The Steps to Enjoying WineHave you ever been invited to a wine tasting, but turned down the offer because you felt you knew very little about wine or had maybe tried wine before and decided it wasn’t for your palate.It may be time to give wine another chance. Here’s why.More and more research is pointing to evidence that wine is not only good for you, it contains a chemical called reservatrol, which has been proven to have various health benefits. In fact, a biotech startup is even banking on harnessing the power of reservatrol to aid  in slowing the negative impacts of such diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.So, here’s what you can do the next time you are invited to a wine tasting. Say yes and follow these steps. You can even go out and buy a modestly-priced Cabernet Sauvignon, if you prefer reds, or a Sauvignon Blanc, if you prefer whites, and follow these tasting rules.First, pour an ample amount of wine in your wine glass. Then, take a deep look at what you see. You’re looking for the color. Some experts even suggest holding up your wine glass to a sheet of white paper to observe the color of this fruity nectar.If you are tasting a Sauvignon Blanc, the colors will range from silvery white with hints of straw-like colors and appear so light that it appears to be able to fly upwards out of the glass. Meanwhile, if you are tasting a Cabernet Sauvignon, you’ll witness hearty red colors resembling plums or currants. In other words, color depends on the type of grape used, also known as the varietal, and which techniques were used to age the wines.Next, we move along to what’s called the body of the wine. Here’s where you tilt your glass so the wine glides along the sides of the glass. Observe closely to see how the wine trickles downward. A light-bodied wine leaves practically no trace on the glass while a full-bodied wine will fall slowly and leave streaks. When visible streaks are left, this is a phenomenon called legs.

Humor Columnist Shares His Tipsy PerspectiveI owe a lot to wine. According to reports, it played a major role in my conception.Unfortunately, I’m not much of an expert. When a waiter brings the wine list, I use the time-honored system of “eeeny meeny miny mo.” Otherwise you run the risk of waiters raising an eyebrow and making French sounds through their  noses.They promised that I’d be safe at Bodee’s, a six- or seven-star restaurant “nestled into a remote country location” (translation: somewhere near Middle Earth).Bodee’s owner Michele Cromer-Bentivolio lives on a ranch behind the restaurant and picks avocados during her commute. These she hands over to executive chef and man of the hour, Christopher Watson.At the wee-lad age of 27, Chris has rubbed spatulas with top cheffing dignitaries and is personally in charge of everything digested at Bodee’s. He and I conducted research in Bodee’s “fern grotto” (translation: patio), where Chris lined up the wine white to red.”So what kind of wine do you like?” asked Chris.”Whatever tastes most like Kool-Aid.”He chuckled as though I were kidding.Chris rinsed with, and spit out, a glass of roset. I myself am principally opposed to spitting out alcohol, so I finished the glass. Think of the starving children.Chris asked me to swirl the glass, which is where I drew the line. There would be no swirling and no poetic faces.”The swirling,” he said, “opens up the wine. Reds are especially tense out of the bottle.”I was drinking and learning at the same time. Just like college.Chris wedged his nose into the glass the way a linebacker does an oxygen mask. That’s why wine glasses are so big — to fit your snout. Chris said that it helps you shift gears.”Have you ever reached for a glass of iced tea thinking that it’s 7-Up? That’s why we sniff.”Finally, after all the pomp and circumstance, I was given to do what I came to do: Get hammered.No, no, no. I had come to debate the floral undertones of wine while wearing a monocle.We started with my favorite wine, the “voigner” [pronunciation tip: don't sound any of the actual letters]. Chris pushes voy-NYAY on chardonnay junkies when they want to get crazy.