Wine tasting in the UK - having a party at home

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Wine tasting is almost as complicated as the process of making the wine itself. It is, however, slightly easier to practise this one by having a party at home - as all you need is a few bottles of wine, a corkscrew and some glasses!

Fill about a third of your glass with wine. Traditionally a tastevin is used. A tastevin is a tasting vessel from Burgundy which shows the wine's hue and clarity well, even in a dark cellar. In our case though, a normal wine glass with sides that curve inwards will suffice.

Hold it up to the light to examine the colour. White wines are gold, yellow or lemon in colour. The yellowier the wine, the older it is (generally). The light wines tend to come from cooler climates, but some varieties are characteristically dark or light. Red wines have a purple tinge when they are young, growing more orange or brown with age.

Swirl the wine around in your glass: this increases the area exposed to the air and helps the wine to develop. Inhale quickly to smell the wine - your first impression is the most important. If the wine smells musty, rather than clean, it is probably corked. Corked wine is wine that has been spoilt by Trichloranisole (TCA) which gives the wine a musty, dank and mouldy smell and makes it taste bad. The mould that grows on corks can produce the chemical TCA. Wines with an intense scent probably grew in a hot climate where the sugar and alcohol levels are higher, so you can narrow down the region from the smell. Also, by smelling the wine, you can tell how old it is: fruity smells indicate a young wine; spicy smells are a sign of an older red wine, and older white wines smell of honey.

Here's what to look out for:

Acidity - the taste buds on sides of the tongue pick up the wine's naturally-occurring acidity, which helps to balance the sweetness.

Sweetness - sensed at the tip of the tongue, sweetness is produced by the sugar left in the wine after fermentation. The 'legs' left in the glass are also a sign of residual sugar, indicating the levels of alcohol and fruit extract.

Alcohol - warms the back of the throat. The level of alcohol is determined by the level of sugar in the grapes before fermentation. Higher alcohol wines come predominantly from hotter climates. The grainy 'legs' left in the glass also divulge the amount of alcohol in the wine.

Tannin - comes from the grape skins and makes the tongue and gums feel dry. Red wines are higher in tannins than white wines because the skins are not used to produce white wine.

Length - the longer you can taste a wine after swallowing it or spitting it out, the better the quality of the wine.

Balance - the blend of acidity, sweetness and tannins does not necessarily all happen at the beginning of a wine's life. It can take a number of years for a wine to achieve the optimum balance. When the balance is right, the wine is considered mature and higher quality than an unbalanced, immature wine.

Body - when tasting, look out for the relative weight of a wine (particularly in comparison with different foods), and the fullness of the wine on the palate.

So, get some friends to come round with different bottles of wine, and get tasting!

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