Michael Sager on How to Taste Wine
Michael Sager doesn’t teach wine tasting like a textbook. “You only need one sip,” he says. “That’s it.” He starts with the nose. Then asks: does the palate match? Is it balanced? “I smell it, I clock one big thing — is it too oaky, too alcoholic? That’s like sound being too loud. You dial it down.”
From there, it’s all about acid. “Acid is everything. It makes me want to go back to the wine. Does it wrap around layers of fruit? Does it linger without dropping off?” Then tannin. Then texture. But always through feel — not formula.
He doesn’t care for WSET scoring systems. “Wine is memory. It’s like going to a gig. You don’t need to know how the sound was produced. You just need to know if it moves you.” The point isn’t precision — it’s resonance.
THIRSTY FOR MORE?
Watch the next in our Michael Sager series, where he shares how he builds wine lists that reflect place, not prestige.
TL;DR
Michael Sager explains how he tastes wine, why acid matters, and how memory shapes flavour.
Art Direction by David Tokley
Filming by Max Sizeland
Location: Sager + Wilde, Hackney Road London