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Despite what the media tells us, true style has nothing to do with having a perfect body or becoming a slave to fashion. It’s actually about being comfortable in your own skin and expressing yourself with confidence.

We probably all know a few women who seem to have been born with style and good taste. They are the sort of women who always look great and fit in wherever they go. What do these women have in common? Chances are it’s not a size 0 body, a huge income or their own stylist.

What they share is a defined personal style and the ability to dress in a way that makes them feel comfortable and confident.

Women have long been seduced into believing that their external appearance is everything. And if we believe what mass media tells us, we’re all abnormal if we don’t look like a supermodel.

>From an early age, we are influenced by the likes and dislikes of our friends and parents and later, our partners. Our education, family/social situation and career also play a part in telling us what we should look like and how we should act.

The problem arises when we allow all of these external factors to take over and we lose sight of who we are. When this happens we get stuck in a rut; shopping becomes stressful and frustrating; and our catch-cry becomes ‘But I’ve got nothing to wear!’

To develop style means to marry what suits our height, personal colouring, shape and age from what’s currently in fashion, and to understand which ‘looks’ are appropriate for what occasions. In other words, to become a woman who understands fashion without becoming a slave to it.

The fact is that every person, from any background, and any size, age or shape has the ability to dress in a way that is fashionable, flattering and in good taste.

Gaining this knowledge, and experiencing more shopping success, will allow you to express the woman within - the real you. And in turn this will then give you the confidence to become more creative with your wardrobe.

In essence, there are five key points to remember when it comes to personal style:

Appropriateness: for your physical shape, age and the occasion;

Simplicity: less is more. Choosing simple, clean lines and accessories;

Poise: carrying yourself with grace and confidence in every situation;

Authenticity: expressing the real you both in the way you dress and behave;

Courtesy: good humour and respect for others.

As you can see, style is about much more than just the clothes we wear. It is everything that makes us unique - from our personality and lifestyle, through to our education, experiences, values and goals. Apart from body shape and colouring, it is these things that will make or break style success.

Dressing in a way that doesn’t fit with who you are as a person means not only will you feel uncomfortable but you will be sending very mixed messages to everyone around you. Feeling self-conscious will destroy any hope of style.

Being able to look in the mirror and like what you see is a very important factor in self-esteem. When you know you look good you walk, talk and think differently. Once you understand the basic rules of colour and style and apply them to your wardrobe in a way that suits you as an individual, you will be amazed at the positive changes that come about in your life.

Susan Lockhart is a leading Image Consultant in Brisbane, Australia and owner of Synergy Image Consulting. Learn how to make the most of your appearance and dress for success, no matter what size, age or shape you are. Get professional advice on colour, dressing for your body shape, bridal wear, grooming and more. Consultations for men and women. Visit

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Very few people actually know how to write a book. Most of those who have written one or more books have usually had to learn how as they went along. Even then, whatever they learned was what worked for them; there is almost no chance the same lessons would work for you.

You can understand, therefore, that anyone who tells you he can teach you how to write a book is not being entirely truthful. He can tell you what worked for him, or for other people, and he may be helpful, but he doesn’t have a magic wand with your name on it.

The thing is, not knowing how to write a book is the easiest obstacle to overcome on the way to becoming an author. If that were the only problem, you would have already finished writing a dozen books. You have been learning how to do things by doing them for your whole life. Learning how to write a book is little different from learning how to ride a bicycle. You keep at it until you get it right.

The real reasons you haven’t written a book are personal and private. Maybe they are common, or maybe they are unique and fantastic. The following are just a few of the reasons I have heard for not writing a book:

I can’t write well enough.
I don’t have anything to write about.
My life is completely uninteresting.
I don’t have time.
I can’t afford to self-publish.
Someone else has probably already done it better.
It would be a waste of time.

Your reasons are probably much better and more forbidding than these. (Which underscores your innate creative ability, by the way. But I digress.)

