While taste is probably the most important aspect of the wine experience, much can be learned about a wine simply by looking at it. It should be viewed against a plain white background. The first thing you should notice is whether the wine is clear. Any haze or murkiness to spoil the clarity will also spoil the taste. Good wines are known by the brilliance of their colour.
The depth of colour in a wine is important too. High quality is indicated by a deep colour, either deep gold or deepest of reds.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is in all wines due to the fermentation process. In those wines that are still rather than sparkling, the bubbles cannot be seen. However, in a young white wine some bubbles may appear at the rim of the glass. This means that more of the natural CO2 has been retained to enhance the freshness.
Notice how the colour of the wine at the rim will often differ slightly to the body colour. White wines become darker as they mature, changing from pale yellow through to deep amber. Red wines lose their redness, darkening to brown-red and mahogany colours - but the rim is often almost clear.
