Tasting Etiquette
Written By: Brian Freedman on Mon, Jul 23rd 2007
Or, Why It's Not A Frat Party
One of the most exciting trends in the world of wine these days is the popularity of tastings. And not the kind that most people imagine—those gatherings of ascot-clad men pretentiously picking apart the relative merits of obscure and overpriced wines, all the while smirking at the few poor souls who happened to make it past the velvet rope and into that rarified air of hyper-snobbery.
No, these days it’s a whole different ball game. And one of the best parts of this paradigm shift is the fact that, as wine has become more of a populist experience, so, too, has the institution of the wine tasting.
A quick glance at web sites like LocalWineEvents.com, or an Internet search for wine tastings and classes in your area, will likely result in your discovering a number of options in the coming month. These will likely range from classes at your local wine school to tastings hosted by either wine shops, importers, or the producers themselves.
And as we mentioned on the ClassicWines.com newsletter, these tastings are a wonderful way for you to experience dozens of wines you may never even have heard of before, taste them in an environment conducive to asking questions and learning a bit about the wines, and try one or two that you would probably never dream of spending the money on.
The cost-value ratio here cannot be beat, and the experience is just about as fun as it gets, especially if you’re just getting into wine or trying to expand your vinous horizons beyond the cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, and chardonnay most people tend to stick with.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t rules you should follow. There aren’t many, mind you, but the few that there are should be carefully adhered to. The big three, as it were, follow.
It’s Not A Fraternity Party—A wine tasting is just that: A tasting. In other words, this is not your chance to guzzle glass after glass of wine with impunity and suffer nothing worse than a hangover the next morning. Rather, it is a chance to taste wines in an organized, dedicated setting that is conducive to your learning more about the beverage you love so much. This means that you should either spit your wine—perfectly acceptable behavior at a tasting—or pace yourself. If you feel yourself getting a bit tipsy, take a break, drink a bottle of water, and start again when you feel up to it. And not a moment sooner.
—At most wine tastings, you will be issued a glass when you enter the tasting hall, and that’s the glass you’ll use for the duration of your visit. One of the first things you’ll likely notice when you begin working your way through the wines is that you will be poured only an ounce or so. The worst thing you can do is heckle the person pouring the wine and ask them for more. That’s not only uncouth, it’s also a sure sign of an amateur. Think of it this way: If you plan on sampling a few dozen wines over the course of the tasting, why would you want any more wine than that? A sip or two is all you need, and you should not ask for a full glass.
Strategy is Key—Taste the wines in a logical order, which is to say lightest to richest. This way, you won’t burn out your palate too early. Start with the sparklers, then move on the white wines, followed by rosés, lighter reds, richer reds, and, finally, sweet and dessert wines. Your palate will stay fresher for a longer period of time, thereby allowing you to get the most out of as many wines as possible.
And when you get home, there’s no shame in enjoying a beer. The last thing you’ll probably want to drink is another glass of wine, and the bubbles and the hops will soothe your palate.
