close
Raw URL: 
Impress Your Date (or at least the waiter) When Tasting Wine
So you order wine at dinner, the waiter opens the bottle at the table and pours a bit into your glass. Now what. You need to at least look like you know what you are doing. When faking your way through something, it is best to keep it simple. Don’t over do it.
Step #1: Smell. When a waiter presents you with your wine selection, you may be presented with the cork. You may smell the cork. Stay alert for wet cardboard or old beach towel smells. If present, don’t even bother with the next steps. Ask for a new bottle.
Step #2: Observe. Pick up the glass by the stem–not the bowl. Holding the glass by the bowl hides the wine from view, fingerprints blur the color and the heat of your hand alters the wine’s temperature. Now tilt the glass and look through the rim. Observe the variation from the deepest part to its edges.
Step #3: Swirl. You’ll want to swirl the wine in the glass. It is easiest if you rest the glass on the table and while holding the stem of the glass with the thumb and forefinger rotate at the wrist. Don’t get too carried away, you aren’t trying to create a mini tornado. Let it settle before moving on to the next step.
Step #4: Sniff. There are a variety of techniques. The goal is to draw the aromas deep into the nose. I prefer one deep inhalation. I’ve seen some tasters close one nostril, sniff, then close the other and sniff again. That’s a bit overdoing it for me. It is totally acceptable to stick your nose all the way into the glass. It’s expected.
Step #5: Taste. This sounds easy, but you can’t just take a sip and call it good. You need to have enough wine to be able to move it around your mouth. After swallowing, exhale gently and slowly. There are all kinds of fancy mouth movements and noises you can make during this phase. If you don’t know what you’re doing, I would skip the acrobatics–you may just end up with wine running down your chin.
Step #6: Yea or Nay. If you like the wine, give the nod to the waiter and he will pour a full glass for you and your companion. If the wine is not suitable, you have every right to refuse the wine and request another.
Happy tasting!
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Great post! I tend to hold the wine glass in the air while swirling, but using the table as a stabilizer is a great idea. Also, loved the “mouth acrobatics” mention. I have certainly seen a lot of people’s faces looking like puckered raisins while trying to frantically swish wine around in their mouths.