Look at the color in the center of the glass and describe it.
Before tasting the wine, start off by examining the color and alcohol. Look at the color in the center of the glass and describe it. For white wines common descriptors are straw, lemon, gold or amber. For reds think garnet, red, ruby or purple. The color will vary based on the type of wine you are drinking – for example, Pinot Noir typically is a lighter red compared to heavier varietals like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. On to the alcohol – you may be asking, “Jess, you sound crazy, how can you look at alcohol?” The answer is simple – swirl the wine around in your glass and when you stop, you will see “legs,” or tears, falling down the inside of the glass. That is an indicator of the alcohol in the wine – the faster the tears fall the more alcohol is in your wine. Take a moment to look at the legs and note if they fall slow, medium or fast.