Explore the appearance of the wine by tilting the glass away from you and examining the color of the wine from the rim edges to the middle of the glass.  (Reds can be purple, ruby, garnet, brick, maroon, brown, etc. and Whites can be amber, golden, pale yellow, clear, light green, etc.) 

Then investigate the wines opacity by again tilting the glass and observing whether the wine is translucent or opaque, cloudy or clear, watery or dark, dull or brilliant.  Do you see sediment, floaters or bits of cork?  (Older white wines are darker than the same younger variety while older red wines often have more orange tinges on the edges of color than younger red wines.)

To get a good impression of your wine’s aroma, swirl your glass for 10 – 15 seconds and then take a quick whiff to gain a first impression.  (swirling helps vaporize some of the wine’s alcohol and release more of its natural aroma)

A wine’s aroma is an outstanding indicator of its quality and unique characteristics….so stick your nose into the glass and deeply inhale.  Do you smell citrus, vanilla, berry, flowers, oak, smoke, etc?  

Swirl the wine again and let the aromas mix and mingle…then sniff again.

Finally take a small sip and let it roll around your mouth…as you begin the three stages of taste.  The first phase is the initial impression that the wine makes on your palate…alcohol content, residual sugar, tannin levels and acidity.  Ideally these components will be well-balanced.  They will not display a specific flavor as they meld together to offer impressions in intensity and complexity, light or heavy, crisp or creamy, soft or firm, sweet or dry…but not necessarily true flavors like fruit or spice.

The next tasting phase is where you are looking to discern the flavor profile of the wine.  Red wines may taste of fruit – berry, prune, fig, plum; perhaps some spice – pepper, clove, cinnamon, oak, cedar, smoke.  White wines may taste like pear, citrus fruits, apple, tropical, floral, honey, herbs, etc.

The final tasting phase is how long the flavor impression lasts after it is swallowed.  Also is there an after taste?  Was the wine light-bodied (like the weight of water), medium bodied (similar in weight to milk) or full-bodied (like the consistency of cream)?  Do you want another sip or was the wine too bitter at the end?  What was your last flavor impression….fruit, oak, smoke, etc.?  Does the taste last or is it short lived?