Sure, seeing is believing. But with wine, seeing is also your first clue as to what it might taste like. Take a look at the color, It's depth, in both reds and whites, will tell you a lot about the wines body. As a general rule, the lighter the color, the lighter the body: the deeper the color, the more full-bodied. Of course, mood lighting in a restaurant or bar can make this a little challenging, so be creative. Hold your glass up against a lighter background - a tablecloth, napkin, or placemat. If you are with a group and you are each drinking different reds or whites, compare them. Lighter-bodied reds, like pinot noir, tend too have a bright , cherry-like hue, while full-bodied types, like zinfandel, will be deep and dark, sometimes almost purple. With white wines, lighter-bodied types like pinot grigio will be pale, delicate yellow, and some will even have a slight greenish hue, while richer, fuller-bodies wines like chardonnay will be a delicious golden color.

Swirl your wine. This accomplishes a couple of things. First, it's your second clue to the body of the wine. The more full-bodied the wine, the thicker it's residue will appear on the inside of the glass when you swirl, and the slower it will stream downward (the patterns the wines leave on the glass are called "legs"). Lighter and medium-bodied wines will show legs on the inside of the glass, too, but will appear thinner and make a quicker exit toward the bottom of the glass. You may see some pros holding their glass in the air by the stem and swirling like nobody's business. While this looks great, it is far easier to place the glass on a flat surface (presumably on a table or bar), place your fingers flat atop the base of the glass so you are gently pressing it down, and move the base in a circular, counter-clockwise motion at a steady pace (too fast and you may well spill it over the sides). Swirling is an important tactic to achieve the next S on the list.

When You Swirl Your Wine, you help it aerate. As oxygen mingles with the wine, the alcohol vaporizes, and in those wafting vapors come the myriad aromas that a particular wine carries. After you swirl, pick up your glass by the stem (holding it by the bowl heats it's temperature through your own touch, which is not desirable) and put your nose close to the lower rim of the glass with your nostrils a little over the edge and smell. Again, it is good to do this when you have some cohorts around drinking different types of wine. Initially you might have trouble picking out particular aromas, but by sniffing several varietals, you immediately can smell that they are different, and getting to know those differences will have you on your way to wine know-how.

Now Comes The Really Fun Part. Take a small amount of the wine and hold it in your mouth, breathing in through your nose. Gently, slowly (no need to treat it like mouthwash) swoosh it around in your mouth. Feel it's texture (a hint of which you got when you checked out it's legs). Now, start to notice what basic flavor sensations you're picking up. The main flavors the tongue detects are sweet on the tip, salty on the outer sides, sour toward the middle, and bitter at the back - pay attention to how the wine reacts on the sensory spots on your tongue. The next part is a little tricky, and you may have to practice it; With your top teeth resting gently on the inside part of your lower lip (think of them as a dam keeping the wine from dribbling all over the place), gently take a little air through your mouth, making the wine gurgle a little. Close your mouth and exhale and inhale through your nose. Now you are getting the flavor and aroma simultaneously, a great way to get a feel for what scents and flavors are in your glass.

Why Spit Out All That Nice Wine? You certainly don't have to give it all up, but when your tasting many wines in a short time, the effect of the alcohol can start to dull the tasting aspect - or, at least, you won't be paying much attention to the nuances in each glass. So, if you need to, pick up or lean over a spittoon, pucker up like your ancient, cheek-smooching Aunt Fannie and spit the liquid in a quick, steady stream. Have a napkin handy, because even the best spitters can dribble.