Glasses: A standard wine glass should have a "bowl" at least three inches tall and three inches in diameter, with a bulge in the middle. This is sufficient room to view the legs of the wine and to allow its aromas to swirl up to your nose. For those interested, whites and blushes tend to be poured in smaller glasses, reds in larger ones.

Wine spittoon: A simple dark-colored or opaque flower vase (emptied) would serve well, or any other tall glass container (tall avoids splashes). Remember this may be an awkward motion for newcomers, so either explain or demonstrate a splash-free technique.

2torial #0691: Learn2 Hold a Wine Tasting (Continued) Taste the wine with your eyes There's a common expression we'll paraphrase here: first you taste the wine with your eyes, then with your nose and finally with your mouth. In other words, a wine may be judged on its color, its aroma and its taste. That's what most tasting boils down to, and those are the characteristics of a wine that you most want to understand.   Take a clean, dry glass and pour a small amount of wine into it, perhaps a third of a glass.   Hold the wine up to the light, and note the color. Is it a deep purple, or a lighter ruby color? Is it tinged with green, or is it yellowish brown? Does it appear clear or cloudy? As you gain experience, you'll come to expect the wine to taste a certain way when it looks a certain way.   If it's a red wine, tip the glass gently back and forth, then hold it still and look at it closely. The wine will flow back down the sides of the glass, and some wine will form little rivulets, or "legs." Legs are considered desirable, as they indicate a higher glycerin presence, which indicates an ability to retain flavor and aroma. Step 3