Attending a Wine Tasting
Finding
out about wine is finding out about the Universe. Once you get going, there's
no end in sight. Fortunately, for those who choose to be educated wine
drinkers, learning about wine is a lot easier, and doesn’t require a space suit.
Wine tastings come in all shapes and
sizes
Wine tastings are
designed to give people the opportunity to sample a range of wines. The events
can be classes (seated, seminar style events), or they can be more like parties
(tasters moving around informally). As opposed to a wine class, the
participants at a wine tasting are more likely to have various levels of
knowledge. Tastings don't come in beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
One size fits all.
Wine
tastings are popular because they overcome the problems of sampling wine alone
at home. How many wines can you taste on your own (unless you don't mind
throwing away most of every bottle)? How many wines are you willing to buy on
your own? And how much can you learn by tasting wine in isolation, or with a
friend whose experience is no more than yours?
At
wine tastings, you can learn from your fellow tasters, as well as make new
friends who share your interest. More importantly, you can taste wine in the
company of some folk who are more experienced than you are, which is great for
training your palate.
To
attend a wine tasting in your area, contact your Wine and Spirits Shop. Your
local shop might sponsor wine tasting events occasionally (apart from the
informal sampling opportunities in the store itself) and should also be aware
of wine organizations that conduct wine tastings in your area, like the
American Wine Society
When in Rome . . .
If
you've never been to a wine tasting, be aware that a few matters of etiquette
apply at most tastings. Familiarizing yourself with these will help you feel
more comfortable. Otherwise, you're likely to be surprised by what you see or
hear. Why are those people behaving like that?
To
spit or not to spit?
Professional
wine tasters discovered that if they swallow every wine they taste, they're far
less thoughtful tasters by the time they reach wine nine or ten. So spitting
became acceptable. In wineries, professional tasters sometimes spit right onto
the gravel floor or into the drains. In more elegant surroundings, they spit
into a spittoon, usually a simple container like a large
plastic cup (one per taster) or an ice bucket that two or three tasters share.
At
first, naturally, some tasters are uncomfortable spitting out wine. Not only
have they been brought up to believe that spitting is uncouth, but they've also
paid good money for the opportunity to taste the wines. Why waste them? Well,
you can drink all of your wine at a wine tasting, if you wish, and some people
do. But we don't advise that you do, for the following reasons:
·
Evaluating the later wines will be
difficult if you swallow the earlier ones. The alcohol will cloud your
judgment.
·
Swallowing isn't really necessary in
order to taste the wine fully. If you leave the wine in your mouth for eight to
ten seconds, you'll be able to taste it thoroughly without having to worry
about the effects of the alcohol.
·
If you're driving to the tasting,
you're taking a risk driving home afterwards if you drink instead of spit. The
stakes are high. Why gamble?
The
simple solution: Spit out the wine. Just about all experienced wine tasters do.
Believe it or not, spitting will seem to be a very normal thing to do at wine
tastings after a while. (And, in the meantime, it's one sure way to appear more
experienced than you are!)
If
you know that you can't bring yourself to spit, be sure to have something
substantial to eat before going to a wine tasting. You absorb alcohol more
slowly on a full stomach and the simple crackers and bread at most wine
tastings are not sufficient to do the trick.
What's
with the sound effects?
Do
you have to make that loud slurping or gurgling noise that you hear
"serious" wine tasters make at tastings? Of course you don't. But
drawing air into your mouth does enhance your ability to taste the wine. With a
little practice, you can gurgle without making loud noises.
More
fine points of wine etiquette
Because
smell is such an important aspect of wine tasting, try not to interfere with
other tasters' ability to smell. This means
·
Smoking (anything) is unacceptable.
·
Using any scent (perfume, aftershave
lotion, scented hair spray, etc.) is bad. These odors can interfere with your
fellow tasters' ability to detect the wine's aroma.
Courteous
wine tasters also don’t volunteer their opinions about a wine until other
tasters have had a chance to taste the wine. Serious tasters like to form their
opinions independently and are sure to throw dirty looks at anyone who
interrupts their concentration. If you actually think you got some minerality
in your Riesling, say so, but wait until everyone has had a chance to try the
wine. After all, the only reason you are
at a wine tasting is because you want to go to a wine tasting, so you
probably like wine. Or you’re broke and need a drink. Either way, even the most
beginner attempts at describing wine (a friend once said “it tastes like wine”)
will open it like a verbal decanter.
So
if find yourself uncomfortable with having something to say about what’s in the
glass, say it. Chances are, as with many things in life, most people are too
concerned about sounding experienced to notice.
If you’re tasting AT a winery
Just
a quick tip. . .
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