Wine Tasting

The tasting of wine with the purpose of analyzing the quality of the wine. The serious wine taster follows strict guidelines in terms of proper equipment (white table cloths, decanters, etc.) and preparation (proper wine temperature, decanting, etc.). The three key elements of wine tasting are: (1) Examining the appearance of the wine; (2) Smelling the wine; and (3) Tasting the wine. Also refer to "blind tasting", "double blind tasting", "horizontal tasting", and "vertical tasting".