So we come to the point of how to write a book despite everything. The point is that if you take these obstacles, your own obstacles, one at a time or all together, and try to overcome them before you start to write a book, you will never start.

How to write a book despite everything is not a matter of overcoming obstacles. Nor is it a matter of ignoring obstacles. You do not pretend they don’t exist. You certainly don’t argue with them, or try to convince yourself they are unimportant. If people tell you that you are wasting your time, or acting foolish, or being stupid, you don’t ignore, argue with, or try to convince them.

If you want to cross a desert, you don’t argue with the heat, and you don’t ignore it, and you don’t overcome it, or pretend it doesn’t exist. You don’t listen to the cautious advisors who tell you that you are stupid, or acting foolish, or wasting your time and will die. No, you grab a hat and some water, and start walking.

That is as far as that analogy will stretch. I hope it was sufficient to make the point.

You want to write a book? Cool. Write a book. When it’s done, you can either go back over it and make it better, or write another one. It’s okay to get help, too. Professional editors, proofreaders, and writers can quite likely take your finished book and turn it into a marketable manuscript. But they can’t do that if you don’t give them a book in the first place.

Most first books are not very good, especially not in the first draft. That’s okay. You learn how to write a book by writing a book. There really is no other way. If you want to get good at it, you write another.

I will give you one hint, just to help you get started. Think about making your first book kind of a short one, to get your feet wet.

Start walking.

Don Dewsnap works with WriterServices to help authors achieve their book writing and publishing goals. For more information on how to get your book written, published, and sold, for real, go to .

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Straight Talk about Beauty Salons Situations

1. Why

A visit to beauty salons should be a pleasant, stress free experience. Happily it usually is, but let’s create a hypothetical situation. You arrive for your appointment a few minutes late, you’re usually warm and friendly stylist seems distracted, hurried and not so friendly. Why this radical personality change? It could be personal problems or a conflict with a co-worker but not likely. Professionals are good at hiding these problems and would never inflict them on a client. It couldn’t be your fault you were only a few minutes late, or could it?

2. What You Can Do

A hairstylist’s day is run by the clock. Appointments are scheduled at the client’s convenience and stylists try to accommodate as many clients as they can without sacrificing the quality of service and the personal attention a client deserves. If things run as scheduled everyone is happy and no one has to be kept waiting. Here’s how you can help.

You are on your way to the beauty salon and traffic is heavier than expected. You are going to be late, more than ten minutes. What should you do? Call right away, apologize and tell you hair stylist or receptionist exactly how long you will be. Ask if there is still time to get your service and if not, can you reschedule. Ask if it will be possible to get the haircut if you skip the blow dry, (expect to pay full price).

You simply forgot about your appointment. Call apologize, and offer to pay for you hair stylist’s time. If you are a regular client, have a good excuse, and are not inclined to do this all the time, your hair stylist may not accept payment. They may have turned away clients because you had an appointment at that time.

Your hair stylist does your hair the same way every time and hasn’t taken the hints that you are ready for a change. When scheduling your next appointment ask for a little extra time for a consultation. Explain clearly that you want something different. Arrive at your appointment on time; with a few pictures of hairstyles that appeal to you, it’s a good way to start the conversation. Discuss what you like about each style as well as what you don’t like. Discuss how much effort you are willing to put into styling. Your stylist can help you decide what will work for your hair and give you tips on styling your new look.

Your stylist has finished your service and you realize that you really don’t like it. Calmly tell your stylist this is not what you envisioned. Discuss what can be done to remedy the situation. You are entitled to have it reshaped or re-tinted at that time. However, if your stylist is very busy and has another client waiting, he or she will be grateful if you consent to scheduling another appointment for correction, fee of charge.

Joe Oliveri is the founder and CEO of TRI, Institute of Tricholgy providing the finest salons with professional hair care products for over 25 years!

