Savor

After you've had a chance to taste the wine, sit back for a few moments and savor it. Sometimes it's easy to get too caught up in the clinical aspects of wine tasting and forget that this is supposed to be above all fun! Equally as important is what you take away from your tasting. In order to learn the most from your experience, it is necessary to interpret your impressions of the wine. A good place to start is to ask yourself some important questions. This will help to focus your impressions. Like anything else, ambiguity in wine tasting can be frustrating.

Here are some questions you should ask:

• Does the wine have a light, medium, or full body?
• Is the wine's acidity noticeable? How about the tannin?
• Is the wine balanced and well integrated or is it too strong or astringent?
• Is the finish long and lingering, or does it fade abruptly?
• Most importantly, did you like the wine and would you drink it again?

This last question is really the most important point. The first thing you should consider after you've tasted a wine is whether or not you like it. Is it your style? The style of wine you like will evolve and become more personal with every wine you taste. You may never be able to (or want to be able to ) tell the difference between a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and one from Bordeaux, but you will probably know right away whether or not you like a particular wine. And remember, the most important definition of a good wine is one that you like - not your friends or a particular wine critic.