O.k., o.k, so you want to "hold your own" vs your



wine snob friends when it comes to evaluating

wine. Trust me, evaluating wine is not the "

rocket science" that some of your connoisseur

buddies would lead you to believe. However,

learning some basic terminology and understanding

wine characteristics will help you in knowing how

to describe the wines you drink.

Let's start with appearance, color, aroma and

bouquet. Wine should not appear dull or murky.

Nor, should it be cloudy. A clear wine should not

be flashing with light reflections.When it comes

to colors, white wine should have shades of

yellow, gold or straw.Beaware of white wines with

an amber tone, as this is an indicator

ofoxidation. A Rose can be a true pink, although

sometimes it is accented with deeper reds or

oranges. Stay away from brown tints of amber or

violet.The variety of grapes used determines the

color of red wines.Cabernet and Merlot may be

deep red. Younger wines typically have purple

edges, while mature wines will have bronze

accents.

The term aroma applies to younger wines. This

is simple, what does the wine smell like?

Typically, you'll detect fruit and grape odors.

It may take some practice for you to detect

subtle differences. As a wine matures, it

develops a fragrance when it comes in contact

with the air. This fragrance is called the wine's

bouquet.

If your wine smells almost like vinegar, it

ranks very low in volatile acidity. When you

swish wine around in your mouth and it is

refreshing, almost giving you a little "zing,"the

total acidity is probably just right. A wine with

a flat, almost "soapy" flavor is too low in

acidity. Sharp, or sour tasting wines are

generally too high in acidity.

Some wines are supposed to be sweet, other

wines are supposed to be dry. If the wine you are

evaluating has a sweetness to it when it should

be dry, watch out! And of course, if the wine is

dry when it should be sweet, be equally concerned.

These are indicators that the wine's sugar

content is unsatisfactory. The term "flavor" has

to do with how well the taste and the aroma of

the wine work together.

The "body" of a wine is probably the most

subjective term used in evaluating wine. Words

like "density," "richness,"fullness," etc. are

all used to describe a wine's body. The type and

age of the wine will largely influence the

description of it's body. Light, dry wines will

typically have a lighter body, while Burgundies

and young Zinandels will be more full bodied. As

some wines mature, they may transition from full

bodied to softer bodied. The only way to

determine what "body" means to you is to taste

many wines.

Aftertaste is a term that describes the taste

of the wine in your mouth after you swallow it.

Quality, mature wines have a lingering, clean,

smooth aftertaste. Young wines typically are high

in acidity due to excess tannin, and can leave an

undesirable aftertaste.

So, now you're equipped with some basic

terminology used in evaluating wine. However,

when all is said and "tasted", the key point in

evaluating wine is simply whether or not you

enjoyed it!