Twelve Truths Wine Pros Know

1) A systematic approach to tasting is critical to understanding wine and being able to remember what you tasted.
2) Perceptions of wine can be skewed by outside influences as innocent as eating a bag of M&M's.
3) The first sip is not always reliable.
4) At least 80 percent of taste is smell.
5) Swirling the wine in the glass helps you smell and therefore taste it better.
6) You continue to smell a wine once it is in your mouth.
7) Light, medium, and full-bodied wines feel in the mouth like skim milk, whole milk, and half-and-half, respectively.
8) A full body is no guarantee of an intense flavor.
9) To get the total impact of flavor, you must hold the wine in your mouth for a few seconds.
10) The world's best wines all have long finishes.
11) White wines gets darker in color as they get older.
12) Red wines get lighter as they get older.