It's hard to stop and take a moment to reflect while wine tasting but this initial step is critical. Observing a wine's hue and intensity says a lot. So let's take a minute and observe.Look at the wine. You can obtain a great deal of information just by looking at the wine. The color hue of the wine can tell you what style of grape was used, if it's a 100% of one grape variety or a blend, the wine's age, even the wine's region.
Be careful though. When you're looking at the wine, be sure that the color behind the wine is neutral. Ideally, you'll want to look through wine to a white or neutral surface. The difference can be incredible. Look around and find the most neutral background possible. Now observe the color. What color do you see, and don't say red or yellowish!!
At first, yes it looks red or yellow but look deeper. What shape of those colors do you see. Is your red wine showing brown or tan colors? Is it showing green in your white wine? These subtle values are your visual clues to look for. In red wine, the darker the color and intensity of red can tell you what grape varieties the wine contains. Petite Syrahs, and Cabernets are towards the darker end of the spectrum while Merlots and Pinot Noir run lighter in the hue values. If you notice a lighter hue value but the density of the color is greater than you would expect in say, a Merlot, it could be because its not 100% Merlot - it could be a blend. Alicante Bouschet is a grape variety used in many blendings for it's color. It makes red wine incredibly dark and pour like ink!
You can guess the age of a red wine by observing its "rim." Tilt the glass slightly to about a 45 degree angle and look at the edge of the wine. A purple tint in reds and may indicate youth while orange to brown indicates maturity. After determining the possible grape varieties and age based upon color, you could get your mind ready for the flavors soon to come. But not yet... let's check one more thing typically discussed.
Now, lets swirl the glass a few times. Move the glass in circles vigorously enough so the wine moves around the sides of the bowl without spilling out of the glass. This allows the wine to open up and release it's subtle aromas and possible flavors. When you're finished swirling, noticed the sides of the glass and how the wine drips back down. These are called the wine's "tears" or "legs." Some people claim these are clues to tastes but the only clue this gives is how much alcohol is in the wine - the more alcohol, the more legs or tears. Despite what some may say, this is truly all it will tell you. Don't be swayed.
Who would have thought you gain so much insight from simply observing a wine in the glass. We're still not ready to taste it yet. Now we need to inhale it's bouquet. Let's move on to smelling the wine.
