Grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz are known for their deep, rich colors. In fact, some Shiraz wines are described as black. Lighter red color indicates grapes such as Pinot Noir or Sangiovese, the key grape used in Chianti.

To assess a wine’s color density, tip a glass of red wine over your watch (don’t spill!). Can you read the time? If so, you are probably sipping a light to medium weight red wine, which means it would pair well with poultry, white meats, pastas, or vegetarian dishes. Other wines are too dark or opaque to see your date through, let alone read the time.

Densely colored wines are usually heavy wines that would overpower light dishes. Save these wines for prime rib or sirloin steak.

One of the most important things you can learn from the color of wine is its age. Human aging begins with laugh lines, followed by gray hair, stooping posture, tooth loss, blue hair, then white. With such signs it is easy to assess someone’s age. I am battling plenty of laugh lines—go ahead and guess.

Wine offers predictable signs of aging as well. A young white wine will begin as a pale, light color, often with hints of green. As white wine ages, it gains yellow or golden tones, later evolving into a deep gold and finally a brown color.

Red wines start life with bright ruby or purple tones, mellowing into brick, then mahogany hues, before finishing life as dull, thin brown. These color changes are due to an oxidation process.

As fruit is exposed to oxygen it ages. Slice a Granny Smith apple. At first, the flesh is pure white. After a few minutes, the flesh begins to brown around the edges. A few hours later, the slice is brown. Wine ages in the same way, only more slowly because it is sealed with a cork that lets only minute amounts of oxygen seep into the wine.

In red wine, color does something else that’s interesting: As the wine ages, some of its color recedes or drops out.

Open an old bottle of red wine and you will notice an accumulation of dark red grit, or sediment, at the bottom of the bottle. Sediment is comprised of several aging byproducts, but one of these is color. Chemically, the romantic color molecules marry the wine’s harsh tannin molecules. The newlywed molecules become so heavy that they sink slowly to the bottom, leaving the wine softer, but with less color. This is something I’ve also noticed in my mirror—softer with less color.

As a result, an older wine’s color is concentrated in the center of the glass, with a lighter colored rim. This color gradation should be gentle, not abrupt. Beware if the rim is watery, with an awkward change to color—these are signals the wine has peaked and is not suitable for further aging.

One of the reasons Swiss wines are so rare on our markets is that few Swiss winemakers come here to flog it. The Swiss wine industry barely keeps up with local demand, so has no imperative to export. Until recently, Swiss producers benefitted from protectionist measures that have now been abolished, so we are beginning to see more Swiss wine export activity with a few bottles landing on our shelves, which is excellent as they produce lovely wines. Like their watches and cheeses, these aren’t wines for bargain-hunters. Swiss wines are expensive to produce and – as you might imagine – meticulously crafted.

Most of Switzerland’s vineyards are planted on slopes facing the sunny south and situated along bodies of water such as the upper Rhone Valley and the northern shores of Lake Geneva. Not surprisingly, the vineyards are predominately planted in the French-speaking areas of the country, especially concentrated in Valais, Geneva, Vaud and Neuchâtel cantons or provinces. In fact, the French cantons comprise 16 per cent of Switzerland’s land area, but are home to 80 per cent of its vineyards. These are some of the world’s steepest vineyards, with slopes as steep as 90 per cent and many have ‘’tablars’’ or terraces cut to facilitate production. Many of Switzerland’s vines are grown on slopes so steep that they require specially designed crémallière or monorail systems to haul the harvested grapes up the slopes.

Wine styles vary considerably in Switzerland, which is not surprising given the cultural influences of the Italian-, German- and French-speaking populace. Switzerland’s cool climate means white wines predominate, though their medium-bodied red wines are gaining international cachet. The main white grape variety grown in Switzerland is called Chasselas, which makes a minerally, crisp white wine with citrusy and almond undertones. When Chasselas is grown in the Valais, it can also be labelled as Fendant. The northeast produces fine riesling and sylvaner that matches superbly with delicate fish dishes or fine quality Swiss cheeses, such as appenzell, tilsit, mutschli or pretty fleurettes carved from tête de moine. Red wines are mostly made from Pinot Noir or Gamay, varieties that excel in cooler climates, or a blend of the two dominated by Pinot Noir and labelled Dôle. Merlot is grown in Ticino, which is a southern wine region in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Not surprisingly, much of the region’s merlot is light and fruity like northern Italy’s, but some are dense, weighty and sufficiently serious to rival Bordeaux models.

