I don’t know if my palate is bad or if I’m just not paying attention right

Wine tasting has always felt really passive to me. I’ll sip, nod, maybe read a tasting note and move on but I don’t feel like I’m actually doing anything. It’s more like information is being handed to me instead of me learning through the experience.

Most tastings seem to follow the same pattern, someone tells you what you’re supposed to notice, you try to find it and then you either agree or quietly move on if you don’t. There’s no feedback, no correction and no sense of whether you’re improving or just going through the motions.

I enjoy tasting wine but it rarely feels engaging or memorable. I leave knowing which wine I liked best but not why and definitely not how to apply that knowledge next time. It makes the whole thing feel more like consumption than learning.

Does anyone else feel like wine tasting is something that happens to you instead of something you actively participate in?