Sommelier 4Yums! Wine Tasting System

Featured on Oregon Wine Country Tours.
Are you like many wine enthusiasts that find the sea of wine reviews a tad overwhelming? Fear not! Here's a system that works for my wife and I that is simple, straightforward, and easy to adapt to your own taste buds. The whole system is based on your own likes and dislikes, no matter how "unsophisticated" you may think you are. The reality is that each of us is the final judge on what tastes good and what doesn't. Any system that relies on others to produce a review notation that you are supposed to follow is bound to be erroneous. Bottle of Wine The 4Yums! system is based on your own level of wine experience, so that your scoring will adapt and evolve to your continuing expansion of taste experiences. Let's face it, what does a Wine Spectator rating of 90 mean to you if you are just starting out as a wine enthusiast. If you've been drinking wine for years that 90 means something different. In the 4Yums! you are given a broader structure in which to judge wines. So that a 3.5 Yums! today will have a new meaning tomorrow.

This concept of your evolving tasting experience is at the heart of the 4Yums! system. As you progress in your skills you can reflect back to where you came from in a useful way by comparing past scoring with your present evaluations. Ask yourself why you gave a certain wine a 2 Yums! in 2005 and a 2.5 Yums! today.

    4Yums! Tasting Categories:

  1. Sight: What does the color of the wine tell you?
  2. Smell: You know when something smells good, right?
  3. Sensation: What's happening in your mouth?
  4. Saturation: What can you say a minute later?
The whole idea behind the 4Yums! system is to relax and not think too hard! Simply meld the four "S's" in your mind and let your sences speak. We have all said of certain foods or drinks: "This is yummy!" Well, do the same with the wine.

    4Yums! Tasting System Yums! Levels

  1. If it's good at all start with 1Yum!; something that may be good for table wine.

  2. 2Yums! maybe a wine to watch. Perhaps it needs to lay down a bit longer.

  3. 3Yums! is for a wine that you want to share with friends. Some special taste or smell that sets it apart.

  4. 4Yums! Well, you have arrived at the Top. To reach this goal a wine will produce excitement for months. You'll be telling everyone about it!


Each of the categories can be further divided by tenths (.10). For example, a 3Yum! wine might be tittering on the verge of one of your best yet wines, yet there is some edge to it that you can't quit name, so give it a 3.7Yums!.

The point is that this is your system and you will remember what a 3.7Yums! means to you. Simple and straight forward. The system is meant to jog your memory when reviewing the wines you have sampled. Easy. Relax. That's the 4Yums! System!