A few years back, Switzerland startled the world by unearthing Neolithic heaps of fossilized grape pips, evidence of local wine production dating some 5,000 years ago. Switzerland’s early winemaking heritage manifests itself in an array of indigenous varieties unique to their precipitous hills: amigne, petite arvine, humagne blanc, rèze and the aristocratic cornalin du valais. Unlike much of Europe, Swiss wines are typically labelled by variety, so are easy to understand – and mostly easy to pronounce.

Dry winds can assist in ventilating the vines, but they blow the sleazy fungal spores around the vineyard. If the breezes come on too strong, then the grapes can be damaged. Photosynthesis also shuts down, halting the grape’s sugar accumulation and flavor development. As with all fruits, sugar accumulation is a key factor in grape ripeness. As sugar levels increase, a grape’s mouth-puckering acid dissipates. If weather conditions prevent grapes from ripening to their full potential, the result is a tart wine with little flavor, rough tannins, inadequate alcohol – and low market prices.

While sunshine is a vine’s favorite party-companion, too much fun in the sun damages grapes. Since Banana Boat hasn’t come up with grape cluster sunscreen yet, they do sunburn. Periodic heat spikes cause grapes to mature too quickly without developing subtle character. Excessive summer heat will shut down photosynthesis (leaves are temperamental little synthesizers), retarding grape development. And extended sun exposure causes the little grapes to dehydrate and their skins to brown and shrivel like raisins, somewhat like the regulars at Bondi Beach.

As you can see, weather conditions greatly dictate wine quality, hence the hype each year when wines from volatile climates, such as Bordeaux are released. Red Bordeaux wines can be roughly divided into two camps: the right bank and the Medoc. The “right bank” includes the two districts St. Emilion and Pomerol, which produce the famed Petrus and Le Pin. The Medoc, or left bank, houses the classic top Bordeaux estates, which includes the Lafite, Latour, Mouton Rothschild and Margaux properties.

The weather does vary considerably between these two banks, but more importantly, their dominant grape variety differs. On the right bank, the variety Merlot takes center stage in the blend and in the Medoc it is Cabernet Sauvignon that leads the party. Merlot ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, so fall conditions affect these grapes differently. Once in a blue moon, the Gods are aligned and both banks produce a superb vintage. The year 2009, it seems, is one of those vintages.

The romantic notion of finding a message in a bottle is ever green. Bottle messages were featured in a 1999 film starring Kevin Costner, in a popular StarTrek: Voyager episode and in various novels, but most of us identify the phrase with the 1979 pop-hit by the Police. While the world’s creative talent focuses on the communication inside the bottle, no one seems to have considered the message emanating from the bottle itself. With a voluptuous mouth, slim neck, soft shoulders and curvaceous body, the wine bottle’s come hither communiqué has been sending romantic messages to wine lovers for centuries.

Bottles come in all shapes, sizes and colours, but some designs are associated with a specific grape variety, wine style or region. Bordeaux wines – no matter what their style – are always packaged in bottles with straight sides and distinctive tall shoulders. Red Bordeaux is found in dark green glass, white Bordeaux in lighter green glass and sweet Bordeaux, such as Sauternes or Barsac, are in clear glass bottles. Both Alsace and the Mosel Valley use green or blue-green glass for their bottles, whereas the nearby Rhine region uses brown glass.

Colours affect the light filtration into the bottle, with the darker colours being considered more protective of the contents inside. Thus vin de guard or ‘wines for keeping’ are bottled in darker coloured bottles. Wines intended to be savoured while young (one to two years old), such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, are often in clear or pale green bottles to portray a vibrant, youthful image. Rosé is almost always bottled in clear glass to show off its Pretty in Pink colour. Clear glass is a helpful messenger because once rosé is tinged orange it is time to drink-up as the wine is beginning its journey toward middle-aged spread. Many powerful supermarket chains in the United Kingdom not long ago demanded that wine producers use recycled glass for everyday drinking wines. The producers concurred, but there was a problem as there is little clear recycled bottle glass on the market. Producers who poured their pretty pink rosé in pale green bottles, saw sales crash immediately: pink and green do not a pretty colour make.