TRI has just released a new AWARD WINNING professional product line: Structural Balance

Joe Oliveri is the founder and CEO of TRI, Institute of Tricholgy providing the finest salons with professional hair care products for over 25 years!

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If you would like to be one of many who has found a home based business opportunity and become successful with it, then hard work is going to be needed to achieve this goal. A home business opportunity is quite popular now for various reasons. Some people need a home business to help them supplement the income received from there regular job, while others need the home based business as a way for them to keep busy as they might not have another job.

There are many different and numerous types of home based business opportunity for people to become involved in. They range for medical transcription services, to selling cosmetics and toiletries. Each opportunity is unique and suitable for just the right kind of person. There are a number of people or companies who will try to convince you there home business opportunity is perfect for you, when in fact, it might not be. It is up to you to weed through all of the different opportunities to find one that will make you successful. The question, which now arises, is how to ensure that when you have started your home business opportunity that is a profitable one?

You should be aware that a profitable home based business must first start with the correct home based opportunity. Most people choose a home business opportunity, which is quite popular, and everyone knows about. However, the problem, which arises with this, is, without realizing it, the market has already become saturated with many people selling the same product. In this way, your chances of having a profitable home business will diminish due to over availability of the product. On the other hand, choosing a home business opportunity that no one has ever heard of is too risky if this is your first time working with a home based business opportunity. Just because a product or concept might be new, there is no guarantee that it will sell. Therefore you run the risk of not making a profit at all with your home based business opportunity.

In order to ensure you are on your way with a profitable home based business opportunity, everyone thinking about working at home, should think about the amount of money necessary in starting a business. Each different type of home based business opportunity will require various amounts of time and finance dedicated to the job to make it work. For you business to be profitable, it is necessary to first plan out how much will initially be invested into it. A new startup business can quickly drain a bank account if a business plan is not initially drawn up. Therefore, to ensure you business is a profitable one, spend time budgeting out your much money will be allocated for each aspect of the business, and stick to this business plan without spending carelessly.

When first starting a home based business opportunity, a lot of hours are necessary in order to make the business as profitable as possible. This would initially include time spent away from family and friends growing your business to a stable level. Therefore, to ensure your business is profitable, the hours spent away from loved ones must be factored in.

After considering the amount of money and time which is needed to make your home based business opportunity profitable, the most important advice would be to start marketing your business as much as possible. There are many forms of business marketing available such as word of mouth, business cards, brochures and flyers, or ads in the newspaper. Yet whatever type of marketing you choose to adopt, be consistent with it. With more people becoming aware of your business, and telling their friends about it, the more profitable your business will be.

Leonard Bartholomew, B.S. Computer Science. Find all of the elements of an extraordinarily simple online home based business opportunity that you can prosper with at .

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Some people mistakenly assume that a traditional IT program with on-campus classes is somehow more marketable or accepted in the working world. Nothing could be further from the truth. Online educational programs have come a long way in the last ten years and today some of the top schools in the country offer distance education programs through the Internet. In fact, getting an online IT degree can give you some hidden advantages when you actually get out to search for a job.

One hidden advantage of an online IT degree is that it is very job-focused. Many traditional in-classroom degrees are simply not that transferable to the working world. Degrees may take a long time and may focus on theoretical, abstract ideas rather than skills that are readily transferable to an actual job. An online IT educational program, on the other hand, is specifically designed to give you the skills and knowledge you will need in a career. Many faculty members in these degree programs have real-life experience in the field rather than just academic credentials. They really understand the exact skills you need to succeed in the field and are happy to pass these skills onto students. When you complete your program of studies, you will have a number of highly desirable skills that translate seamlessly into a job. With your education, there will be no need to explain how your degree is significant for a job.

