Ourglass Tapes | 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.

Watch the next in our Michael Sager series, where he shares how he builds wine lists that reflect place, not prestige.

Michael Sager explains how he tastes wine, why acid matters, and how memory shapes flavour.

Michael Sager breaks down how he tastes wine, what he looks for in the glass, and why memory matters more than method.