The old saying “you are only as old as you feel” doesn’t apply to everyone. That is why many of us want to look younger so we can feel younger. The cheapest, and less invasive way; the better. The best way to look younger is with anti-aging cream.

While not all creams are created equal, most are made with the same ingredients. Alcohol, mineral oil, soap, and bleaching agents; These chemicals are harmful to the skin because they either dry out the skin, or they trap UV light in the skin which can cause cancer. Collagen is another ingredient that many wrinkle creams contain however, collagen on a molecular level is too large to be absorbed in the skin, so when you see a wrinkle cream that has collagen it is just in there to seem like it is a top of the line wrinkle cream, when it is a useless ingredient. Collagen is made in the body naturally, so therefore choose an anti-aging cream that contains natural ingredients with antioxidants.

There have been recent studies that show a chemical found in red wine called resveratrol that slows down the aging process. Resveratrol is a relatively new chemical that is being used in wrinkle creams. Not many wrinkle creams have resveratrol, but those that do have shown a reduction in wrinkles and a boost in the production of collagen to give skin a much younger look and feel. While these creams that contain resveratrol are new they are also hard to find. It is not surprising to have an ingredient found in red wine to improve healthy skin, because over the years scientists have found that moderate use of red wine can reduce a persons chance to develop cancer, and heart disease; leading to a longer, and healthier life. Anti-aging creams that contain resveratrol can give you better skin and a better life in general.

By: Alex Breitbart

About the Author:

This sacred and joyous holiday for Christians throughout the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christians, especially those of Eastern and Orthodox faith, Easter is the most important holiday of the year, even over Christmas.

So before I give you the best tips and recipes for your perfect Easter brunch I wanted to share the history of the Easter bunny and where the idea of decorating Easter eggs came from.

It has been said that the colored eggs we decorate and hide in our Easter egg hunts came from Germany. Since the rabbits (a.k.a Easter bunny) and eggs were symbols of immortality, fertility and new life, the Germans used to leave the colored eggs in children’s baskets. This custom was brought to America in the late 19th century by German immigrants.

Here are some great Easter decorating tips to get you started:

1. When you looking for Easter decorations keep in mind light pastel colors. These peaceful colors will set the mood for your party.

2. Decorate your home with pastel balloons, streamers and plastic eggs.

3. Don’t forget to put out some Easter candy either in baskets or pastel color bowls for your company to snack on.

4. Make sure you tableware match in pastels.

5. Try to find some daffodils or tulips and use these as table decorations. Either tie a pastel-colored ribbon around each flower and place them on each guests plate or pot them and place down the center of each table.

6. For place cards, hard boil a bunch of eggs and decorate each one differently. Once the eggs are dry, use a permanent maker and carefully write each of your guests on a separate egg. That way you can place each egg inside a small basket and set on each plate to let your guests know where they are sitting.

Your Perfect Easter Brunch:

Traditional Easter meals can either have ham or lamb as a main dish. These days, many families favor the salty sweetness of ham. Most ham dishes served on this holiday are honey glazed with sides of candied yams, glazed veggies and potatoes.

Below I have found some great recipes that are easy to follow and absolutely perfect for your Easter brunch. And don’t worry, if you are one of those families who prefer lamb over ham I have found some delicious recipes for you as well.

Let’s start off with the main course:
Easter Ham

Ingredients

1-7 to 8 lb. fully cooked smoked ham shank
1 C. maple syrup
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. prepared mustard
whole cloves

Directions

Combine syrup, vinegar and mustard. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour about 1/2 C. mixture over ham and bake, uncovered, in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Baste every 30 minutes with additional sauce. Remove ham from oven and score fat into diamond shapes. Insert a clove into each diamond. Bake ham an additional 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat registers 140 degrees. Let ham rest 15 minutes before carving.

Check out Recipe4Living.com for more ideas on Ham recipes for your Easter brunch. Just click on Holiday’s on the left column and click on Easter.

