The true connoisseur, the gourmet, knows very well how to look at and smell wine, but he also knows that these two steps must be immediately followed by the introduction of the liquid into the mouth. Color and smell are two introductory notes to a gastronomic theme; if they stand alone, they no longer have any relative value, and the theme is not properly understood. If they talk politics at your table, change your wine, change your friends.