The Rookie Critic: Love Wine? But You Dont Know Why!

If you're anything like me, you've probably pondered down the wine aisle of a Binny's or a Trader Joe's and wondered to yourself, "Where the hell do I start? or Which do I put back?" Because the wine industry is so vast, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the options. The best thing for you to do next time you find yourself in this situation is to give the wine experts an opportunity to shine a little light on you. I have yet to encounter a condescending "wine snob" and I'm even starting to question where the wine industry even fell victim to such a bad rep. You may know nothing about wine, but the more exposure you get tasting and talking about it, the more likely you are to differentiate good wines from excellent ones.

From wineloverspage.com, I found some very very helpful information for criteria used to evaluate wine.

Look At The Wine

Is the wine clear?
Is it hazy?
Is the color appropriate?
Color should be consistent (deduction if discoloration around the edges of the glass).
Are there bubbles?
Is sediment present at bottom of glass?

Smell The Wine

Is it pleasant or unappetizing?
Put your nose close into the glass to better identify the smells

Fruity: Citrus - grapefruit, lemon; berry - blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, black currant (cassis); tree fruit - cherry, apricot, peach, apple; tropical fruit - pineapple, melon, banana; dried fruit - strawberry jam, raisins, prune, fig.
Vegetative: fresh - stemmy, cut green grass, bell pepper, eucalyptus, mint; canned-cooked - green beans, asparagus, green olive, black olive, artichoke; dried - haw-straw, tea, tobacco.
Nutty: walnut, hazelnut, almond.
Caramelized: honey, butterscotch, butter, soy sauce, chocolate, molasses.
Woody: vanilla, cedar, oak, smoky, burnt toast, charred, coffee.
Earthy: dusty, mushroom, musty (mildew), moldy cork.
Chemical: petroleum - tar, plastic, kerosene, diesel; sulfur - rubbery, garlic, skunk, cabbage, burnt match, wet wool, wet dog; papery - wet cardboard; pungent - acetic acid (vinegar); other - soapy, fishy.
Pungent: hot - alcohol; cool - menthol.
Microbiological: yeast, sauerkraut, sweaty, horsey, "mousey."
Floral: orange blossom, rose, violet, geranium.
Spicy: cloves, black pepper, licorice, anise.

Taste The Wine

Take a sip, swishing the wine around the mouth before swallowing
Different flavors will be concentrated on different parts of the tongue, bitter in the back, sweet towards the front and acidic (or sour) along the sides
Ask yourself if the flavor is consistent with the aromas
Is there a lingering aftertaste? or does it cut off..
Is the wine smooth, sour, sweet, or astringent?

Overall Impression