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While wine tasting can be very subjective there are a few guidelines most wine connoisseurs recommend following when sampling new wines.
Technique: Look at the Wine
You can tell a lot about a wine simply from its appearance. The color of a wine can vary tremendously, even within the same type. For example, white wines can range from green to yellow and even brown. Red wines can vary from a pale red to a deep brown red.
Pour a small amount of the wine into a clear glass to see its color. Using a white background such as a tablecloth or piece of paper will give you the best view of its true color.
Tilt the glass slightly to observe the edge or “rim” of the wine. If it has a slightly purple-ish color it may indicate that it is a young wine while aged wines usually display a more orange or brown tinted rim.
Another tip is to swirl the wine in the glass. This will show the body and thickness of the wine. A thicker wine usually indicates a stronger sweet flavor or higher alcohol content.
Technique: Taste the Wine
The most important quality of a wine is its balance between sweetness and acidity. When judging a wine for the first time you want to take into consideration not only the body and texture of the wine but your initial feeling as you first taste it. Also reflect on the
aftertaste left behind once you’ve swallowed the wine.
 You always want to consider its overall flavor and balance. If the wine is dry, is it supposed to be? Ask yourself if the taste is appropriate for the type of wine you are sampling.
With these three steps and a little bit of practice, you can be a wine connoisseur in no time!
Technique: Smell the Wine
Swirling the wine also helps to release the aroma, also known as the "bouquet” of the wine. Take a deep whiff of the aroma and then concentrate on what you smell.
It can be difficult at first to describe what you smell but after some practice it becomes easier to distinguish certain aromas from others. Some common aromas of wines are fruit, flowers, earthy, wood, herbs and spices.
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