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Since it is an essential factor as part of wine tasting, visual sense will provide you with a great amount of information. In this aim, watch over details.
 For Champagne, examine the foam : an early criterion of appraisal refers to its quality (it must be clearly white, that is to say sparkling, with very small bubbles).
Otherwise, start by observing wine colour (we talk about the colour for an old wine) before spitting the glass). The colour is linked to the range of grape variety and to the wine making method but, it especially depends on the climate as well as on the age of the wine. In the course of time, for instance, a pale white colour will reveal golden shades and an open red colour will show tile red glints. Execute a 45 degree lean with the glass to make highlights appear. Observe the 2 cms, the closest located to the rim. The colour revealed in this precise area inform you about the age of the wine.
Colour-effects' lexicon
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Young wine |
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Old wine |
| Red |
purplish-red |
cherry-red |
tile-red |
| White |
straw yellow :
white Sauvignon |
lemon yellow :
young Chardonnay |
golden yellow :
syrupy or dry and old wine |
Elements revealed by the colour of the wine should help you finding some clues referring to its age. However, be careful since the kind of wine, the climate and grape variety also play a consequent role in determining the age of a wine. As a result, it is important to be cautious, mix-up are possible ; that's why you will find, below, the main tendencies.
White
 A pale yellow colour with green highlights reveals a simple young tank wine.
A straw yellow colour, not to say golden yellow (old Chardonnay) reveals a mature wine (if it is dry).
Rosé
A pale Rosé reveals a light wine, barely tannic and supple wine.
more open pale Rosé means that the wine will be more fruity, rich and refreshing.
Red
A purplish red colour indicates a very young wine. A cherry one indicates that the wine is two- or three-year old : it is not young any longer but has not grown old that much yet.
A crimson red colour reveals the maturity of wines with a limited conservation potential.
A garnet red colour reveals the peak of great wines.
The most experienced ones will discern different shades for every degree of intensity : light, deep, vivid, profound, dark…
Afterwards, observe the wine shine (its " brilliance "), which is a proof both of its quality and its youthfulness. For instance, a drab wine may shed light on a lack of acidity or reveal a wine, which has already gone on in years. Do also focus on clarity since it gives some information on the fine shape of the wine or on its degree of maturity. In that way, the glass needs to be placed in front of a bright surface to eye-level. Different degrees may be discerned : clear, hazy, dodgy and cloudy.
Finally, wine legs and tears reveal a high degree of alcohol, a relatively hot climate and the presence of Glycérol (produced by alcoholic fermentation). A syrupy wine will also display these purely aesthetic characteristics.
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