Stephen Reiss, author of "Juice Jargon: How to Talk About Wine" (B&C Publishing; $19.95), claims he'll make you sound like a wine expert in 10 minutes or less.

Just heed his advice using five basic terms.

• Note the appearance: Look for brilliance, opacity and color. "Reds," he tells us, range "from purple or garnet to tawny or brick red, whites ... from clear or pale green to golden or amber."

• Describe the odor or smell. This is often termed the nose.

• Get the taste or flavor of the wine. "Is it tart, balanced?" he asks.

• Refer to the finish, which is how the wine tastes as it's swallowed (or spit). Reiss notes that it can be anywhere from "pleasant" to "bitter."

• Remember the overall impression. That basically answers whether you like it, whether it's a good value and if you would buy it again.

Appearance, odor, taste, finish and overall impression. That's all you need, says Reiss, to sound like a wine pro.

For more from Reiss, visit his Web site at http://www.juicejargon.com.