How to Behave at a Wine Tasting

My husband is the bar manager of a popular, upscale, Italian restaurant that prides itself on it's wine list. He also works part time for a small wine distributor. Keeping up with what's new in the wine world requires constant research, occasional visits to wineries, and frequent attendance at wine tastings. A tough job, but he is up to the task and as his spouse and helpmate, I often assist in research (we drink A LOT of wine), and often accompany him to tastings.

A wine tasting can be as simple as a couple of bottles set up on a bar at a local wine shop, or as grand an affair as several ballrooms jam packed with wine makers and reps from all over the world.

Once the almost exclusive domain of those in the food and beverage trade large wine tasting are becoming more popular as culinary fair events and venues for fundraising open to the general public. For the novice wine taster, these Bacchanals can be a bit overwhelming and perhaps intimidating. I know they were for me. However, after many years in the trenches, I have come up with a few rules to follow in order to feel at ease, have a good time and avoid a horrendous hangover.

SPIT MORE THAN YOU SWALLOW

Oh, I know, they just pour a tiny bit of wine in your glass from each bottle, but do the math; if there are 6-12 bottles being tasted per table, that would be about a half a glass of wine or more you are drinking per table. How far around the room do you think you are going to get before you become inebriated?

Yes, many people find spitting to be gross, and truth be told the only place I have seen any serious spitting was at winery in France in an outdoor courtyard. Most people, myself included, will either take a sip of the pour to analyze and pour out the rest into the thoughtfully provided buckets, or sip and delicately spit back into the glass and discard.

Make note of a couple of wines you really love, and come back to enjoy another pour later without discarding any.

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