In Burgundy, there are not such discernable differences in glass colour, though white Burgundy bottles are often in a light gold autumnal-leaf hue whereas red Burgundy is always sheltered in dark bottles. Shape is another matter. Wine aficionados playing the “guess the origin” game have been known to take a sneaky grope even while pouring from bottles encased in socks or bags to mask identity. Burgundy’s bottle shoulders reflect the laid-back attitude of the region’s producers: gently sloping and relaxed, but their bodies distinctly reflect my family gene-pool: broad-in-the-beam or bottom heavy. These slope-shouldered, plush-bottomed beauties are challenging to keep in orderly submission on the cellar shelves. Rhone bottles have a similar shape to Burgundy, but are a tad slimmer with many sporting an embossed coat of arms on the neck. Tall, slender bottles known as flutes are typical of Germany and Alsace, though the short, squat bocksbeutal is de riguer from Germany’s Franken region. Provence’s unique bowling pin shaped bottle is known as a skittle. Most fortified wines, such as Port, Madeira and sweet Sherry are intended for lengthy aging, so the bottles are usually sturdy and with long necks to accommodate an extended cork. Port bottles often flare at the neck, purportedly to help capture sediment when decanting the wine, which is also one of the explanations for Bordeaux’s firm shoulders. Classic European bottle shapes have been widely adopted by winemakers around the world, all hoping to emanate an irresistibly romantic message, though a few of the whacky shapes infiltrating our shelves lately are seeming more like Sting’s plaintive SOS.

Madeira is often touted as America’s Fortified Wine, but ask an American to describe Madeira and the most likely response is a blank stare. This toffee-flavored wine has fallen out of fashion in recent decades, but it was once the toast of the town. America’s founding fathers clinked glasses of Madeira while signing their Declaration of Independence, President George Washington requested Madeira for his inauguration ceremony and devotee Betsy Ross purportedly nipped the amber liquid while sewing the stars and stripes.

Madeira is a fortified wine, which means its natural alcohol levels are kicked up by adding spirits, sort of like spiking tomato juice with vodka on a Sunday morning. Before the advent of modern science, wine was notoriously unstable and difficult to ship so producers added brandy to the wine for protection. While alcohol has been known to make humans unsteady on their feet, it does give wine a decided stability.

Though Madeira is majestically linked to America’s history, it is a Portuguese wine, produced on an unlikely hunk of volcanic rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Handily positioned in the midst of Atlantic shipping lanes, this isolated Portuguese island-province became a fashionable stopover for European ships stockpiling fresh food, wine and water on the way to colonies as far flung as the South America, India, West Africa and even Macau.

Anyone worth his or her frequent flyer miles will attest that travel is hard on the body and as stable as the fortified wine was upon boarding ship, it was soon discovered that the equatorial heat, moist humidity and rollicking ocean transformed the wine irrevocably. Upon arrival, the wines were tinged deep amber to mahogany and sported richly concentrated nutty, caramel flavors.

This delicious conversion inspired the Madeirense to ship wine barrels ‘round the world and back as ballast before releasing to market. Later, the vintners reasoned they could recreate the same effect under controlled conditions by maturating their wine in the warm lofts of humidified warehouses called lodges. Madeira’s aged caramelized character was such a hit with consumers that it didn’t take long for unscrupulous winemakers to hustle the process by heating the wine in vats. Large wine hot-tubs bubbled up a sickly sweet concoction that gutted Madeira’s reputation for high quality wine.

Top-quality Madeira is always matured naturally and comes in four main styles, each from a different grape variety: Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey. Sercial is the lightest and driest wine, with each variety increasingly rich and complex until Malmsey, which is so densely concentrated and sweet it is suitable only for dessert. If mastering four new grape varieties is daunting, here’s my memorization trick, from lightest to sweetest: “Some Very Bad Men are sweet.”

While Madeira always has a kiss of sweetness, the island’s high altitude vineyards ensure the wines have a tangy bite. Madeira is amongst the longest living wines and unopened will keep indefinitely. Once the cork has been pulled, the wine will keep a year or so before losing its freshness. Sercial and Verdelho, the two lightest styles, make dramatic aperitifs and are delicious with soups or served immediately after the main course, but “Bad Men” can be quite rich and are best reserved for after dinner pleasure.

