on screen, or download the blank PDF and fill it in with a pen.
What you type stays on your device. Nothing is sent to us.
How to use this sheet
- 1. Appearance. Tilt the glass over something white. Check clarity, then how deep the colour is, and where it sits between purple, ruby, garnet and tawny. Young reds are often purple or ruby. Garnet and tawny, especially at the rim, often point to age.
- 2. Nose. Swirl and sniff. Is it clean? Light or pronounced? Then find the family: red fruit (cherry, strawberry), black fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry), floral, herbaceous, spice, oak, and in older wines, leather, forest floor and mushroom.
- 3. Palate. Judge sweetness, acidity and tannin. Tannin is the drying, grippy feel on your gums and cheeks, from grape skins and oak. Then alcohol, body, flavour intensity and finish.
- 4. Conclusions. Is it balanced, long, intense and complex? Rate the quality, decide whether to drink it now or keep it, and write a sentence in your own words.
What the words usually mean
| What you taste | Often found in |
|---|---|
| Purple to ruby colour | Young reds, for example many Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Garnet to tawny colour | Older reds, and lighter grapes such as Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo |
| High tannin | Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo (Barolo), Tannat |
| Low tannin | Gamay (Beaujolais), many Pinot Noir, many Grenache |
| High acidity | Sangiovese (Chianti), Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir from cool places |
| Full body | Many Shiraz from warm regions, Amarone, Malbec |
| Light body | Beaujolais, many Pinot Noir |
| Leather, forest floor, mushroom | Older wines that have developed in the bottle |
These are general tendencies. Producer, vintage and climate change a wine a lot, so trust what is in your glass.
Questions
Is this the official WSET tasting sheet?
No. It is an independent sheet made by WineBudd. It follows the same general order that many wine courses use (appearance, nose, palate, conclusions), but the layout and wording are our own, and it is not made, approved or endorsed by WSET. WSET is a registered trademark of its owner.
What is tannin?
Tannin is a compound from grape skins, seeds and oak. You feel it as a drying, grippy sensation on your gums and cheeks, like strong black tea. Reds have it. Most whites do not.
Does it save what I type?
Yes, but only on your own device, in your browser. Nothing is sent to us. Use "Clear sheet" to remove it.
How do I print it?
Use the Print button to print the page you have filled in, or download the blank PDF in A4 or US Letter size and fill it in by hand.
More tasting sheets
WineBudd is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust). "WSET Level 2 style" describes the general order of a structured tasting note, not an official form.