Have you have ever wondered why people at wine tastings ritualistically tilt their glass, swirl the wine around the bowl, sniff the wine and then gargle the wine before spitting it out?
No, they are not wasting their wine. Besides insuring you will be able to drive home, this method will help you assess, the quality of a wine.
Step 1- Testing the color and clarity of a wine.
For red wines, tilt the glass against a white background. Examine the edge, or lip, of the wine against the glass. If you see a dark color that runs clear to the edge this indicates a young wine. A slightly lighter color that holds to the center of the glass with a wide clear lip is indicative of an older wine.
For white wines, clarity is assessed by searching straight down into the wine. The higher the clarity, the wine will appear to sparkle, rather like diamonds.