AROMA: How does it smell? Good wine can range from barely having an aroma to very distinct and extremely pleasant. Musty or unpleasant smell is not good.

BODY: Unless the wine is watery, the desired body of a wine is also largely an individual preference. Great wine can be light bodied as well as full.

FLAVOR: This is really the most important characteristic. Flavor is the key which determines whether you enjoy the wine and would buy it again. A full, rich flavor is ideal.

TEXTURE: This is the taste sensation you experience as you swallow the wine. Is it rough, or silky smooth?

AFTERTASTE: How long does the aftertaste linger in your mouth? Is it pleasant or rough? Usually, better wines linger longer and have a more pronounced aftertaste.

Below is the scoresheet. Mark your findings by circling the appropriate score then record it in the Totals column. Note that the range of rating for each characteristic has been weighted according to importance. Add up the individual scores to arrive at the Overall rating you have given the wine.