Now for a Lamb Recipe:
Honey Glazed Lamb

Ingredients

1 C. Honey

1/2 C. Dry white wine

4 Tbs. Minced fresh mint

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 lbs. Boneless leg of lamb, (2 whole legs)

Directions

Combine honey, wine and mint; mix well. Season cut side of boned lamb with salt and pepper, then spread with honey mixture; roll and tie lamb. Brush outer surface with honey mixture. Roast on rack in shallow baking pan at 325 degrees F 1 to 1-1/2 hours or to 160 degrees F on meat thermometer for medium doneness. Baste every 15 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Check out http://www.Recipe4Living.com for more ideas on Lamb recipes for your Easter brunch. Just click on Holiday’s on the left column and click on Easter.

Side dishes are a must and just as important as the main course.

Side Potatoes Dishes
Oven Roast Greek Potatoes

Ingredients

4-5 Medium Potatoes; Cubed

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Tbs. Butter; Melted

1-2 Tbs. All Purpose Greek Seasoning

Dash Garlic Seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss potatoes with remaining ingredients. Bake in 9×13″ casserole dish for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden.
Yield: 4 servings

Sides Asparagus Dishes
Oven Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. red potatoes cut into chunks

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 tsp. dried rosemary

4 tsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 bunch fresh asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large baking dish, toss the red potatoes with 1/2 the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and 1/2 the kosher salt. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Mix in the asparagus, remaining olive oil, and remaining salt. Cover, and continue cooking 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Remove foil, and continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes, until potatoes are lightly browned. Season with pepper to serve.

Yield: 6 Servings.

Side Glazed Carrot Dishes
Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

6 C. carrots cut into 1″ diagonal slices

1/4 C. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 C. orange juice

1/4 C. butter

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

Cook carrots on stovetop in a small amount of salted water until tender, drain water. Combine orange juice, nutmeg, brown sugar, cornstarch, and mix until smooth. Pour over carrots and cook for several minutes until mixture thickens. Add butter and toss. Serve hot.

Bread/Rolls
Greek Easter Bread

Ingredients

1 pkg. Dry yeast

1/2 C. Warm water

1/2 C. Boiling water

1 tsp. Cinnamon

3/4 C. Sugar

3 Eggs

1/4 C. Butter; melted

1/2 C. Warm milk

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

5 C. Flour (all-purpose)

1 Egg yolk; beaten

Sesame seeds

5 Eggs; hard-cooked; unshelled -and dyed red

Directions

Soften yeast in warm water and set aside. Combine boiling water and cinnamon; set aside. Combine sugar and eggs; beat well. Add melted butter to egg mixture and beat again. Skim off 1/4 C. clear cinnamon water and add along with yeast and milk to egg mixture, blending well. Combine dry ingredients and add to batter; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape dough to fit into 2 greased 8 in. round pans; crisscross 2 strips of dough over each loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Brush loaves with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until brown. Push dyed eggs into bread immediately when loaves are removed from oven.

Now for the best part of the whole meal….Dessert. Have fun and create an eye popping dessert that your whole family will enjoy. Here are some different options to choose from.

Easter Angel Cake
Ingredients

1 pkg. white angel food cake mix

8 oz. frozen whipped cream topping, thawed

1 C. flaked coconut

6 drops green food color

Jelly beans

Directions

Bake and cool cake as directed on package, remove from pan. Frost with whipped topping. Combine coconut and food color until evenly tinted. Sprinkle over top of cake. Arrange jelly beans on coconut. After serving, refrigerate any remaining cake.

For more Easter side dish recipes and desserts visit http://www.Recipe4Living.com.

Have a wonderful Easter Holiday and keep your eyes open for the Easter bunny. You never know what he might leave you this year.

By: Sarah Potts

About the Author:

Could a glass of wine at dinner time be the next major arthritis breakthrough?

Possibly… according to a recent Swedish study. A diet of 10% ethanol had a protective effect on mice that would otherwise have developed collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), Swedish researchers report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. CIA is often used as an animal model of human rheumatoid arthritis (RA.)

Andrej Tarkowski, MD, the senior author and a faculty member in the department of rheumatology and inflammation research, Goteborg University, in Sweden, stated that the primary finding was that, in male mice, long term consumption of 10% ethanol delayed the onset and progression of CIA.

The underlying mechanism appears to be a reduction in inflammation due to decreased NF-kB activation (a primary inflammatory pathway) caused by upregulation- or increased production -of testosterone secretion.

