An integral part of the whole wine tasting experience is making a close observation of the wine itself. Please be aware, the process of wine tasting refers to the whole experience, as opposed to the mere taste of the wine. Your understanding of the wine will increase immensely simply by observing it. The wine should always be tasted in a glass that is clear. The colour is best observed when held in front of a white background



The colour of the wine is an important factor in the taste of the wine. One thing you will notice is that not all red wines have the same red colour while not all white wines are actually white. This range of colour is something you are after. The longer a product ages and the more flavour that it actually possess, the more colour it has. In white wine, too much colour is not a good thing. White wine is actually ruined or tarnished in flavour by the aging process. On the other hands, red wines improve with age in flavour. They too range in colour. As red wines age, their colour actually lightens, unlike white wines which usually darken with age. The lighter the colour, the older a red wine is.

To learn about the actual age of a wine by its colour, tilt your glass slightly to the side. You can then see the edge clearly. This is called the rim colour. The purple tint you see there will indicate that the wine is actually younger. If you see an orange or brown tint on the edge that indicates that the wine is mature. In addition, swirl the wine. This allows you to see the body of the wine. If it is thicker, it will have higher alcohol content as well as a higher sweet flavour. You can learn a lot about a wine from just looking at it.

Smelling your wine is just as important as tasting it. However, in the context of full wine taste, you do need to be able to smell the wine correctly. The smell of the wine can be a strong determinant as to weather or not you will enjoy it. It is often the case that someone will take a quick sniff of the wine. This is not the correct approach

In wine tasting circles, you'll hear the aroma referred to as the nose or the bouquet of the wine. You may hear numerous bouquets referred to but the majority are from the following: floral, spices, wood, fruit, herbs, or earthy. These varying aromas can have their own distinctive tastes

To smell wine correctly, firstly give the glass a swirl. This will help to release the wine molecules prior to taking a quick sniff. Now its time to take a deep inhale of the aroma. Now you should be able to smell the difference. Which one of the different bouquets comes to mind?