Taste

In Chinese, to taste is 品 (pǐn): three mouths stacked together. Tasting is meant to be slow, attentive and, above all, shared. Whether you are opening your first bottle of baijiu or comparing three Ningxia reds, the same idea applies: look, smell, sip, and pay attention to what stays with you after the glass is empty.

Before you start

Use clean glasses with no smell of detergent. Taste in a room without strong smells, keep still water at hand, and have something plain to eat, such as crackers or plain rice. Pour small amounts: you are tasting, not drinking. If you taste several drinks, go from the lightest to the strongest: beer, then wine and rice wine, then spirits, and baijiu last. Once your palate has met 53% baijiu, a delicate white wine will taste of very little.

Chinese tasters judge a drink on four points: 色香味格 (sè xiāng wèi gé), colour, aroma, taste and style. It is a useful checklist for any glass.

Wine

Chinese wine is tasted exactly like wine from anywhere else, in four steps.

Look. Tilt the glass against a white background. Young reds are purple at the rim; older reds turn brick-orange. Whites go from pale lemon to gold as they age.

Swirl and smell. Swirl gently to release the aromas, then smell with short sniffs. Ask yourself: what fruit is there, red, black or tropical? Is there anything from the oak, such as vanilla, toast or spice?

Sip. Take a small sip and let it move around your whole mouth. Notice the acidity, which makes your mouth water and keeps the wine fresh; the tannins, the drying feeling in red wines; and the body, light or full.

Finish. Swallow and count how many seconds the flavour stays. A long finish is a sign of quality.

What to look for in Chinese wine: reds from Ningxia, often based on Cabernet Sauvignon, tend to be ripe and structured, shaped by a sunny, dry climate. Marselan, China's signature red, is usually softer and more fragrant. Compare them side by side and the differences become clear.

Baijiu

Baijiu is where most Europeans go wrong. It is strong, usually between 40% and 60% alcohol, and it is never gulped when tasting.

Pour very little, a mouthful at most.

Smell from a distance first. Do not plunge your nose into the glass: the alcohol stings and hides everything else. Hold the glass a little below your chin, then bring it slowly closer.

Take a tiny sip and let it spread across your tongue for a few seconds. The first sip often feels hot: it simply prepares your palate. Judge from the second one.

Swallow, then breathe out slowly through your nose. This is the moment baijiu opens up: the aromas travel back through the nose, and you will notice far more than you smelled in the glass.

Notice the aftertaste, 回味 (huíwèi), and how long it lasts.

Finally, smell the empty glass. The scent that lingers is called 空杯留香, "fragrance left in the empty cup", and connoisseurs value it highly, especially in sauce aroma baijiu.

What to look for: baijiu is grouped into aroma types (香型). Dozens of variations exist, and twelve are commonly recognised, but four are the classic families. Rice aroma (米香) is soft, sweet and honeyed. Light aroma (清香) is clean, crisp and floral. Strong aroma (浓香) is rich and fruity. Sauce aroma (酱香) is deep, savoury and long, with a taste many compare to soy sauce. If you are new to baijiu, taste them in this order.

Rice wine

Huangjiu is gentler and much lower in alcohol than baijiu. Taste it slowly, as you would a sherry.

Look. The colour goes from pale gold to deep amber: older wines are usually darker.

Smell. Look for nuts, caramel, dried fruit, honey and sometimes a savoury, almost umami note.

Sip and judge the sweetness. It is the first thing that defines a huangjiu. By sugar content, it is classified as dry (干型, up to 15 g per litre), semi-dry (半干型, 15–40 g), semi-sweet (半甜型, 40–100 g) or sweet (甜型, over 100 g). The best-known Shaoxing style, Jiafan, is semi-dry.

Try it twice: once at room temperature and once gently warmed. Warmth makes it rounder and more aromatic, and it is the best way to understand why many Chinese drinkers prefer it that way.

Beer

Most beer in China is light, crisp lager made to be drunk very cold with food. Do not overthink it: notice how refreshing it is, and how little bitterness it has.

The craft scene is another story. Taste those beers as you would any craft beer: first the aroma (hops, malt, yeast), then the bitterness, then the body. Look out for beers brewed with Chinese ingredients, such as tea, osmanthus or Sichuan pepper: they show how local brewers are giving beer a Chinese identity.

Spirits

Chinese brandy, whisky and gin are tasted like their Western cousins. Use a small tulip-shaped glass, warm it slightly in your hand, smell, then take a small sip. Add a few drops of water to a strong spirit: it often opens up the aromas. With gin, look for Chinese botanicals among the juniper.

Common mistakes

Gulping baijiu: it hides everything and burns. Serving baijiu ice-cold from the freezer: the cold kills the aroma. Tasting baijiu first and wine afterwards: your palate will be numb. Judging huangjiu only cold: try it warm before deciding.

In short

Small amounts, small sips, from light to strong. Breathe out through your nose, especially with baijiu, and always ask yourself how long the taste stays

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