Fall wine tasting in the Hamptons is one of the most fun, and popular things to do in the off-season.  With countless vineyards to explore between the North and South Forks, oenophiles flock to the East End in search of the greatest grapes. Trying to navigate all of the different notes, vintages, and suggested pairings can be challenging, especially after a couple of glasses of Cabernet at Wolffer Estate. Author Brittany Deal [above], shares her information-rich, concise guidelines to follow in Savvy Girl: A Guide to Wine provides tips on how to taste, talk about, buy and enjoy wine. In less than five hours you will know what makes great wine better than good wine, how to ask a sommelier for a wine recommendation, and even throw out words like “terroir” and “tannin” like WineSpeak is your first language.

Brittany shares, “Savvy Girl produces beautiful 100-page guidebooks that readers can finish in 5 hours or less. In today’s world where we are drowning in information, yet starved for knowledge, Savvy Girl believes in cutting through the clutter by delivering guidebooks that help women get savvy and get back to their fabulous life.”  Savvy Girl shares that we don’t need to be an expert on every topic; we just want to be savvy. Below, Brittany shares Seven Easy Tips on How to Taste, Talk about, Buy and Enjoy Wine in the Hamptons.

FOLLOW THESE SEVEN EASY TIPS AND BECOME YOUR OWN SOMMELIER:

1.       Swirling is not just for show. I know that swirling can come off as pretentious, but there’s a good reason for it. Swirling helps some of the wine evaporate, making the wine easier to smell. What you may not know is that your taste buds can only detect sweet, acidic, bitter and salty flavors, so your cherry and lemon flavors are actually aromas you smell, not taste.

2.       Not all wines improve with age. Shocker right? In fact, 95 percent of all wine is meant to be consumed within a year, so drink up that $6.99 Cabernet Sauvignon you’ve been storing in your pantry because it isn’t going to get any better with time!

3.       Champagne is a region in France not a type of wine. Only sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne. In other words, that bottle of California bubbly you picked up the other day should be called sparkling wine.

4.       How long can wine last after it’s opened? It depends on how much air is in the bottle since oxygen causes a wine to turn. That being said a good rule of thumb is about 2-3 days.

5.       The Judgment of Paris. The now famous 1976 Judgment of Paris was a blind tasting that pitted Burgundy Chardonnays against California Chardonnays. The panel of judges—who consisted of the then highest-ranking French wine connoisseurs—ranked the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from Napa Valley the highest. This event is what put Napa, California on the map.

6.       Old World Versus New World Wine Names. In most Old World Countries (think Europe), wines are named after the place the grapes were grown instead of by the name of the grape (for example, Chablis instead of Chardonnay or Sancerre instead of Sauvignon Blanc), and in New World countries (think everywhere but Europe) wine is named after the varietal (so Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot…etc)

7.       Many Chardonnays go through a winemaking process called Malolactic Fermentaton (aka “ML” or “Malo”). Malo is routine for red wines but a stylist choice for white wines. This process turns the malic acid in wine (think of the acid in a tart green apple) to lactic acid (think of the softer acid in milk), which adds a creamier texture to the wine.

Savvy Girl: A Guide to Wine is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, select book retailers and wineries ($17.45; http://savvygirl.net/). Click HERE to purchase the book. Need a cheat sheet sometimes?  KDHamptons likes to use the Vivono app which allows you to photograph a bottle label and it will give you a full description and review of the wine you have chosen.