Do you go from sweeter/lighter to drier/fuller wines when doing wine sampling? Of course this would exclude ports or dessert wines.
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
Your question brings up the importance of sequencing in a wine tasting, a critical factor governing our reaction to each wine. As a general practice, it makes sense to start with the lightest, driest wines and progress to fuller, more powerful ones, and then finish with those that are sweet, with fortified wines at the very end. I do want to be sure I've understood your question, however, since you have drawn a distinction between "sweeter" and "dessert" wines. Are you referring to wines which have a small degree of apparent sweetness, perhaps the level of a German Kabinett or Spatlese (other than the Trocken versions)? If this type of wine is included in the tasting, then the sequence is not as clear, since these "sweeter" whites are also light-bodied, fairly low in alcohol, and have high acidity. The order would then depend on the other wines, and it might be a good idea - in terms of how your palate would be affected - to place these delicate, off-dry wines either after any that are truly bone dry, and before rich, oak-influenced whites, or at the end of the entire group of white wines. To guide you further, I would need to know the exact wines you intend to include in your sampling.
