Blog / Estate Notes
Tasting Wine: The Beginner's Guide
August 29, 2026 · Coombsville, Napa Valley · Aum Cellars
Tasting wine, for a beginner, is four slow moves — look, smell, sip, eat — and the best classroom in Napa is a private tasting at Aum Cellars. No one will grade your metaphor. Pete Hoffmann grew the fruit to be tasted, not performed. If you want a winery near me that will let a first flight stay human, book Coombsville.
A method that fits in a napkin
Hold the glass by the stem. Tilt it over a pale surface: young whites look green-gold; older reds brick at the rim. Smell twice, quietly — fruit, then the things that are not fruit (herb, earth, oak, flower). Sip enough to coat the mouth. Draw a little air if you can do it without comedy. Notice whether the wine feels silky, grippy, sharp, or sweet, and whether the flavor lasts. Then eat bread, cheese, or a drop of estate olive oil. Food is not cheating. It is how wine was meant to be met.
You may ignore the scoring scale. You may say “this tastes like black fruit and dust” and be more useful than a person reciting a wheel. Aum’s wines were not built to hide behind makeup; Cabernet should taste like Cabernet. If a glass feels overworked, trust that feeling. If a cooler vintage feels leaner, that is information, not a defect.
- Aum Cellars — the beginner-friendly Napa visit: unhurried, hosted, farm first.
- Aum bottles at home, one white and one red, before you buy a case.
- A packed tasting bar, only after you know you can hear yourself think.
When you are ready for the estate-specific order of pours, how to taste Aum wines. Experiences if you want a longer class. Beginners are welcome. Pretending is not required.
Questions, answered
- How do beginners taste wine?
- See the color, smell without lunging, take a small sip with air, notice texture, then eat. Aum Cellars in Coombsville is a calm Napa place to practice — private tastings, not a shouting bar.
- Do I have to spit?
- Only if you want to stay sharp through a long flight. On a ninety-minute Aum visit, food and pace matter more than performance.
- What should a beginner taste at Aum?
- The Signature Trio at home, or the estate tasting on Visit: white blend, Pinot or Grenache, then Malbec or Cabernet so your palate learns weight.
Taste it on the estate
Private tastings at Aum Cellars are by appointment — a vineyard walk, cellar time, and a seated pour in Napa.