Summarize this article in one sentence.
Even if you don't know much about wine, you probably know that there's a certain way you're supposed to drink it. Truly, you can drink it however you want but to get the most out of its aroma and taste, a legitimate art has been formed. Here are the basics in four steps: See it. Examine the color. If it's older, a white will be darker and a red will be lighter (by and large). The color can also tell you a bit about the aging processed use. A Chardonnay, for example, will be more golden if aged in oak barrels. Swirl it. Coat the sides of the glass by swirling the wine around gently. This releases the aroma, helping you truly taste what's in front of you. Smell it. If it's white, look for citrus-y or tropical notes, like lemon and lime, or even melon. You may also be able to detect vanilla or oak. Generally speaking, cooler places produce more citrus-y, tangy wines. If it's red, look for berry or plum scents. Cooler places will fall on the red berry side of the spectrum (like strawberry and cherry), while warmer places will showcase darker scents, like blackberry or plum. You'll also find coffee, smoke, and chocolate as major contenders. Sip it. This will be a combination of taste and smell. As you sip it, simply ask yourself whether or not you like it. Then you can move onto why. Oenophiles and connoisseurs will throw around the term "tannin." This is a textural element of wine that makes it "dry." Try a very "dry" wine, and you'll get the sense for what this word means (obviously any liquid isn't actually dry). Tannins are naturally occurring in grapes (and bark and wood and leaves, actually) and they add a bitterness, astringency, and complexity to a wine's flavor. For the record, this applies mostly to red wines. "Terroir" is basically the wine's background the climate and soil type of where it was grown, the topography, and what other plants were growing in the area. This largely influences the grapes. After all, some wines (American) are bottled by grape, sure, but others (European) are bottled just by region. Terroir is what makes a wine, well, itself. Each type of wine should be served at a slightly different temperature for its best taste to surface. Here's what you should know before you throw that wine-tasting gala and invite all your friends over to your house: Red wine should be served between 5964F (1518C) Pink or rose wines should be served slightly chilled around 4455F (713C) White wine and sparkling wine should be kept in the fridge below 4350F (610C) After that wonderful wine-tasting party, make sure to drink light wines (less alcohol, around 11%) 3 days after opening. Bolder wines are fine for consumption up to a week. Each type of wine does best in a certain size and shape of glass to open up their aroma to the fullest. To do your wine justice, put it in the right glass: A standard wine glass will do well for most reds. A Cabernet Sauvignon should have a slightly taller, narrower bowl, and make sure your Pinot Noir pour is just an ounce or two. White wines are also good in standard glasses but Chardonnay needs a slightly wider brim. A Port needs to be in a large flute; Madeira should be in a large hock glass; Sherry is best in a narrow martini-esque glass. Vintage sparkling wines are best in a coupe, tulip, or flute. You will never be mistaken for a wine connoisseur if you're holding your glass incorrectly. To look like an expert, holding and swilling wine like it's your job, make sure to hold the glass by its stem. This goes double for white wines that are chilled you don't want the heat of your hands warming the bowl, altering the taste. To swirl the wine around the bowl, rotate at your wrist, not your entire arm. The smell of the wine will then fill the bowl of the glass, opening up its flavor profile. Being a wine connoisseur is mainly about being able to describe what you're tasting and recognize what's happening on your palette. To get at a wine's aroma, there are generally five categories: fruity, mineral, dairy and nutty, sweet and wooden, and spicy and savory. Here's what "flavors" fall under each: Fruity. Pretty much any fruit, including the aroma of jam Mineral. Flint, stones, earthen, gasoline Dairy and nutty. Butter, cream, yeast, bread, toast, grilled nuts, biscuits, almonds Sweet and wooden. Chocolate, toffee, butterscotch, honey, vanilla, oak, and cedar Spicy and savory. Tobacco, smoke, licorice, pepper, truffles, bacon, coffee, cinnamon
Drink wine with the 4 S's in mind. Know your tannins and terroir. Get your temperatures right. Use the right glass. Know how to hold the glass, too. Familiarize yourself with how to describe a wine's aroma.