What Is a Wine Flight?

One of the most exciting parts about a wine tasting tour, other than seeing the stunning landscape, is trying a spectrum of wines. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or want to experience a fun weekend with your friends, private wine tastings tick all the boxes. 

When attending a wine tasting, it can be overwhelming at first. Which wines do you try? Do you stick with your favorites or roam into unchartered wine territory? 

The solution to this dilemma is simple — a wine flight. 

What Is a Wine Flight?

As craft breweries continue to explode across the nation, you may have already sampled a beer flight — but what about a wine flight?

In the world of wine, a tasting flight is a term used to describe a selection of wine. The purpose of these flights is to sample and compare wines. Although you can certainly create a wine selection that focuses on your favorite varietals, wine flights provide a fantastic opportunity to explore new flavors, aromas, bodies, and other unique characteristics — for example, wines with an oaky flavor, like this oak-matured Chardonnay. 

A wine flight also offers you the opportunity to increase your knowledge about a specific varietal, the region you’re sampling from, or a vintage. For example, Temecula Valley offers a unique growing climate. The region’s warm, sunny days and cool, breezy nights influence the grapes, resulting in high-quality wines. 

Related: How to Plan a Fun Wine Tasting Trip

Diving Deeper Into Wine Flights

On average, wine flights include 3-5 wines, but some can be much larger. The number of wines presented will depend on the context. For example, is the flight based on a specific theme? A specific varietal?

Although the order of the wines you taste will depend on the circumstances, you often taste lighter whites wines first, moving into richer whites, followed by light reds, ending with more robust reds. If sparkling wine is in the flight selection, it is generally sampled first; and if there’s a dessert wine, it is typically the finale. 

Before sampling each wine, take notice of its color, clarity, and other visual elements. Next, smell the wine. Well-crafted wines offer a depth of aromas, inviting you to take that first sip. When you do, try to pick up each wine’s unique notes. In some cases, differences will be subtle, especially when sampling from a reasonably large flight.

In other cases, you will immediately notice how one wine differs from the next, even if it’s the same varietal. Again, a perfect example is an oaked vs. an unoaked chardonnay. When sampling these varying types of wines at a winery, you will discover how maturation in a barrel influences the flavor and aromas of a wine. Another example is the comparison between a young and aged wine. This type of interesting knowledge helps you develop a greater understanding of wine. 

Sampling a Wine Flight at a Winery Yields the Best Experience

Sipping on wines where they were grown takes the cake for experiencing wine tasting. As you immerse yourself in the landscape, you gain a true appreciation for each sip. 

It’s interesting to learn about each wine and interact with those who produced the selection you’re sipping on. A winery like Sweet Oaks will also serve a wine flight as intended. This means the proper glassware, serving wine at the right temperature, etc. 

With that in mind, don’t be shy to create a wine flight at home, especially if you’re planning a multi-course meal. This experience can be a fun activity for you to do with your partner, friends, or yourself. 

Quick tips to enhance your experience:

• Wine tasting is very much a sensory experience involving taste and smell. It’s best to avoid wearing colognes and perfumes that may interfere with the taste of wine. After all, our sense of smell is responsible for up to 95% of what we taste. 
• Be open to charcuterie plates. They’re delicious, they help you avoid drinking on an empty stomach, and charcuterie helps cleanse the palate. When strategically paired with wines, meats, cheeses, nuts, and fruits can enhance your wine tasting experience based on key tasting notes. 
• Drink water to stay hydrated. 
• Have fun with it! It’s fine (and incredibly common) to be a wine novice. Ask questions and get involved. That’s the whole point. 

Discover the Possibility at Sweet Oaks

Sweet Oaks is proud to offer a memorable wine tasting experience. 

During this tour, you will access an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of our winery while sampling exquisite wines. We feature varietals from the Temecula Valley and De Luz foothills. We take our tasting experience to the next level, pairing samples with a delicious charcuterie, complete with cheeses, unique meats, fresh fruits, and accompaniments.

Book your intimate wine tasting experience today!