Have you ever taken extensive notes at a wine tasting event and those notes never saw the light of day again?

And, when was the last time you got to fully engage with the presenters, not having your head point down towards your notebook half the time?

Sommeliers constantly face this issue.

The wine profession roots itself in ongoing education.

As a Sommelier, attending tasting events is fundamental to improving one’s palate and knowledge, and for building contacts.

But to fully leverage your time and effort, and enjoy the tastings, you recognize that you should be able to fully engage with the presentations and be able to share the tasting experience with your team, guests and colleagues afterwards.

So how do you get the most out of a tasting?

With the right tools and a little planning. We have the technology!

Download the QUINI tasting application or sign up at www.quiniwine.com. The rest is easy.

5 STEPS TO START ENJOYING WINE TASTINGS AGAIN

1) DO A LITTLE RESEARCH

Always plan ahead. Decide which wines you want to focus on. Grape varietals, brands or winemakers you want to experience. Familiarize yourself with their websites, and social media.

2) LEAVE YOUR PEN AND NOTEBOOK BEHIND

Open QUINI on your phone or iPad. Search for the wine you are about to taste. If it is not already in the system, take a moment to add it.

3) TAKE A PICTURE AND MAKE A NOTE

Within QUINI, take a picture to mark the occasion or label. Take extra notes you want associated with your tasting. Winemaker name, presenter details and other interesting facts, like more information about the region, or the vineyard.

4) TASTE: EYE, NOSE, MOUTH, FINISH, OPINION

Let QUINI guide you through a deductive tasting of the wine. Don’t worry about making a mistake, as you can always correct it before you save. Evaluate the wine and add more notes as desired. Once you are comfortable with QUINI, this process will take you just 1-2 minutes. It is far more detailed, more useful and quicker than a paper tasting note – that tends to never see the light of day.

5) AUTO-FILL, SHARE OR SAVE FOR LATER

If you are happy with the tasting and your rating of the wine, in the “OPINION” tab, be sure to “AUTOFILL” your notes. Make any last adjustments if you need to, then save the tasting to your taste profile.

You can start to share your tasting note and experience with the wine, on social media or by email, also within Quini.

If you decide to abandon or set a tasting aside to complete later, you can do that too.

DROP THE CLUTTER AND START ENJOYING TASTINGS AGAIN

You know you will receive marketing materials, pens, notebooks and swag. Use your mobile phone for the tasting process so you get to spend more time interacting with winemakers instead of dealing with stuff. Enjoy the wines and the experience, and finally, start putting those valuable notes to good use right there and then.