As any Sex & The City fan will tell you, intensity is a relationship-killer. Luckily, when it comes to wine, intensity is a relationship-winner. Intensity is a term loosely used to describe the strength and power of wine’s aroma. A wine can be described as low-, medium- or high-intensity based on the potency of its aromas, whether they’re weak or pronounced. Ideally, you want to be able to smell the wine aromas while talking to your honey – but without getting your nose wet!

Certain varieties naturally will have more intensity than others, such as the highly aromatic white wine varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer. Because most new world producers tend to maximize fruit ripeness and ferment their grapes in cool temperature-controlled tanks and cellars, their wines usually have intoxicating aromatic intensity. Traditional European producers leave much to nature – at times sacrificing fruit intensity for the development of an earthier complexity. A wine’s aromatic potency diminishes with time, so younger wines will aromatically leap from the glass by comparison to delicate vintage wines.

An easy way to evaluate a wine’s intensity is to position the bowl of the glass at your naval. Slowly bring the glass toward your nose. When you can smell the wine, pause to consider where the glass is in relation to your nose. If the glass is positioned below your chin, then the wine has high intensity. If the glass is between your chin and nose, then the wine has medium intensity. If you have a wet-puppy nose, then the wine has low intensity, definitely.

Aside from aesthetic pleasure, aromatic intensity has a practical value: relationship two-timing. While wooing a potential sweetheart across the dining table, one should be able to hold the glass under one’s nose, utter a few admiring comments across the table all the while secretly enjoying the wine’s heady aroma. Unlike some quality characteristics in wine, such as acidity or sweetness, which are measureable, intensity is a subjective judgment. As with too much perfume, more is not necessarily better, yet a wine should have sufficient aromatic heft to allow you to enjoy the wine aromas wafting from the glass without having to awkwardly shove your nose into the glass to get a whiff. Flirting while your nose is in the glass is a definite relationship-killer.

If the use of the words high-, medium- or low-intensity are too mundane for your colourful wine friends, then describe high-intensity wines as powerful, robust or intensely perfumed. Medium-intensity wines can be described as delicately perfumed or gently aromatic and low-intensity wines as flat, weak, neutral, tenuous or anemic. Whether you prefer high-intensity or medium-intensity wines is a matter of style preferences – just as in relationships – but never settle for a low intensity relationship, whether in the glass or otherwise.

Some people like their toast in the morning, but others prefer to toast while holding a glass.  No one knows for sure how the tradition of toasting began, but surely toasts have been around from the moment our ancestors discovered that fermented juices can make you tipsy.

The Greeks are amongst the earliest groups to toast to the health of their friends for a most practical reason:  to assure them the wine was not laced with poison.  Poisoned wines – or any beverage for that matter — were a means of conveniently disposing of one’s enemies, competition or dowdy spouse.  It became customary for hosts to drink a glass of wine from the communal pitcher before serving guests to prove the wine was in safe condition.

The Romans handled their interpersonal problems similarly and so readily adopted the Greek habit of toasting.  The term toast is derived from the Roman habit of dipping burnt bread into the wine.  Anyone who has been treated for an upset tummy with charcoal will immediately understand the benefits of plopping a piece of charcoal into the pitcher.  Charcoal reduces the wine’s acidity and effectively cleans up or filters the wine.  Charcoal has long been in the winemaker’s tool kit, though used only as a last resort.  Charcoal can make an unsellable wine sellable and has the capacity to remove color from wine, so is used as a cleanup remedy if red wine is accidentally spilled into the white wine tank.  It is also useful in removing severe off-odors, which gives you an idea of wine quality during the Roman era.

In the 1700’s it became the custom to proffer a toast to the health of those absent from the party, usually a celebrity or beautiful woman.  A lovely woman who became a frequent centerpiece of these toasts was lauded as the “toast of the town.”  The exuberance at which Europeans adopted the custom of toasting led leaders such as Charles V, Maximilan and Louis IV to ban toasting.  However, by the 1800’s toasting became an indelible sign of etiquette with a British Duke declaring that every glass must be dedicated to someone and to do otherwise was “sottish and rude” as though there were no one worthwhile to toast.  To omit toasting a guest was considered a subtle insult or as the Duke put it “a piece of direct contempt.”