The research team fused a CIA model in mice by immunizing male DBA/1 mice with collagen type II (CII). To determine whether drinking ethanol has any impact on the development of CIA, the mice were provided with either 10% ethanol or water alone to drink. Mice were sacrificed after 5 to 6 weeks. All four paws from DBA/1 mice were sectioned, stained, and examined for inflammation of the joint including damage to the joint lining and erosion of bone and cartilage.

The investigators report that development of arthritis due to inflammation was markedly reduced in the ethanol-drinking mice. Ethanol had no such effect on mice with arthritis induced by injection with a mixture of four monoclonal anti-CII antibodies. “These data suggest that ethanol affects the start or initiation rather than the perpetuation of immune responsiveness during CIA,” mentioned the researchers.

Joints from the water-drinking mice developed frequent bone and cartilage erosions. Those from the ethanol-drinking mice were “histologically …intact,” meaning no significant damage occurred. In addition, ethanol prevented the arthritis-induced loss of bone mineral density associated with CIA.
“The major surprise in this study was the outstanding effect of ethanol on saving cartilage and bone, suggesting that apart from regulation of inflammatory mediators, matrix metalloproteinases (i.e., tissue destroying enzymes) might be a direct target for ethanol,” commented Dr. Tarkowski.

Dr. Tarkowski cautions, “This dose of ethanol was chosen for mice with an exact knowledge regarding the toxicity. This was further confirmed by intact liver function at the end of experiments. In contrast, exchanging water for 10% ethanol in humans eventually will lead to liver disease (cirrhosis). Thus, the optimal dose of ethanol in the human setting to prevent/delay RA is presently unknown. For practical purposes, one could speculate on the use of doses of ethanol similar to those sometimes suggested for prevention of cardiovascular diseases–i.e., something in the range of 1 to 2 glasses of wine per day,” he suggested.

“We are presently analyzing whether female mice with arthritis have the same effect from ethanol.
The investigators also compared castrated to intact male mice and found that mice drinking 10% ethanol had significantly elevated levels of testosterone and decreased levels of IGF1 and cortisol. “These observations, considered together with the cellular anti-inflammatory properties of testosterone that lead to a decrease of NF-kB activation, point to testosterone as a potential link mediating the anti-inflammatory effects of ethanol.”

So… what are the implications for patients with RA?

The first is that perhaps, a prescription of a glass or two of wine a day is not necessarily bad.

However, there are cautions. The first is that patients who are taking methotrexate need to absolutely limit their consumption of alcoholic beverages because of the danger of developing cirrhosis. Second, patients taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are at increased risk for developing stomach ulcers and alcohol increases that risk.

(Jonsson I-M, Verdrengh M, Brissiert M, et al. Ethanol prevents development of destructive arthritis. PNAS. 2007;104:258-263)

By: Nathan Wei

About the Author:

My observation of the status of honey in Singapore:

Here in Singapore (where I live – a tiny, modern, prosperous island-city-state in Southeastern Asia, located at the tip of the Malaysian Penninsula), most people know very little about honey and its benefits. Honey is used mostly in marinating barbeque meats and mixing with water to make throat-soothing or thirst quenching icy honey drink, a popular drink in our hot climate that is supposed to reduce “heatiness in the body”. Occasionally, it’s also eaten as a sauce for breakfast pancakes and added as a sweetener to herbal teas and fruit juices. Not many know much about the goodness of honey in Singapore, its relevance to the health of women, elderly, and children, or are aware how it can be used in their diet or cooking. The average household knows honey costs much more than table sugar but has no clue know how much more extra value they could gain if they and their families eat honey instead of table sugar. Applying honey on toast or bread like what the Westerners do is somewhat strange and bizarre for most locals. And how foreigners spoon honey straight from the jar and drizzle it over fruit, pancakes, and waffles, how they use honey as a natural sweetener in place of sugar in hot drinks and desserts such as puddings are all not common knowledge and practices here.

General interest and knowledge level of honey in Singapore is low. I believe many people here don’t know how honey is actually produced. Yes, from the honey bees, but that’s about all they know, nothing more. Many are clueless about the different floral varieties of honey and have no idea how they can be ingeniously and creatively used in cooking. People’s impression of honey in Singapore is pretty standard — basically sweet and nothing more. I can understand why. Most people here are only familiar with the mass produced honey on supermarket shelves, a homogenous blend that makes each jar look the same and have the same mild, unexciting mainstream flavor. Many don’t know that there is so much more to honey, that honey from each bee colony is really a snapshot of that landscape, the flowers and crop that flourish there, and that time period. They don’t know how much they are missing out there when it comes to honey and its varying flavour, profiles and facades. Attitudes towards light and dark honey are probably like decades ago where people saw all wine as basically either red or white.