Another hidden advantage is that an online IT degree saves you time. There is no superfluous time wasted on abstract theories and less-than-useful subjects. You will not be taking subjects outside of your field simply because they are compulsory. Also, when you enroll in an online IT degree program, you will not have to learn the same things over and over again. Not only might you be able to get credit for courses you have already taken at the college level, but your course of study will also be carefully structured so that you will not be duplicating material. This is one reason why your program may take months rather than many years. At the same time, there will be no social programs and distractions so that you will be able to focus just on getting the degree that will land you an excellent job. It is important to keep in mind that there is no need to feel isolated. Many educational programs hosted online offer plenty of interaction with faculty and other students, so that you can enjoy all the benefits of being part of a learning community.

Students who have already gotten their online IT degree often speak very enthusiastically of their educational experience. That’s because this sort of education has many advantages. If you are shy, for example, being able to learn in a virtual classroom is often much less stressful. Many students find that virtual classrooms are also much more student-friendly. The adults who learn in these environments are often very motivated to study and current technology means that learning is interesting and easily accessible. It is also important to note that online learning can be very discreet. No one has to know that you are studying for a new career unless you choose to make that information public knowledge. If you are not ready to tell your boss or your friends about your career decision, they simply do not have to know.

An online IT degree provides the maximum level of flexibility and quality; two traits that most adult learners demand. If you want to enter the IT field, there is no better way to study than to learn at your own pace in the comfort of your own home.

Andy West is a freelance writer for Virginia College. Virginia College Online offers an accredited Online IT Degree program. Please visit Virginia College Online at to select the program that is right for you.

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As a child, money seems to somehow “grow on trees” as mum and dad always appear to have money to buy things.

Even though this is clearly not the case, it’s unfortunately the perception of children who live in a very consumer oriented world.

Rather than letting your child grow up thinking that money comes easily, you need to institute some form of education that teaches them how to understand and use money wisely.

Teach them young and they will carry forward that knowledge and live a better financial life. Here’s a few tips how :

From ages 3 - 7

1. Show them the value of money by explaining what $2 can and can’t buy. It may be an idea to do this whilst walking down the super market aisle or toy aisle (if you are game!).

2. Let them watch you pay for things. You may even start by letting them hand over the cash or pressing the OK button on the ATM.

3. Do not give them notes. Pay their pocket money in coins as your children need to understand how to allocate their money.

4. Show them how to visualise their goals. Get them to draw what they want to save up for. Keep the goals realistic otherwise they will very quickly lose interest.

What they learn -

• Different things have different values.
• Money simply doesn’t grow on trees and that you have to work for your money.
• You have to allocate your money for different things

From ages 7 - 12

1. Encourage them to participate in the school banking programme. This will give them a sense of regular commitment to savings.

2. Get them interested in looking at their bank statements and following how much money they are saving. This will get them used to scanning banking paperwork.

3. Get them to start thinking of a long term saving goal and work out how long it will take them to reach that goal.

4. Give them a combination of notes and coins for their pocket money. This will really strengthen their allocation abilities and efficient usage of spare change.

5. Start showing them the family bills and explain positively that the bills have to be paid to keep the family going.

What they will learn -
• Saving is a planned activity and something that needs a bit of thought rather that just putting away what’s left over.
• The value of small change
• It takes a fair bit of money and good money management skills to keep a roof over their head.

For Teenagers

1. Encourage them to set up their own bank account and use internet banking.

2. Direct debit their pocket money into their account. This will get them used to dealing with intangible payments, and that electronic money is not just a set of numbers.

3. Make them responsible for their own bills such as mobiles. This is a very quick way to teach them how to spend wisely.

4. Try not to lend money to them for purchases that are of an extravagant nature. If they really want it, encourage them to get a part time job to save up enough. If you do loan money to them, do so only on the grounds that you will reduce the amount of their pocket money until the loan is paid.

5. Charge them board if they have a part time job - this will start getting them into the habit of paying their way for things they take for granted - like food and shelter!!

6. Introduce them to the concept of return on investment. Show them the value of putting some of their money into high interest savings accounts or even into managed investments.