Though the witty verbal toast has long been customary in British society, these days most often one hears a simple word or two, such as “Cheers” “To your health” or “To good friends.”

When it comes to giving a toast, keep it simple and speak from the heart.  Be brief and to the point.  Never offer a toast before the host has had the chance to do so.  It might be wise to have a couple of stock toasts in one’s repertoire and, if offering a toast, be sure to have a clearly defined finish, such as “raise your glass” or “to Eric.”  If you find your glass is empty while your host is waxing eloquent, it is correct to raise your empty wine glass – or any other – in response to the toast.

Chile has some of the world’s most spectacular vineyards. Bounded by the Atacama desert, the Pacific Ocean, snow-capped Andes and southern ice fields, this is the only wine region where both cacti and snow are interspersed amongst vines.

As with most of the Americas, grapes were first planted in Chile by Catholic missionaries in the 16th century, followed by the Spanish conquistadors. These days, the United States is Chile’s largest market, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan. They offer excellent value and consistent quality, but aren’t all inexpensive quaffers, with some, such as the Montes Alpha “M”, in the top-dollar bracket.

Chilean districts and producers can be tongue twisters, such the Aconcagua, Colchagqua, Panquehue or Cauquenes valleys.

The Aconcagua Valley (Ah-con-kah-gwa) is the warmest of Chile’s wine producing regions. Its production is limited to the estate of highly respected Viña Errazuriz, which was one of the earliest wineries established in Chile some 130 years ago.

A little closer to the cooling breezes of the Pacific Ocean is Chile’s youngest wine region, the Casa Blanca Valley, which specialises in white wines, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Maipo Valley produces a significant amount of wine. And just south of Maipo is the Rapel Valley, which is home to the well-respected Colchagua (Kohl-cha-gwa) district.

Wine enthusiasts are not the only people to notice Chile’s vineyards. Famed international producers have invested heavily in Chile’s versatile climate. In 1988, Bordeaux’s Lafite Rothschild established a winery in Chile called Viña Los Vascos. Try Los Vascos, Colchagua, Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 for classic old-world-style wine.

Mondavi, another well-known international player, linked up with the Errazuriz family to produce the delicious Seña. Alexandra Marnier-Laspostolle of Grand Marnier fame established Casa Lapostolle, and Spain’s Miguel Torres’ produces some of the finest wine from Chile with its Manso de Velasco.

Chile specialises in the classic red grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Chile has had particular success with its Merlot, so it came as quite a shock a few years ago to discover through DNA testing that Chile’s spicy Merlot wasn’t Merlot at all, but a little known variety called Carmenère. For a taste of this singular variety, try MontGras, Carmenère.

A fermentation tank is like a good dance club: full of energy, heat and bubbles. Surging around the tank is the usual cast of characters: a mob of bacterial hoi-polloi trying to wheedle their way past choosy door bouncers and yeasts strutting into the club with only one thing on their minds – sugar.

When the juice runs out of sugar, the dancing begins to fade, conversation drifts and the exhausted yeasts pass out. By the time the DJ has packed up his kit, the dormant yeasts along with other small bits of party debris are sinking to the bottom of the tank. These passed-out clubbers are called and are classed into two categories. The gross lees, which USA winemakers refer to as mud, are “B list” invitees and the fine lees, which are comprised primarily of dormant yeast cells, are on the “A list.”

After fermentation, winemakers immediately drain the clear juice from the tank and discard the gross lees lounging on the bottom of the tank. Though the juice seems relatively clear, it is laden with lightweight and sleepy yeast cells stirred up by the movement, who begin slow dancing around the liquid in a spiral drift to the bottom of the tank.

These small yeast cells play many roles in the development of a wine’s character. They infuse the wine with attractive yeasty, toasty or biscuit-like flavors and they have an effect on the wine’s texture, or the way wine feels in one’s mouth, by making it seem creamier or thicker. Lees are an attractive cocktail for other organisms that help soften the wine and lees act as an anti-oxidant, protecting wine from the harmful effects of too much oxygen exposure. They also provide a protective barrier between the wine and the interior walls of the oak barrels, which might otherwise impart harsh tannins and overt flavors into the wine.