Also, it seems to me that people here don’t really know what honey to look for – which brand, and know what is considered as good quality honey. Some of the youngsters perhaps will at most consider and grab and enjoy a honey stick from the store but do not know anything about its nutrition value. There is not a single honey bee farm or beekeeping activity in Singapore, and needless to say, no local beekeeping associations where beekeepers share information with the public. I do not know of any efforts to enlist honey manufacturers to promote and talk about the health and taste benefits of honey in Singapore. And never have I seen an in-store cooking demonstration using honey or know of honey tasting events. Teachers in the schools here also do not really make any attempt to educate and explain to their kids in details how honey is produced. Children grow up innocently thinking that honey simply comes from the jars or bottles in the supermarkets or grocery stores.

Nevetheless, as we see a stronger trend with natural remedies and foods and a revisit of the the ancient times when honey was used as a folk remedy for ailments such as cuts and scraps, laxative, and cough and sore-throat balm, among other things, and more recently in the Hibernation Diet, I hope that the general public here in the years to come will show more curosity and interest in honey.

By: Ruth Tan

About the Author:

Have you ever wanted your very own wine cellar? Actually, you can have one for much less money than you thought possible. When you think of a wine cellar, a special room in a huge mansion where many servants are employed likely comes to mind. That just isn’t the case.

A “cellar” is an underground room. An underground room generally remains at a constant temperature year-round or close to it, and that temperature is cooler during the summer months and warmer during the winter months than the rest of the house. So, basically, if you have a cellar, maybe you already have a wine cellar and just don’t know it.

The problem here is that most of us don’t have a house with a cellar. Most of us live in smaller homes or in apartments without basements. Don’t give up. If you love wine, you can still have a wine cellar and you don’t have to deplete your bank account to get it. There are several choices.

The most important thing to remember about storing wine is that it needs to be stored in a horizontal position so that the wine stays in contact with the cork. This prevents the wine from “drying.” The other thing to remember is that wine needs to be stored in a cool place — not a warm place, and not a cold place, but a COOL place. And that place needs to be dry, as well.

Now, as to wine cellar choices: Wine cellars can be purchased, of course, or you can choose to turn a closet or an area under a staircase into a wine cellar. The room or space that you’ll be using as the cellar must be as level as possible and treated with a waterproof sealer. Keep the lighting as soft and minimum as possible and walls well insulated. If you have a window, it must be insulated and covered because the sunlight that comes through the window is not a good thing for proper wine storage.

By: Milos Pesic

About the Author:

You’ll have to use your own judgement on substituting for alcohol in recipes. Sweet recipes will require different substitutions than savory. Amounts will also make a difference. You wouldn’t want to use a quarter cup of almond extract to replace the same amount of Amaretto liqueur. And remember, the final product will not be how the original cook intended, but it should still be tasty.

Look at the main ingredients of your recipe. Usually the main liquid ingredient can be extended to cover a small amount of required alcoholic ingredient.

If the amount is less than a tablespoon, it can probably be omitted although flavor will be lost.

Any variety of juices and/or tomato juice can often be substituted in marinades.

Non-alcoholic wine or wine vinegar can be substituted for wine. Add a bit of honey or sugar to emulate sweeter wines.

Extracts, flavorings, syrups, and juices can be substituted for flavor-based liquors and liqueurs. They will usually need to be diluted.

Use non-alcoholic wines over cooking wine or sherry. It should be drinkable. The cooking wines and sherries are loaded with sodium which detracts from flavor and adds a salty flavor to the food.

To help burn off more alcohol and reduce potential injuries when using it for flamed dishes, be sure to warm the liquor before adding to the hot (the food must also be hot!), and use a long match or lighter to ignite it. Always tilt the pan away from you when igniting. The liquor should be added very last possible moment and lit as quickly as possible to avoid the liquor soaking into the food. Let the alcohol burn off enough so the flavor does not overpower the dish.