7. Highlight the fact that if they start now they will be so much better off down the track.

What they learn -

• Not only will they learn more modern and more efficient banking techniques they will also learn how to curb their wants, or find ways to earn rather than going into debt for something that is not totally necessary.

• It takes money to create money.

Greg R Smith is money expert from Australia who is recognized for his gift to translate the often complex money world into simple over the kitchen table language. He is a qualified financial planner with over 20 years experience and is also a best selling an author, TV presenter, columnist, public speaker and radio presenter. He is also the inventor of a revolutionary money box that will change the way children learn about money forever - visit for more.

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Have you ever been in dire need of a plunger, but couldn’t find one as they are often hidden away since they are so unsightly? Or worse yet, you find a plunger…but it isn’t powerful enough to eliminate the clog. That can be embarrassing to put it mildly. It can also be costly if you have to hire a plumber at night or on the weekend at those “special” after hour rates many of us have unfortunately encountered.

Now both problems are solved! There is now a plunger that is so powerful it will dislodge and clear any clog naturally, without CO2 cartridges. And it is so attractive that people won’t want to hide it in far away places. It is ergonomically designed to fit in with any décor and sit right next to the toilet or sink without looking bad.

It is called a jet plunger and comes with its own storage base, which includes footholds to eliminate having to touch any part of the base. In addition it is made with anti-microbial additives to improve hygiene and keep everything tidy and clean. It will always be there to eliminate any clog that might occur…thus saving embarrassment by both the clogger and the clogee.

In addition, there will no longer be a need for a plumber and their potential bill in the hundreds of dollars to come and fix a clogged toilet, sink, shower or bathtub. A jet plunger pays for itself three times over the first time it is used.

A jet plunger clog breaker delivers seventy cubic inches of compressed air, which is enough power and pressure to clear a clogged toilet jammed with up to three stories of toilet paper!

So, before you or your guests have to deal with the thought of reaching for an old, many times ineffective plunger, you may want to investigate the state of the art, foolproof jet plunger right now so you can sleep better at night knowing you will be able to unclog any drain or toilet when that inevitable “mega clog” comes. In fact you may want to recall that familiar Boy Scout Motto of “Be Prepared” and get one for each of your bathrooms and kitchen so you are never unprepared for that next big clog.

Chris Murphy is a freelance writer dedicated to providing accurate, informative topics for readers. For more information and ideas, please visit

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A friend of ours is moving in with her young stud. Lucky girl. She is in her thirties and he is in his twenties. The age gap is not so great as to be obscene but whilst we are used to seeing an older man with a younger woman, we’re not so comfortable with it the other way round. In fact, the older woman is not sure whether to be embarrassed or victorious when breaking the news to her girlfriends.

So are there any disadvantages to a match such as this? Should she be concerned that he will leave her for a younger woman when she is in her forties or fifties? Or should her greatest concern be that they are at different stages in their lives? Are their priorities too different? He is still building his career and she is on top of hers. She only has a short period of time left to have a baby but is he too young to be starting a family? Does he really want to feel like a sperm donor at The Last Chance Saloon?

She is not alone in this dilemma. Most of our thirty-something girlfriends go out with younger men. They’re the only men out there, they say. Or are they just going to the wrong places? My best friend and I can only seem to pull younger men (or men over 60 but we won’t make an issue out of that.) We love youthful enthusiasm but are not so keen on the acne. So where are all the other men? At home with their wives, still in the office, in lap dancing bars?

Some of our men told us that they felt pressure from thirty-something women to have children before they were ready and that this is one of the reasons that they go out with younger women; the baby thing is not yet an issue with twenty-year old women. I wonder if, when these women get older, they will just be traded in for a younger model. Whereas younger men say this is one of the reasons they prefer older women, women in their forties, there’s no pressure to have kids.

