Wine 101: Our Guide To Sounding Like A Vino Expert

The Basics: Getting Acquainted

Okay, we are going to start slow. None of that fancy-shmancy-wine-word-talk. The simplest tip to remember when discussing wine is the 4 S's. Which stand for See, Swirl, Sniff, and Sip. By being aware that every wine you try should be appreciated first for how it looks is the easiest way to rule out the wines you don't want or don't like. Note the colors of the wine. Tilt the wine in the glass slightly and notice if the wine is a variety of colors. [Photo via] But remember intensity of color is not necessarily attributed with quality. White wines become darker as they age, while time causes red wines to lose their color, turning them more brown in color. Sometimes there will be sediment at the bottom of a bottle or glass, but this is not a distinguishing feature as to the quality of the wine. [Photo via]