Lees contact is so beneficial, that winemakers often stir up the lees hovering at the bottom of the tank to promote the uptake of the lees character. If wine is maturing in small oak barrels, which have only a narrow opening at the top, the cellar team stimulates the lees with an instrument that looks more suitable for medieval torture: a slim metal pole with a length of chain on the end. This spin technique is called lees stirring, or bâtonnage in French.

With aromatic grapes, such as Riesling or Chenin Blanc, the yeasty aromas derived from lees contact diminish the wine’s fruity character, so are undesirable. With neutral grapes, such as Chardonnay, lees influence is highly desirable as it adds vibe and dimension to the wine. For some wines, this yeastiness is so integral to the wine’s beat that its label will state “sur lie” or “aged sur lie”, such as the crisp, zingy wine from the Loire Valley, called Muscadet sur Lie. The hottest lees act is in Champagne where winemakers ensure wine has intimate contact with yeast cells by trapping them in the bottle itself, leaving the sludgy yeast layer in the bottle for years, ejecting it only immediately before dressing the bottle for release to market. Or clubs.

In some cities around the world, where every square cm is precious, it’s not easy to find storage space for wine. For most people, storing more than a few wine bottles at home is out of the question, which is fine as all but a handful of wines should be drunk soon after plucking them from the retail shelves anyway. But wine is a natural, perishable product, so care needs to be taken to keep it in optimal condition especially if you have long-term plans for your prized Lafite. When carefully stored, wines not only maintain their quality but many will improve in aroma, flavor, and complexity. What to remember about cellaring wine? Consider the following five “C” factors to keep your bottles in good cellar condition: cool, calm, constant, concealed and clean.

Cool
Keep it cool. Transport the bottle from shop to home as quickly as possible and avoid stowing your wine in a hot trunk or boot en route. Wines kept at too high a temperature will age faster than wines kept at a cool temperature, so once home, do not be tempted to store your wine in the kitchen – it is one of the least heat stable environments in your home. Placing a wine rack atop a refrigerator seems like a smart use of space, but fridge tops are treacherous for wine as considerable heat is generated by the warm tubing tangle on the back of the fridge and heat always rises.

Calm
Another reason to avoid storing bottles atop or even within standard refrigerators is the pulsating vibration. Vibrations might be good for the Beach Boys, but when it comes to wine, there is no such thing as “Good Vibrations.” Wine needs to rest. Vibrations agitate the molecules and oxygen trapped in the bottle, speeding the wine to an early demise. If you are the proud parent of teenagers, keep in mind that excessive sound can cause harmful vibrations as well.

Constant
Though much has been written about correct storage temperature, the actual number isn’t as crucial as maintaining a cool, constant environment. Fluctuation between warm and cool temperatures causes premature aging and triggers reactions that diminish a wine’s complexity and elegance. Scientists have proven that the yo-yo effect of fluctuating temperature can shorten a wine’s life by half.

Concealed
Exposing wine to light is like lying on the beach without sunscreen – your wine will age prematurely. Champagne is particularly sensitive to light, which is why it is often sold sealed in individual boxes. Fluorescent lighting is notably unkind to your wine, so consider installing gentle incandescent or sodium vapor lights or use a black-out blanket to cover your bottles.

Clean
An odor-free environment is important because gases and smells can seep through the cork seal and contaminate the wine, which is yet another reason to avoid your refrigerator for long term storage. Also, keep the bottles clear of debris, such as untreated wood or food supplies, that could house insects, mold or larvae eager to infect your cork and avoid storing near fruits, vegetables and cheeses or any other foods capable of fermenting.

So where to store your wine? Other than a professional cellaring service, or a specially designed home cellar (spare rooms can quite be easily converted), the best storage option is a specially designed wine chilling cabinet, such as EuroCave, Transtherm or Vintec. If a wine fridge is out of the question because you already blew your annual bonus in the pub, then store your wine under the bed. Providing you don’t have a, uh, heated nightlife, the mattress provides an insulating effect to keep your bottles calm, cool and collected. And that should help with your “Z” factors.