So why else do men like younger women? These are some of the reasons our men gave; younger women have pert, firmer bodies, they are less likely to have baggage in the shape of kids and ex-husbands, they are more easily impressed (interesting, will investigate further), they are more fun and carefree, they keep you feeling young, the relationship is more light-hearted and you are not seen as a prospective marriage candidate. By the way guys, this is not true; every man is assessed for his suitability, it is just that when you are twenty and deem a man unsuitable as a husband and father, you might have other more pressing uses for him! Most of these reasons imply that men are just reluctant to grow up; it is something some of them put off almost indefinitely.

And what does a young woman get out of a more mature man? Someone who can think of something more than beer and football? (Never going to happen). Security? Money? Power? We know that it is practically the law for every rich bloke to have a sports car in his driveway and a very young, cosmetically-enhanced girl by his side, Well, she might not be that young, it is sometimes hard to tell after surgery. Is it true that there is no such thing as an ugly rich man?

I had a relationship with a man 10 years older. The age gap didn’t seem to make that much difference at the start. Although I admit that the first time he took his clothes off, I expected to be faced with a wrinkly, dried up old man. He wasn’t, of course, he was only in his thirties! We had no similar points of reference. We had grown up in different decades. He was already very set in his ways and prone to falling asleep on the sofa after dinner - just like my Dad- and the longer we spent together, the wider the age gap seemed to get. Doomed? Not necessarily.

So back to older ladies and younger men. Marriage statistics now tell us that in the UK, the trend seems to be turning in favour of the older woman and the younger man. Is our friend enjoying some of the most energetic, if not most polished, sex of her life? And what does he get out of it? Someone to look after him, to mother him? A confidant woman, happy in her skin? (If one of these exists, please let me know who you are!) Someone who doesn’t need to be looked after? Sex from someone who knows exactly what they are doing and what they want?

Or does age just not matter at all if you are in love? All together now, aahh.

Audra McKellar is on a light-hearted mission to find out what men think about love and relationships, by asking them directly. Join her and her friends on their journey of discovery.

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In spite of the growing popularity of IP telephony, there are still many people who do not know what a VoIP phone is. What is the difference between a VoIP phone and an ordinary phone?

As far as you are concerned, probably not a lot. You can still use your own landline phone if need be, though in its simplest form there is no VoIP phone handset as such. Just a microphone and speakers will do. All you need is some software which is supplied by the provider.

You can use your normal land-line phone. Just like digital TV requires a box, either set-top or included in the set, VoIP needs a box which you can either buy yourself, or get from your VoIP provider. Once you connect your phone to the box and the box to your internet connection, you have your VoIP phone system using your own phone. Due to the connection speeds involved you have to have broadband or another high-speed internet connection.

Your telephone conversation passes through the internet in packets in the same way as any other file does. As you speak, your analogue voice signal is digitized by the VoIP software into binary form, and the digital stream broken up into small ‘packets’ which are sent through the internet. These packets each take their own fastest route through the internet, from computer to computer, till they reach their destination. This is the way that all files are sent through IP.

The problem with a streamed signal, such as a VoIP phone conversation, and a packet system, is that the packets do not always arrive in the correct order. This is due to the releative amount of internet traffic each packet comes up against, and the fact that they can each take different routes. Also, some packets are lost, or ‘dropped’.

Modern software is becoming increasingly better at arranging packets in the correct order (often through slight time delays which allow them to be rearranged) and covering up ‘dropped’ packets. VoIP phone conversations are therefore more audible now than they were in the early days of VoIP phone systems.

As I said, you can use your computer microphone and speakers to make and receive conversations, but you can also get a dedicated VoIP phone if you prefer. It’s all a matter of choice and does not significantly affect the services you can have.

Some of the services supplied free with VoIP phone systems are:

Caller ID
Call waiting
Call forwarding
Voicemail
Conference calls
Call transfer
Group pick-up

Once you have your box, any calls you make to another VoIP are free - anywhere. For calls to non-VoIP phones there is a charge, but this is generally lower than normal land-line charges.

