Use your senses to judge good wine.
Choosing a wine can seem like a difficult task at first, since there are so many different varieties of grapes which are produced in different countries and in different years. How do you know which is going to be worth your money? It's easy to think that as a rule of thumb, the more expensive the wine the better the bottle, however some more affordable wines are very decent too. Most importantly, use your sense of smell and taste; if you like what you taste, it's probably worth buying.
Instructions
What's on the Bottle
1. Look on the label for the words "cool climate" if you are choosing a wine from a warm country. These wines have a better aroma and taste.
2. Look for terminology such as DoC, DoCa, DOCG, DO, AC; these all indicate a level of quality.
3. Check the size of the cork. If the cork is long, it means it is a wine that will improve with age as it is designed to be kept for a long time. The longer cork and deeper well at the bottom of the bottle make it easier to be racked and rotated every few months.
4. Check the year the wine was produced. Weather conditions greatly affect a year's produce, therefore if summer started early or there was a particularly cold winter, the vineyards will have suffered. If you know that 2004 had a long hot summer in the country the wine was produced, look for bottles from that year.
Taste
5. Fill a wine glass 1/3 full so that flavor can develop in the glass.
6. Swirl the glass in your hand so that the aroma of the wine rises. Examine the wine in the glass for bubbles. If it's a non-sparkling red wine, there should not be bubbles, as this is a sign that it is fermenting in the bottle which can push the cork out. Many white wines have a few bubbles, which is fine.
7. Taste the wine. Experts suck the wine through their teeth to be able to taste it adequately. Does it taste acidic or smooth? An acidic wine will be younger, with more tannins and perhaps not meant for storage. Think of how long the flavor lingers in your mouth; the longer you can taste it, the better the wine.
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