I try not to examine single wines if possible pairing with a similar, but contrasting wine. Of course this is not necessary with older wines. The casual tasting of wines, like at a dinner or an informal tasting, is a very difficult place to make coherent notes. Often if I am tasting with friends and having conversation, the wine, however good, becomes so secondary that I have only the vaguest impressions of it.
Tasting is work.
I approach German wine in several steps. First, I do not taste 'blind,' leaving that exercise for those much more skilled than myself. I like to examine the label and the bottle carefully, noting not only the maker and site but the price and source and the AP number and alcohol level, and then getting a good look at its general condition, the presence of sediment, the presence of ullage, and when opening, looking critically at the cork. T he color and general texture and viscosity can be noted when pouring into a good glass over a white background in natural light, usually no more than about two ounces. T he wine is then carefully examined for particles, weinstein, or spritz.