Your phone number relates to the adaptor, so you can take this with you and use it on any computer with fast internet connection. You can also buy a VoIP phone to go with your laptop and make telephone calls anywhere at any time; just as you can with a mobile, but at a fraction of the cost, and usually free to any other IP phone. This is an excellent inexpensive solution for businesses with a network of offices - all calls between them will be free throughout the world.

Another cool feature is virtual phone numbers. You can get local area numbers allocated to your regular phone number, so that if your family live in LA and you are in New York they can ring your LA local number with their landline and speak to you in New York at local rates. How cool is that!

A VoIP phone is now an attractive option for anyone, both as a cheap alternative to a mobile phone and as a complete replacement for a landline.

Copyright 2006 Peter Nisbet

Peter Nisbet is an industrial chemist with a great interest in internet file transmission and reception systems and runs many websites including where many aspects of VoIP services and systems are discussed.

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To many people the sight of a man or woman in a restaurant or bar sniffing and swirling a glass of wine before ultimately tasting it and relaying their satisfaction to the server can seem rather pretentious. However, this is actually the best way to get the most from your bottle of wine; to see, smell and taste every aspect. Whether it is an expensive box of wine or a prize winning bottle of Merlot, to truly appreciate a bottle of wine it is important to learn how to correctly taste wine.

The most important thing to keep in mind when tasting a wine is to be sure to use your senses. Enjoying a glass of wine is not simply about drinking and noting the taste, but about inspecting all aspects of the wine.

Colour is very important in wine which is why people are often seen holding a glass of wine up to the light before drinking it. As wine ages the color of the wine changes. Red wines in general begin as a very dark red or purple color. Over time, red wines tend to fade from this dark shade to a garnet and finally a brick red. At first this color change might only be noticed around the rim of a wine, but over the years the entire wine will fade. White wine on the other hand tends to darken with age. White wines usually start out straw or lemon in color and age to dark amber.

Why is the color of a wine so important to inspect? The color of a bottle of wine with respect to it’s age can be an important key in determining if a bottle of wine has been manufactured poorly. For example, if a one-year-old bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is already a very dark, deep amber color when the bottle is first opened, this could signify that the bottle has not been manufactured and processed correctly causing the wine to age prematurely and not taste it’s best. The same can be said for red wines, if a young bottle of Merlot is already a brick red or brown color when opened, chances are good their was a problem with the bottle and it will not have optimal taste.

Some in the wine community still think it is important to inspect the legs of a glass of wine. “Legs” is a term used to describe the oily wine beads that are on the sides of a glass after it has been swirled around. Many used to think that these legs were a sign of high alcohol or sugar content giving a better quality of wine, and while this might be true in a variety of cases, nowadays most people prefer to use taste as a better method of assessing quality.

T he best way to release the aromas of a glass of wine is to swirl it for a few moments. Swirling helps to agitate the wine and allows more oxygen to have contact with the wine, which in turn releases aromas. It is important to smell a glass of wine before drinking to ensure that the wine smells healthy. A wine should never smell moldy, stale, oxidized, or vinegary in any way.

Aside from checking if a wine smells healthy, swirling a glass of wine is also a great way to be able to smell the primary and/or secondary aromas. Primary aromas are usually found in younger wines, and usually are fruit related, such as orange, raspberry and cherry. Older wines take on secondary aromas, which are earthier. Sometimes wines are said to have an oak, musk or butter flavor, which all are considered secondary aromas.

Finally there is using your palate and tasting the wine. Does the wine taste fruity or earthy? Is it sweet or dry? What kind of texture does it have; thin, buttery, rich? How long did the flavor last after it the wine was swallowed? A wine that lingers is a sign of a good quality wine, but it also means the flavor can be enjoyed longer.

Now that the basics of wine tasting have been revealed, the next time you order a bottle of wine, don’t be embarrassed to sniff it, swirl it and taste it like a professional.

Ken Finnigan is the CEO of a website specializing in quality decorative wine racks and durable wine storage systems.

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