"good wine is a good familiar creature" -Shakespeare
This is a tutorial designed to aid anyone who wants to overcome their fear of ordering wine at a restaurant or just wants to know more about the ritual etiquette that takes place when ordering wine. The learner will develop a knowledge of wine ordering etiquette, be able to use the correct pronunciation of different wines and common terms, and come to an understanding of what wine to choose. You may proceed in a linear fashion or jump to the section you are interested in. Cheers!
The Ritual Dance
part 4: Tasting.
Now that the wine has been verified, the Sommelier should open the bottle in front of you, verifying that the wine in the bottle is in fact the wine you ordered. The bottle should never come already opened.
The cork is then presented as a symbol of
authenticity, as explained in the history section of the
tutorial. Often in movies, the recipient will smell the cork.
That is the movies, this is the real world. What do you smell
when you smell a cork? Cork! At times you can smell the cork and
tell it is from a sour wine, but you would be able to tell more
clearly by smelling the wine in the glass! You may wish to feel
the cork to make sure that it is not crumbled at the end. This
can be an indication that the wine has been stored improperly. 
The Sommelier should pour a small amount into the recipient's glass to verify that the wine is not spoiled. Pick the glass up by the stem and visually examine it. Is it cloudy? Is there a brownish or rust colored tinge to it? Unless the wine is very old, it should not have these characteristics.
Next, smell the wine
without swirling it. Why, this allows imperfections to be sensed.
What should you smell for? Primarily there are two common
imperfections: a vinegar, and a cork smell. The smell of vinegar
means that the wine has oxidized and turned sour, and the smell
of cork mean that the wine has been spoiled by a contaminated
cork. Next, swirl the wine in the glass to release more of the
wine's aromas, and smell again. While it seems complicated, it
only takes about 20 seconds to complete.
Now it is finally time to
taste the wine. What you should look for is confirmation of any
suspicions you may have sniffed out before. When you want to
accept the wine, just say, "That is fine" or
"Thank You." Do not try to give an analysis to the
Sommelier or your dinning companions, that's just for movies
(besides, it makes you look like a wine snob!). It is also
inappropriate to reject a wine because you didn't like it. The
only reason to reject a wine is if you find flaws. All
restaurants should have no problem opening another bottle for
you, regardless of the cost. If you ordered a beer and it was
bad, they would replace that too, right? Well wine is no
different.
Now it is just time to sit back and enjoy. In some restaurants, the Sommelier will come around to refill your glasses and in others, you are on your own. Enjoy, you've completed the dance.