Great tasting literacy knowledge

Holding a wine glass
Never hold the glass by its bowl, only by its stem since the heat of your hand will quickly warm the liquid.

Sight
Look at the wine - in daylight if possible. The best way is to slightly tilt the wine in the glass and hold it up to the light or look at it against a white or pale background. What do you see? Is the wine clear or cloudy? The color will vary according to what wine it is.

Swirl
While firmly holding the stem of the wine glass, gently swirl the glass in tiny circles on a flat surface for 10 to 20 seconds allowing oxygen to penetrate the wine.

Smell or Sniff
Tip the glass up and stick your nose in it and inhale. At the top of the glass, the smells are more floral and fruity; deeper in the glass, they are richer. Try to detect the full range of scents from berry to floral to spicy to woody ... and so on. Consider intensity and appeal.

Sip and Taste
This is the final step and should be taken only after you've used your other senses. Then sip the wine, letting the wine spread across the tongue from front to back and side to side before swallowing.