There's more to tasting wine than just tasting wine. Before you employ your tastebuds, use your eyes and nose for a complete wine experience.   

1. Taste with your eyes

Your eyes will tell you a lot about wine before your mouth does. Tilt your part-filled glass towards a blank, light surface, take a good look and let your tasting begin.
 
The wine should be clear, not cloudy. A mature red wine, will have lost its youthful, scarlet brilliance; think of faded paint on an old oil painting. You might even notice a brickish tinge. This doesn't mean the wine will taste nasty. It's just showing its age. A young red wine should be vibrant in colour but if it displays a brown tinge, it could mean cork taint or oxidisation...now that is nasty.      

Unlike red wine, white wine actually gains colour as it ages. A young white wine will be crystal clear and very pale, or even transparent. An older white wine will be golden or honey in appearance, but still very drinkable. For example, chardonnays and rieslings are delicious when left for a few years. If the wine is brown instead of gold, this could be another sign of oxidisation.

When you decide to host a large party or event, there is certainly a great deal of responsibility placed on you.  Sending invitations, arranging food and drinks, and creating the perfect atmosphere all become tasks that you are solely responsible for.  The problem that many hosts have, however, is that they spend so much time ensuring that everything is going well that they find themselves unable to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  What follows are a few tips to ensure that you are able to host the perfect party without giving up the chance to experience it as a guest. 

Tip # 1- Set Up In Advance.

Don’t leave anything until the last minute.  Ensure that before the party you have gotten a fairly accurate head count, set all of the entertainment and activities into place, and gotten everything ready.  You don’t want to run out of food before all guests have been served, and you don’t want to play entertainer all night.  Make certain that you are fully prepared well before the party starts. 

The beverage you choose is an integral part of any meal.  The right glass of wine, the correct cocktail, or even the proper beer can provide an excellent complement to an already tantalizing dish, while the wrong beverage can overpower your food or your taste buds and actually have a negative impact on your dining experience.  Today, we will take a look at some of the more popular food and beverage pairings in order to give you a better idea of what cocktail may work best for your favorite foods. 

When it comes to wine, the key is simple.  Pay attention to what part of the meal you want to show off.  If the wine is the main attraction, such as if you have purchased a great vintage bottle or have just discovered a new favorite, keep the food choices simple.  If, on the other hand, you have created a rich, wildly flavorful dish, you will need to keep your wine choice subtle to keep from overpowering it.  Choose the item to be the highlight of the meal, and make your other choices based on it.