Our eyes should observe three things: the surface of the wine both at the center of the bowl and at the rim, its color and hue, and its texture. Most modern red wines are bright and clean looking, so any wine that is thoroughly murky (as opposed to one with a natural sediment) is faulty. The hue of red wines changes as they age, usually deep red when young but faded at the rim when old, with a brownish tint akin to maple leaves in the fall. The Texture of red wine is usually measured, in the jargon, by its viscosity. This is best recognized by the "legs" of the wine, those tears of oily looking liquid that cling to the side of the glass. Though ill defined, the legs point to the levels of alcohol, glycerol, and color extraction in the wine. In a red wine made from a robust grape like Cabernet Sauvignon in a hot climate, these are a good sign; but "legs" in a subtle red Burgundy indicate a heavy hand in the winemaking and a over reliance on the sugar bags.
The following illustrated examples of red wines cover three styles, from light and delicate to strong and powerful across a representative sample of the major red grapes at various stages of maturity.


                               

RED WINE

Red wines are full bodied and flavorful. They are the perfect match for savory cheese, a great steak, or a robust pasta dish. Red wines are usually drunk more in cooler weather than the lighter white wines.

Red wines are more flavorful due to a number of reasons, the foremost being tannin - a natural occuring substance found in the skins, seeds, and stems of red grapes. It gives red wines their character. The skin of the grape is what always gives it its color. A red wine is called firm if it's high in tannin , or soft if it's low.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the strong, flavorful, and plentiful grape that has been cultivated in the Bordeaux region of France. It can also be found in many other regions of the world, including South America, Australia, South Africa, and California. A Cabernet Sauvignon can be 100% Cabernet Sauvignon or blended with other grapes to create a slightly different flavor. Whether it is blended or not a "Cab" is almost always complex (lots of interesting layers of taste to it) and full-bodied (rich in texture and weight - the opposite of thin).

Cabernet Sauvignon is described as having the flavor of black currants or cassis (a liqueur mad from black currants). Cab has substantial fruitiness, with berry and plum aromas in additon to the black currant. It often also has a degree of spiciness and occasionally herbaceous (herb-like, almost minty) aromas, and when aged in oak can have hints of vanilla, smoke, clove, cedar and oak. A good Cab is full-bodied, rich, complex, and intensley flavorful.
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A Merlot has softer tannins than a Cabernet and is more velvety on the palate. It comes in several styles and flavors. In Italy and California, it can be very fruity and easy to enjoy, which is most popular. It also comes in a richer style, with flavors of black cherry, red cherry, and oak flavors. Because a Merlot is much softer than a Cabernet, it can be more pleasant to drink on its own, without food. Since there is so much more Merlot being produced, it is now usually less expensive than Cabernets.
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White Wine

White wine is best defined by what it lacks. In other words, white wine is wine without the red pigment that makes red wine red. White wine is rarely purely white or clear. The color of white wine can range from light yellow to gold and is sometimes even pale green.

White wine is often (but not always) made from the juice of white grapes. It can also, occasionally, be made with the juice of red grapes, but only the juices of the grapes, not the skins. The juice of most red or purple grapes has no red pigment, so a wine made with only the juice of a red grape can be a white wine.

A good Chardonnay features bold, rich, fruit flavors like apple, fig, melon, pear, peach, pineapple, and citris. It also may posses hints of spice, honey, butter, vanilla, butterscotch, and hazelnut. Most significantly, as a result of oak-barrel aging, Chardonnay is well know for ts oak-accented flavors, which are usually described as vanilla and toast.

Sauvignon Blanc

In France, the Sauvignon Blanc grape is grown in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. It is also grown in Italy, the United States, New Zealand, South America, and South Africa.

When mediocre, Sauvignon Blanc can come across as simply a generic white wine. When it is well made, it is a strong, dry white wine with citrus, often grassy overtones. It serves as a nice, less expensive alternative to Chardonnay. Savignon Blanc is a brisk and light bodied, and features citrus and flora scents. Most Savignon Blanc wines are dry and unoaked (fermented in steel barrels), with a lively acidity that balances the wine's natural fruitiness.

The Sauvignon Blanc grapes are often higher in acidity than Chardonnay grapes, giving the wine a crisper, lighter quality.

Riesling

After Chardonnay, perhaps the greates white wine grape is the Riesling. It is best known for producing wines in many regions of Germany. Riesling grapes are also cultivated in Alsace (France), Austria, California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America. You can spot all Rieslings in winestores easily thanks to the distinctive shape of their tall, slender bottles, which are either green or brown.

Riesling produces light-bodied, dry, low alcohol wines which are often very acidic and crisp. A good Riesling has a distinctive floral or honeysuckle aroma with citrus, peach, and apple. For the most part, Rieslings should not be aged. They should be consumed fresh and young. Riesling is a marvelous "food wine", whether dry or off-dry, it goes with just about any meal from roast pork to shellfish.