Spring is here and as many of us are venturing out to visit local wineries and attend wine events I thought I would revisit some basic information about wine tasting that can provide you with the optimum conditions, therefore ensuring that you get the most from your wine experience.

Believe it or not, making the most out of your wine tasting experience starts before you leave your house. You are going to want to make sure you don’t brush your teeth or use mouthwash immediately prior to tasting as mouthwash and toothpaste contain detergents that modify the lipid containing membranes of the receptor cells in the taste buds so that incorrect messages about taste are sent to the brain.

Wine tasted with residues of these detergents present in your mouth will taste more sour, bitter, and less sweet than they would if you had rinsed your mouth thoroughly before tasting. Have you ever drank orange juice after brushing your teeth? It’s the same principle. It is also critical that you are NOT wearing perfume, after-shave, or scented lotions that will ultimately interfere with everyone’s ability, including yours, to smell the wine. Remember that our sense of smell is our key sensory tool for wine tasting, and 80% of wine tasting is actually wine smelling. You don’t want to smell Polo or Chanel when you are trying to discern the grape aroma or the oak bouquet of that Chardonnay or Cabernet wine.

The same can be said for smoking. If you are a smoker please make sure that you do not smoke anywhere near the tasting room. This practice only distracts others from fully enjoying their wine. The goal is to be as clean and neutral as possible in regards to the way your body smells so that you can get the most out of your tasting experience.

When we think of the senses utilized in wine tasting most people don’t consider the sense of hearing as playing a role. The sense of hearing is obviously important for the discussion of wines, which in turn is essential for our

continued learning, but wine tasters commenting on wines as they evaluate them, actually diminishes the ability of other people in the group to concentrate on the wines and form their own impressions.

As we all know, wine evaluation is very subjective. The person standing next to you at the wine tasting bar could easily dislike a wine that you like. Always remember if you like the wine, then it is a good wine. Don’t let others influence your subjective opinion.

When it is time to actually taste the wine you can swirl the wine, four or five times, on a table and place your nose deep down into the bowl and sniff hard to pick up the wines flavor messages. Also you need to know that it is okay to “burble” the wine in your mouth. This process, of holding your chin down and drawing air over the top of the wine, actually aerates the wine in your mouth and can bring over 200 aroma/ flavor constituents, within the headspace of the glass, into a volatile/vapor form. This “burbling” process will greatly assist in your ability to taste the wine.

It is also okay to spit or pour out the wine in the provided dump bucket. If you choose to drink all of the wine poured for you, after about the sixth pouring your ability to taste will be severely diminished due to taste fatigue. Lastly, I will mention that in regards to holding the wine glass it is best to hold it by the stem, not by the bowl. This is for two reasons. First, if you hold the wine glass by the bowl it makes it difficult to see the color and clarity of the wine. Second, the heat of your hand will warm up the wine, which may negatively affect the optimum serving temperature and ultimately your perception of the wine.

Happy Tasting! - Brian