When you taste wine, you'll notice several key aspects about it.

• Body describes the viscosity of the wine.
• Acidity describes tart or "sour" flavors in wine.
• Tannins add bitterness and astringency to the wine and also allow wines to age.
• Alcohol adds a "hotness" to the wine; it is the result of fermentation. Alcohol is measured by volume or ABV. In general, wine has an ABV ranging from about 5.5 percent to 23 percent for some fortified wines.
• Sweetness is how you perceive the sugar in the wine. Wine can be very dry, very sweet, or anywhere in between.
• Aromas are the fragrances you smell in the wine. They also affect how the wine tastes. Aromas come in a wide range including floral, herbal, earthy, fruity, or spicy.
• Flavors are the way the wine tastes on your tongue. Flavors may be any of the aromas, and they may also include meaty, buttery, salty, oaky, or vegetal.
• Finish describes how the wine lingers on the palate and what flavors come after drinking the wine.

Food Pairing Rules

While there are no "rules" for pairing wine with food (drink what you like with what you eat), a great food and wine pairing can bring out the best in both components. Forster recommends pairing heavier foods with heavier wines and lighter foods with lighter wines. "This is pretty intuitive," she notes. "For instance, a crisp summer seafood salad would be overwhelmed by a hearty Cabernet Sauvignon. A light, fruity Pinot Grigio would be lost paired with a New York strip steak."

Wines for a Party

At a party, Forster recommends some safe bets due to their popularity:

• Choose Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio for whites.
• Choose Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon for reds.
• For an affordable sparkling wine, choose Prosecco or Spanish Cava.

As to how much wine to buy, Forster makes the following suggestion: "For a cocktail party, assume each wine-drinking guest will consume a five-ounce glass every hour. If you've invited 20 wine-drinkers and plan a two-hour party, that's five ounces per hour times two hours, so each person will drink 10 ounces. Now multiply 10 ounces by 20 guests, which equals 200 ounces needed, divided by 25 (approximate number of ounces in a bottle) equals eight bottles."

Forster also notes wine stores often offer discounts for purchasing a case or more, so you may want to consider buying a case with the few extra bottles. If you don't want to do math, she suggests a rough rule of thumb, which is one bottle of wine per person.

Serving Wine

The type of wine determines the best way to serve it.

• In general, red wines should be served at slightly below room temperature; about 60°F to 65°F according to Forster.
• White wines are better chilled. Forster notes you should serve them at between 45°F and 50°F.
• Sparkling wines should be even cooler, at about 40°F to 45°F.

Consult a wine temperature chart for specific wines. You can chill wines rapidly by soaking the bottle in a mix of ice and water for about 20 minutes.