Nothing beats practice. In Paris, you'll no doubt be reminded that wine tasting begins with a real pause, forgetting the cell phone, looking at the color of the wine, having fun guessing the age or grape variety, even if it means making a mistake. The instructors recommend that you don't stick to technique, but rather let your own sensibility guide you. Good tasting means accepting imperfections, such as confusion between aromas or hesitation about balance.
Small gestures can make all the difference, like turning the glass, testing the temperature or adding a little cheese from the nearby market. The success of a Parisian tasting also depends on fresh eyes. It's not uncommon to come across aficionados who offer the advice, "Don't necessarily try to impress, listen to what the wine is telling you". Other aficionados criticize the overly formatted workshops, preferring impromptu wine tastings. But, in the final analysis, Paris remains a city where wine is drunk as much as it is told, and each evening offers its share of secrets, to be shared or kept to oneself.