Determining taste before you taste

[hotwine]

Alcohol level is one factor; the higher the alcohol level, the more intense the flavors due to extended hangtime required to reach the high alcohol content. The longer the hangtime, the more "raisiny" the grapes at harvest, thus the higher alcohol and intense flavors. Personally, I tend to favor wines of less than 14% alc/vol, arguably a threshhold for wines becoming "fruit bombs".