See- All wine tasting begins by holding the glass up to a good light and then, ideally, viewing the glass against a white surface. Your wine color should be clear and not opaque unless you have an aged wine with a ton of sediment. Take a moment to note the color. If it is a white wine is it: Yellow? Gold? Straw colored? Water white? If it is a red wine would you call it: Ruby? Purple? Garnet? Wines can range dramatically in color depending on the type of grape used to make the wine and how long the wine sat with the skins or macerated. As wines age they get lose color so a good look at the color of the wine can tell you a bit about how old it is. Also, notice the streams of water on the sides of your glass. These are called legs. Legs are a point of contention as some affirm that the more legs a wine has, the better the wine. Others claim that legs denote sugar or alcohol content. There are also those who say that legs do not mean anything!

Sniff- The next step is to give your wine a nice big sniff. Don’t be shy. Stick your nose way into the bowl of the glass and try to decipher the smells. Remember that wine tasting can be subjective and there are no right or wrong answers. Do you smell fruit? If so, what kind of fruit is it? Is it a black fruit? A tropical fruit? Does your wine smell like oak? Or, is it difficult to smell anything at all? This is certainly possible if you have yet to swirl your wine.

Swirl- After your initial sniff, hold your wine at the base and lightly swirl the wine in your glass. Get a nice momentum going with your wrist. The swirling process sends oxygen through the wine, expands the surface area and allows the aromas to open up. This is sometimes called “swirling the esters.”

Sniff- Now, smell your wine again. Do you notice a change? There should be a remarkable difference between your pre-swirl and post-swirl sniff. If not, work your wine a bit more and give it some time to open. Try your best to pinpoint the aromas and write them down if you’d like.

Sip- Finally, take a nice big sip of your wine. Let the wine spread out across your mouth, curl your tongue, and breathe in air through your tongue. This will send air through the wine once again while in your mouth and allow it to open even further. What do you taste? Sweetness? Dryness? Spice? Fruitiness? The sky is the limit! Did the taste surprise you? Was it similar on the palate to the nose? After you swallow, take a minute to notice the finish and the length of the wine. The “finish” is the after-taste and the “length” is the period of time that it lingers. A really good wine will have a pleasing finish and a very long length. A poor wine falls flat very quickly.

Now you are ready to taste with the experts!

For more help on wine tasting, check out our wine tasting tool collection.

• Countries with the most Best Buy wines in the Top 100 are the U.S (28), Chile (15), Australia (10), Spain (10) and Portugal (9)
• At the lowest end of the price range, for just $8, you find wines rated 87+ from California, Central Valley (Chile), Columbia Valley (Washington), Portugal and Spain.
• Other hot regions to look for: Mendoza (Argentina), Provence (France), Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma, California), and Stellenbosch (South Africa)
•  The list crosses a wide spectrum of wine styles including everything from Pinotage to Albarino to Bordeaux and the Douro, showing that you can find great wines of every style, at low price points. Why spend a lot for great wine?

What are some of your favorite great buys this year? Where are you seeing the most value?

The lists not only provide invaluable advice on what-to-drink, they are a great snapshot of the most celebrated wine regions of the world. Are French wines still as revered as in the past? Is Chile producing anything noteworthy? The Top 100 lists provide some insight. Looking at varietal, region, and price, I created some charts of the list:

As demonstrated above,

•    Tempranillo, often called “the Cabernet of Spain” is popular this year with 7 Tempranillo listed in the Top 100
•    American Syrah took center stage as demonstrated by the Phoenix Ranch Syrah from Napa Valley, the #1 wine.
•    Pinot Noir remains the most popular grape variety on the Top 100 list with 12 Pinots in the Top 100 this year and 10 last year
•    American wines reigned supreme this year with 46 wines in the top 100 from the U.S., largely due to the large presence of Washington State wines on the list
•    Analyzing the price of the wines, 62% of wines are under $50 and most wines fall into the $20-$50 category. Washington State is offering a lot of the value on the list.

What do you think about the Top 100 wines of 2008? Are these observations reflections of larger trends or just a snapshot in time?

