A wine’s color can provide many clues. A light red wine that is nearly transparent comes from a variety that doesn’t impart heavy pigments, such as an Alsatian Pinot Noir. At the opposite end of the spectrum, a deep, dark, nearly black wine evokes an intensely pigmented wine, such as a Merlot from Bordeaux from a particularly mature vintage. A salmon-pink rosé is likely to be a “rosé de pressurage” (rosé obtained using pressing) that is fairly similar to a white wine, like a Côtes de Provence, while a deep, almost ruby rosé could be a Tavel or a Sancerre Rosé, wines that are “vins de saignée” (wines incorporating free run juice from red grapes) and thus more powerful. The same applies for whites: if a wine is almost colorless, it infers that a wine is young, tank fermented, and could be a white variety such as Sauvignon Blanc, whereas a straw yellow or golden wine suggests a wine that has been barrel aged for several years, such as a Burgundy. Your nose will help you confirm your guesses in the next step.

A wine’s color also involves accent tones or glints. A young, red wine will have purple, almost blue glints. An excellent example of this is Beaujolais Primeur. A dark wine with garnet, tawny or even bright red glints indicate that a wine is in the midst of the aging process. Your taste buds will help you confirm your hunches.

Now, on to clarity. Looking through the side of the glass, preferably against a dark background, try to see if any particles are suspended in the wine. If not, all the better—the wine is very clear. A cloudy wine will lack finesse.

The next element is brilliance. Just as some diamonds sparkle more than others, some wines shine more than others. If you appreciate beautiful things, indulge your senses!

Viscosity can be a geographical indicator or a measure of residual sugar. Watch the streams of wine that run down the sides of the glass after you swirl it. An oily look indicates a high level of alcohol, as would be found in a Mediterranean red wine. The opposite would suggest a wine from the Loire region. For whites, viscosity combined with a deep golden color implies a sweet wine.