The visual examination of a wine is much more important than it may appear. It reveals several clues about a wine: its age, concentration, purity and also its quality. The four criteria to focus on are: colour, intensity, clarity and brightness.
Since a wine's colour changes with time, its colour, especially on the edge of the wine when the glass is tilted sideways, is the best indicator of its age.
The younger a red wine is, the more it is red with hints of blue. The older it is, the more tawny and orange it becomes. A colour that is too brownish is a sign of premature aging for a wine younger than 5 years.
In the case of a dry white wine, a young wine will be very clear with hints of green and turn more amber with age. Sweet wines have a golden colour right from the start, which evolves towards a richer amber or brown.
A high level of clarity is a good sign that there are no suspended particles, especially in the case of white wines. However, sometimes deposits and particles can develop in certain wines but they generally do not have much of an impact on the taste. In this case, decanting is often suggested.
A wine's brightness reveals its liveliness, and its level of natural acidity. The brighter a wine is, the younger and more vivacious it is. Less brightness indicates a mature wine whereas a dull wine indicates that it is past its best.