It’s really a simple thing to do. Everyone gets to participate, whether they know a lot or nothing at all about wine. Better still, there are no right or wrong answers, no winners or losers. Ultimately, tasting parties are all about relaxing, having fun with friends, and sharing your mutual appreciation for wine. Armed with our 10 tips and tools, your party will be a guaranteed success.

Tip #1: Decide how many people you want to attend. While you can have any number of guests, keeping the count relatively low—4 to 10 people—will allow for greater interaction.

The Tools:
Cork Card Holders

Tip #2: Select a theme. You can create an Old-World Italian setting at home and have a “taste off” between Barolo and Chianti, both great Italian wines. Or, it could be California wines vs. French wines. Set the stage with traditional-themed napkins or plates; your linens could represent regional colors and other items could represent each country.

The Tools:
Personalized Tile Tray
Wine Cork Bottle Candles

Tip #3. Choose adventurous wines. Dare to taste wines you’ve never had. Ask your local wine purveyor for recommendations that meet your theme setting or refer to our online buying guide for top selections You DO NOT have to buy expensive wines. You can find delicious wines in the $10 to $20 range. Consider 3 whites—such as South African Chenin Blanc, Austrian  Grüner Veltliner, and Spanish Albariño—and 3 reds—perhaps Greek Agiorgitiko, Chilean Malbec and Washington Cabernet. You should end up with wines at different prices.

The Tools:
Wine Buying Guide
Wine Pocket Guide
The Wine Enthusiast Wine and Food Pairings Book

Tip #4: Consider starting the evening with a Champagne or sparkling wine and ending with a dessert wine. This adds some nice variety to the tasting. Values such as Cava or Prosecco offer affordable quality and add a fun spin to your party. For dessert wines, pick up a bottle or two of Hungarian Tokai or Canadian Icewine.

The Tools:
Wild Hibiscus Edible Cocktail Flowers

Tip #5: Use quality wine glasses. One white wine glass and one red wine glass for each guest is ideal. The right shape and type of wine glass will enhance your enjoyment of the wines served.   If you want to go the extra mile, you can have glasses for each of the 6 wines.  You’ll want to get a spit bucket, too.
Full Bouquet Tasting Glasses

The Tools:
Fusion Classic Stemware
Wine Tasting Spittoon

Tip #6: It is now time to decide whether you want to make it a blind tasting and have the bottles in bags and whether or not you want to provide tasting note sheets for your guests to write down the smells and flavors they discover.  You can even “rate” the wines amongst yourselves.

The Tools:
Wine Tasting Party Kit

Tip #7: Provide guests with some tasty nibbles that won’t confuse their palate. Something simple like a vegetable platter, some crostini, or even a hard cheese will do the trick.

The Tools:
Porcelain Appetizer Spoons
Slate Cheese Server

Tip #8: Don’t overpour. Once the tasting begins, fill glasses with just 1 to 2 ounces of wine. That way, guests won’t need to spit. If a glass should have too much wine for a taste, the excess can be poured into the spit bucket. When the tasting is finished, you should have enough wine left over for everyone to try more of their favorites.

Tip #9: Taste in progression from light to full-bodied. Serve white wines first, starting with the lightest-bodied. A Pinot Grigio-style wine should come before fuller bodied sips like Chenin or Chardonnay. For reds, start with the wine with less tannins and softer flavors, such as a Pinot Noir followed by Merlot and then Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Tools:
Individual Decanters

Tip #10: If you’re serving dinner, pay attention to likely food and wine matches. Light whites are a friendly match to seafood though more full-bodied whites pair well with poultry. Spicy, exotic foods are likely matches to aromatic whites such as Riesling. More substantial foods, such as stuffed mushrooms, BBQ spareribs or duck sausage, pair well with full-bodied reds. Pair dessert wines with fresh berries or delectable sweets from dark chocolate to Tiramisu.

The Tools:
Raised Barrel Top Lazy Susan
Perfect Pairing Wine Chocolates

It’s that simple. If you love spending time with friends, and enjoy drinking good wine, hosting a tasting party of your own is both fun, and affordable.

As featured on Wine Enthusiast Magazine Online

Read more about California wines at Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s West Coast editor Steve Heimoff’s blog, UnReserved