How to Taste Wine

Today I'd like to share the very-basics of how to taste wine. The process revolves around three of your major senses - sight, smell & taste. Tasting each wine, you should examine the taste, the color and the smell to decide how you feel about the variety as a whole. Here's a closer look at each of the three steps.

First, think about how you'd describe the color. Clear or Cloudy, light or dark? Hold the glass up to the light to determine it's clarity and brilliance. Clear and bright equals good. Next, tip the glass and hold it up to a white background. If the edge is faded, it's been aged or is older, if the color is even and consistent, it's most likely younger.

Next, swirl the wine inside the glass to oxygenate it. The swirling opens up the scent and releases the "bouquet." Get your nose in there and look for all the different notes. Spicy, fruity, bold . . . how would you describe it? If the smell is corky or a little off, the wine might have gone bad.

Finally, take a good mouthful of wine and swirl it around. Really moving it around guarantees that it's hitting all of the taste buds in your mouth and maximizing the taste experience. Once you've done that, "whistle" some air into your mouth to open up the flavor even more. Things to think about include whether the flavor is dry or sweet, smooth or bitter, thin or full-bodied. Finally, pay close attention to the after-taste after you've swallowed or spit the wine. Does the flavor hang around? Is it still pleasant?

That just about covers it. Now go out and taste! Seriously . . . go!