Wine Finish: Understanding Aftertaste
Learn what finish means in wine tasting, why a long finish indicates quality, and how to evaluate the aftertaste when tasting wine like a professional.
The finish is the taste and sensation that lingers in your mouth after you swallow wine. A long, evolving finish is a key indicator of wine quality.
The finish is the final act of every sip of wine, the lasting impression that remains after you swallow. It is one of the most revealing aspects of wine quality, yet many beginners overlook it entirely. Learning to pay attention to the finish will immediately elevate your tasting skills and help you distinguish everyday wines from truly exceptional ones.
What Is the Finish?
The finish, also known as the aftertaste or length, refers to the flavors, aromas, and sensations that persist in your mouth after you swallow or spit a wine. It begins the moment the liquid leaves your palate and can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes in outstanding wines.
A wine’s finish is not simply a repetition of the flavors you tasted while the wine was in your mouth. Often, the finish reveals new dimensions, such as subtle spice, mineral, or herbal notes that were hidden behind the initial fruit and acidity. The best finishes evolve over time, shifting from one sensation to another and inviting you to reflect on what you just tasted.
Why the Finish Matters
In professional wine evaluation, including WSET assessments, the length and quality of the finish are among the most important indicators of a wine’s overall quality. A long, complex finish typically signals a well-made wine from quality fruit, while a short, abrupt finish suggests a simpler or less carefully crafted product.
The reasoning is straightforward: it takes concentrated, balanced fruit and skillful winemaking to produce a wine whose flavors continue to resonate after the liquid is gone. Thin, dilute wines simply do not have enough substance to sustain a lasting impression. When a wine’s finish lingers for thirty seconds or more, displaying layers of fruit, earth, spice, and mineral character, you know you are tasting something special.
The finish also influences how satisfying a wine feels overall. A wine that disappears the moment you swallow can feel hollow and unsatisfying, no matter how pleasant the initial taste. A wine with a persistent, harmonious finish leaves you feeling that each sip was complete and rewarding.
The Finish in Practice
When evaluating the finish, pay attention to three things: length, quality, and evolution. Length is how long the flavors persist, measured roughly in seconds. Short finishes last a few seconds, medium finishes around five to eight seconds, and long finishes extend well beyond ten seconds. Truly exceptional wines can have finishes lasting a minute or more.
Quality refers to whether the lingering flavors are pleasant. A long finish of bitter, astringent, or alcoholic character is not desirable. The best finishes carry through the positive qualities of the wine, including fruit purity, balanced acidity, silky tannins, and interesting complexity.
Evolution describes how the finish changes over time. A static finish that simply fades is less interesting than one that transforms, revealing new flavors as it progresses. You might notice fresh red fruit giving way to dried herbs, then a subtle mineral quality emerging at the very end.
Certain grape varieties are known for producing particularly long finishes. Nebbiolo, the grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco, regularly delivers finishes that last well over a minute, with lingering notes of tar, roses, and dried cherry. Cabernet Sauvignon from top producers offers extended finishes of cassis, cedar, and graphite. Among whites, great Riesling and aged Burgundy Chardonnay can sustain remarkably long finishes.
To practice assessing the finish, try mentally counting seconds after you swallow your next glass of wine. Notice what flavors remain, whether they change, and how the sensation gradually fades. Comparing the finish of an inexpensive everyday wine to a higher-quality bottle from the same grape variety will dramatically illustrate why the finish matters so much.
Explore with Sommo
Developing your ability to evaluate wine finishes is a cornerstone of professional tasting. Sommo’s structured tasting notes guide you through assessing finish length and quality as part of the Systematic Approach to Tasting, helping you build the vocabulary and confidence to describe what you experience in every glass.
