Wine tasting: Not just a night out in the bar

It would be fair to say that wine tasting has something of a reputation with people who are not directly involved in the industry. The concept of tasting lots of different wines isn’t necessarily regarded as a skill and in some ways, it’s easy to understand why.

Of course, if you delve into this hobby, it’s clear that it’s anything but “a night on the town”. Wine tasting is a fine art and those that are able to do it successfully not only have a good time, as we all expect, but they also start to appreciate the finer aspects of wine.

We were recently reading an article by Bennett Kireker in New York and were intrigued by his views on the topic in relation to both etiquette and general wine tasting tips. Bearing this in mind, we’ve taken a look at a whole host of advice from experienced wine tasters around the world, and comprised the following. Hopefully, this will help you appreciate that next wine tasting event properly!

Avoid food before the event

While most people will dig into a full meal before turning to alcohol, in a bid to perhaps avoid premature intoxication, this isn’t necessarily the best piece of advice before your wine tasting session.

This time, it’s best to avoid food beforehand. The experts have suggested that this can affect the taste of the wine and in turn, hinder your experience.

Of course, we’re not suggesting that you fast for the whole day beforehand. Instead, the general advice is to eat no less than an hour before the tasting – and this should be sufficient to allow each and every sip to be experienced properly.

The crackers are an exception to the above rule

This next piece of advice might seem somewhat contradictory following what we’ve just said, but be patient.

In pretty much all wine tasting events, you’ll be given crackers to supplement your experience. These can do the world of good for your evening; they are a type of food that can cleanse away the taste of the previous beverage and therefore prepare you perfectly for the next one.

On the flip side, there are certain foods that don’t work very well. Cheese is one of these and will make it very difficult to experience the true taste of the next wine.

Spitting is a common act through these experiences

Sure, spitting in public might be frowned upon in most settings, but when it comes to wine tasting these rules go out of the window. We’re obviously not advocating that you spit in the middle of the room, but there’s a reason why you are provided a spittoon.

A wine tasting experience isn’t an excuse to become intoxicated in record speeds – and this is where the spittoon comes in. It allows you to comfortably progress your evening and still taste the wines, but without feeling them enter your system and potentially ending the evening early!

Don’t feel afraid to use it, it’s something that can allow you to taste more wines, and perhaps savor them a little more as well.