How to Get Into Wine: 6 Wines to Train Your Palate

How Do You Get Into Wine?

Getting into wine doesn’t mean memorising hundreds of grape varieties or learning how to talk like a sommelier.

It starts with tasting.

If you want to understand wine better, the best place to begin is by learning how to recognise basic aromas, flavours, acidity, body and tannin. A simple way to do that is to taste a few grape varieties side by side and notice how different they can be.

Think of it as training your palate — one glass at a time.

Here are six common grape varieties to help you start your wine journey: Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Syrah.

Three White Wines to Train Your Palate

White wines are often associated with seafood because their acidity and lighter structures work naturally with delicate fish and shellfish. But white wine is far from being just a glass of lemony refreshment.

Aromatic whites can be intensely floral, fruity and spicy, making them particularly useful for beginners learning to identify different wine aromas.

1. Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the easiest wines to recognise. Its bright acidity and distinctive citrus and green characters make it a great starting point for palate training.

Look for:

• Colour: Pale straw, sometimes with a hint of lime green
• Aromas: Lime, grapefruit, green apple, passion fruit, pineapple, freshly cut grass and capsicum
• Palate: Dry, light-bodied and high in acidity

What to learn: Citrus, tropical fruit and green herbal characters.

Food pairing: Sauvignon Blanc works beautifully with light fish, lemon and herb sauces, salads with goat’s cheese, and fresh Thai or Mexican dishes with lime, coriander and a touch of chilli.

Similar varieties: Verdejo, Albariño and Grüner Veltliner.

2. Gewürztraminer

If Sauvignon Blanc teaches you about acidity and green characters, Gewürztraminer takes you in a completely different direction.

Known for its unmistakable perfume of rose petals and lychee, Gewürztraminer is an excellent beginner’s wine because its aromas are so distinctive.

Depending on the style, you may also find apricot, citrus, ginger, cinnamon, honey, pineapple or Turkish delight.

Look for:

• Colour: Deep, bright yellow
• Aromas: Rose, lychee, ginger, cinnamon, honey, pineapple and apricot
• Palate: Medium to full-bodied, low to medium acidity and often off-dry to semi-sweet

What to learn: Floral, tropical, spicy and sweet aromatic characters.

Food pairing: Its aromatic intensity and touch of sweetness make Gewürztraminer a natural partner for Thai food, mild Indian curries and other flavourful Asian dishes.

Similar varieties: Muscat, Riesling and Torrontés.

3. Chardonnay

Chardonnay is one of the most versatile wines to explore because it can taste dramatically different depending on climate, fruit ripeness and winemaking.

A great way to understand Chardonnay is to compare a lean, mineral-driven style with a richer, oak-aged example.

Look for citrus, green apple and mineral notes in lighter styles. Riper or oak-influenced Chardonnays can move towards pineapple, peach, vanilla, toast, butter, caramel and baking spices.

Look for:

• Colour: Pale yellow in lighter styles; deeper gold in ripe or aged examples
• Aromas: Lemon, apple, pear, tropical fruit, stone fruit and minerality
• Oak influence: Vanilla, toast, biscuit, butter, caramel and baking spice
• Palate: Dry, medium to full-bodied, with acidity ranging from medium to medium-high

What to learn: The difference between fruit, minerality and winemaking-derived characters.

Food pairing: Chardonnay can move from delicate seafood to richer dishes such as creamy pasta, truffle dishes and roast chicken. The key is matching the weight and intensity of the wine to the food.

Similar varieties: Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.

Three Red Wines to Train Your Palate

Red wines introduce another important element: tannin.

Tannin creates the drying, slightly bitter sensation you can feel on your gums and tongue. Comparing wines with different levels of tannin is one of the easiest ways to understand red wine structure.

4. Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is typically lighter in colour and structure, making it a useful starting point for understanding lighter-bodied red wines.

Look for fresh red berries and cherries, followed by more earthy characters such as forest floor, mushrooms and savoury notes.

Look for:

• Colour: Light cranberry red
• Aromas: Raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, cherry, forest floor and mushroom
• Palate: Light to medium-bodied, dry, low in tannin and medium to high in acidity

What to learn: Red fruit, earthy aromas and gentle tannins.

Food pairing: Pinot Noir is wonderfully versatile with dishes such as roast pork, Peking duck, mushroom pasta and vegetable-based dishes.

Similar varieties: Nebbiolo, Gamay Noir and Zweigelt.

5. Merlot

Merlot sits comfortably in the middle of the red wine spectrum, making it a useful comparison between lighter Pinot Noir and fuller-bodied Syrah.

It is often described as juicy and fleshy, with red and dark fruit characters supported by moderate tannin.

Oak-aged examples may also show vanilla, cloves, cocoa and nutmeg.

Look for:

• Colour: Bright ruby red
• Aromas: Raspberry, plum, currant, black cherry, vanilla, cloves, cocoa and nutmeg
• Palate: Medium-bodied, dry, medium acidity and medium tannin

What to learn: How tannin, fruit and oak influence the overall structure of a wine.

Food pairing: Merlot can work with poultry, red meat, burgers, braised dishes and pepper steak.

Similar varieties: Grenache, Sangiovese and Zinfandel.

6. Syrah

At the fuller-bodied end of the spectrum is Syrah.

Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape variety, although different regions and winemaking approaches can produce very different expressions.

For beginners, Syrah is particularly useful because its deep colour, bold fruit, pepper and savoury characters are easy to identify.

Look for:

• Colour: Deep red with purple tones
• Aromas: Plum, blackcurrant, black cherry, black pepper, liquorice, cloves, dried herbs, olives and savoury notes
• Palate: Full-bodied, dry, medium to medium-high acidity and firm tannins

What to learn: Dark fruit, spice, savoury complexity and stronger tannins.

Food pairing: Syrah works especially well with smoky, charred meats and rich, savoury dishes where the protein and fat can soften the wine’s tannins.

Similar varieties: Pinotage, Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet.

How to Train Your Palate Beyond the Wine Glass

The easiest way to get better at tasting wine is surprisingly simple: taste more intentionally.

Rather than drinking a wine and deciding whether you like it, slow down and ask:

What do I smell?
What fruit does it remind me of?
How acidic is it?
Does it feel light or full-bodied?
How strong are the tannins?
What flavours stay on my palate after I swallow?

Try tasting all six wines side by side, starting with the whites and moving through to the reds. The contrast makes their differences much easier to recognise.

And don’t limit your palate training to wine.

Smell fresh herbs at the supermarket. Taste different fruits. Pay attention to spices when you cook. Grow a small herb garden. Really taste your food instead of simply eating it.

The more aromas and flavours you experience in everyday life, the larger your personal aroma library becomes.

Wine Tasting Is About Practice, Not Perfection

These six wines are only the beginning.

There are thousands of wines, grape varieties, regions and winemaking styles to explore. The goal isn’t to identify every bottle perfectly. It is to become more curious, more observant and more confident with what you are tasting.

You don’t need to be a wine expert to enjoy wine.

Start with a few varieties. Taste them side by side. Notice the differences. Keep exploring.

Before long, you’ll move from simply being a wine drinker to becoming someone who actually knows how to taste wine.

And that’s where the wine lifestyle gets really interesting.