Tomato sauce or juice combined with Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce can work as a substitute for many robust liquors.

Frozen desserts and high alcohol-content liquor do not mix well since the alcohol freezes at a much lower temperature. You may end up with runny ice cream or sorbet.

When using milk or cream in a sauce containing alcohol, be sure to burn off the alcohol before adding the cream or the sauce may curdle.

If the alcoholic ingredient in the recipe is intended to be the main flavor and you must avoid alcohol, find another recipe. It just won’t taste the same.

By: Andrew Hall

About the Author:

A London broil is a great way to cook steak. Note that I said a “way to cook.” In other words, it’s a method, not a specific cut of meat. This distinction has confused many a novice cook.

Adding to the confusion, some butchers will call a cut of meat “London broil.” Usually, though, the cut of beef used for a London broil is flank steak, although other cuts, notably top round steak, may be substituted.

Flank steak is naturally tough, so you need to tenderize it (by pounding with a mallet) or marinate it, or both, before cooking with it. To turn it into a proper London broil, you … broil it. Makes sense, right? But not so fast … you can also grill it and still call it a London broil.

Here are two recipes, one for broiled London broil, and the other for grilled London broil.

London Broil (Broiled)

Ingredients

1 beef flank steak (1 to 2 pounds)

1/3 cup Italian salad dressing

2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions

1. Combine salad dressing, wine or wine vinegar, garlic and cooking oil in a bowl to make a marinade.

2. Make several shallow cuts on both sides of the steak. Place the meat in a baking dish.

3. Brush the steak with the marinade; be sure to coat both sides. Cover pan with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator and let marinate for 1 hour.

4. Remove from refrigerator. Pour off excess marinade.

5. Preheat oven broiler. Place pan with steak approximately 3 inches from top heat. Cook 5 to 8 minutes per side (to medium doneness).

6. Cut steak into slices and serve.

London Broil (Grilled)

Ingredients

3/4 cup cooking oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy or Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

1 flank steak (1 to 2 pounds)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except the meat in a bowl to make your marinade.

2. Make several shallow cuts on both sides of the steak and place in a baking dish. Try for a cross-hatching effect with several overlapping, diagonal cuts.

3. Brush steak with marinade, making sure to coat both sides. Cover pan with plastic wrap, place in refrigerator and let marinate for at least 1 hour.

4. Grill steak over hot charcoal or other high heat for 5 to 8 minutes per side, depending on the degree of doneness desired. Baste with leftover marinade if you wish.

5. Remove steak from grill, slice into thin strips, and serve.

By: Sarah Sandori

About the Author:

Opening a Bottle of Wine

When you open a bottle of wine you might find it is difficult at first. You should become familiar with the corkscrew you are using before you plant it in the cork. You don’t want the cork to crumble or end up inside of the wine. This can be frustrating, especially if there are tiny pieces in the wine and hard to pick out.

When you put a corkscrew in a bottle of wine be sure the end is right in the middle of the cork. Turn the top of the corkscrew until the screw is almost entirely inside of the cork. As you turn the top handle you will notice the sides of the corkscrew will rise. You will push these two side handles down simultaneously and the cork will be removed from the bottle.

Temperatures

Wine is best when it is served at the right temperatures. Some wines tastes horrific if you serve them when they are too warm or even too chilled. Some wines are not meant to be chilled but to be served at room temperature. You should know what temperatures are best or you could ruin your wine tasting party with your friends.

The best wine temperatures for serving wines at a wine tasting party or any time is as follows:

-White Wines: 45 to 50 degrees
-Sparkling Wines: 41 to 51 degrees
-Rose Wines: 45 to 55 degrees
-Red wines: 50 to 64 degrees
-Fortified Wines: 54 to 65 degrees

Properly Chilling Wine

Many people think they can toss a bottle of wine in the freezer for a few minutes and it is perfectly chilled. The best method of chilling a bottle of wine is in a bucket of ice water. You don’t want just a bucket full of ice.

