The taster looks at three factors - appearance, color and body. A brilliant wine has sparkling clarity, free from floating particles. A clear wine does not sparkle.
Dull wine has floating particles and is slightly cloudy.
Cloudy wine does not reflect any light. Well-made wine in sound condition is always completely clear. Some mature reds produce a natural sediment, but it should not spread throughout the wine. If it does, the bottle should rest, standing, so sediment can settle to the bottom. Wines are predominantly red, white or pink, or variations of these colors.