Fill a bucket up almost

]]> http://winesrecipes.com/953/how-to-serve-wine/feed 0 http://winesrecipes.com/507/how-to-make-wine-adding-flavor-to-your-homemade-wine http://winesrecipes.com/507/how-to-make-wine-adding-flavor-to-your-homemade-wine#comments Fri, 13 May 2011 08:55:50 +0000 Darren http://winesrecipes.com/507/how-to-make-wine-adding-flavor-to-your-homemade-wine

Whether you are already making your own wine or just pondering jumping into the rapidly growing hobby, one thing that you will want to experiment with is adding or changing the flavor of your wine.

Sometimes, just fermenting the fruit or grape juice doesn’t produce a taste that seems “full”. There seems to be something missing.

What can you do? How can you round out the taste?

Here’s 3 different things you can do that will improve the fullness of the taste of your homemade wines.

Oaking

You can give your wine an aok flavor very easily. There are two ways to do this. You can add oak chips before the fermentation or after the fermentation. There are even 3 different flavors of oak chips.

Oak chip manufacturers try to duplicate the charring found inside the big barrels that are used to age wine in. There are light toast, medium toast and heavy toast chips. The toast part simply means how much charring from a flame there is on the chips.

You just add these chips directly to your must or your wine and let them soak.

Another oaking method preferred by a lot of home winemakers is to flavor some vodka with oak chips and then just pour some of the oaked vodka into the wine to add and oaky flavor.

Sugar

Some people prefer their wines a little less than dry. Some like their wine downright sweet.

The secret to sweetening wines is this: you have to make sure the wine is stabilized before adding any sugar or sugar water. You can stabilize your wine using potassium sorbate, a common food preservative. This takes place after all of the fermentation is complete and the wine has mostly cleared.

How much do you add? Just sweeten to taste. Add a little sugar water, and taste. That’s all there is to it.

Glycerin

If your wine seems a little thin, you can thicken it up by adding glycerin. Glycerin will give your wine “legs” and a somewhat better mouthfeel. Legs don’t really have anything to do with the taste as much as the ability of the wine to cling to the sides of a wine glass.

Glycerin will give your wine a more rounded and smoother feel in your mouth when you are drinking the wine.

Try these 3 winemaking tips on your next batch of wine. You could surprise yourself!

By: Mike Carraway

About the Author:

Tasting wine is more complex then simply drinking. Wine tasting is about more than hydration. It is a whole different experience than what you may be used to when drinking. It is more like tasting food. You want to enjoy the wine and to experience the wine.

Knowing the proper way to taste wine will allow to you appreciate the art that goes into the creation of each bottle. It will also show others that you are serious about wine and that you understand the complexity of wine tasting. It also shows you have respect for the wine and for those who made it because you are doing much more than tasting, but you are taking in every aspect of the wine.

Step 1: Look at the wine after pouring it. When the wine is first poured, before you do anything else you have to look at the wine. This is best done against a plain light colored background that will allow you to see the colors and the depth of the wine. You want to look for streaks of color or subtle hints of color variations. Make a note of the coloring you see.

Step 2: Swirl the wine in the glass. Once you have looked at the wine and noted its coloring after pouring, you can swirl it slightly in the glass. Swirl enough to get the wine to coat the glass, but avoid swirling too vehemently. After you swirl you will want to look at the wine again and note the coloring changes. Major changes mean the wine is a more complex wine. No changes means the wine is a simpler wine.

Step 3: Small the wine. After you swirl the wine and note the coloring and look again you will smell the wine. Take in the aroma and look for hints of familiar smells. You want to note the things you smell for the next step. You’ll learn terms to describe each scent as you progress.

Step 4: Taste the wine. Finally you are at the part where you can taste the wine. Do not just drink and swallow, though. You should take a small amount into your mouth and swirl it around. This allows you to get the full flavor of the wine. You should then draw in a bit of air and swirl again. You should note the tastes at this time. Also see if you pick up the hints of flavor that you smelled. Now you can swallow. Be sure to note the aftertaste.

Tasting wine is not simple, that is for sure. With these four steps, though, you can master wine tasting like a pro. You will find that following the four step approach will allow you to enjoy the wine more and also allow you to develop a good taste for the differences between wines. You will soon be on your way to being a wine expert who can recognize a merlot or chardonnay without ever looking at the bottle.

It can take time to really learn the art of wine tasting, but practicing is fun. You’ll discover a whole new appreciation of wine, gain new skills and have a fun and interesting hobby.

By: Caroline Silverstone

About the Author: